Help With Avensis D4d White Smoke

[dnl_303]

Hi people

I am new to this forum, so hello to everyone. I own a 53 reg Avensis with 2.0 D4D with 89k miles on the clock with FSH. I have owned this car for 7 months now.

Lately, since the weather has gone cold, I've noticed the car is smoking white heavily when it is cold. This is not the normal condensation smoke, as it lasts for the first 3-5 minutes of actually driving the car. I've also tried to smell the smoke, and although most of the time it is odourless, I did think I smelt the sweet smell of burning antifreeze once or twice. Also, the smoke does not seem to come out constantly, but comes out in sudden puffs, a bit like it is only coming out of one piston.

However, I have been checking the coolant level, and it hasn't lost a drop of water. Power is pretty much the same. Car is not overheating even on long journeys or when stuck in traffic. There is also no bubbling or compression coming through the expansion tank. The only slight difference is that it is sometimes difficult to start early in the morning and often requires 2 or 3 turns of the starter. ( Might be the glowplugs here - haven't checked them out yet - would they give a warning light if they fail?)

I suspect that it is a blown head gasket. But then you would expect the car to loose coolant no? Also, the smoking issue seems to occur when the car is parked facing downhill, and is practically non-existent when parked facing uphill, which makes me wonder whether some form of condensation is working it's way up the exhaust and then just burning off as steam.

Today I got a new symptom - I started the car after having been parked at work for about 8 hours. When I came to turn the steering wheel, it just turned in jerks - almost as if I had no power steering one second, and powersteering the next, then no powersteering again and so on. It settled after a couple of seconds, and didn't come back again on a 3 hour drive!

I am booked at a mechanic towards the beginning of next week, but I am quite concerned about all of this, especially since I've recently sold my Y reg BMW which had been perfectly reliable, thinking that the Toyota was more reliable in the long-term....and here we go now! Any ideas as to what sort of bill I'm looking at?

I should still have a warranty from when I bought it from the main dealer....any tips of how to go about dealing with the warranty company to make sure they do not quote some loop hole somewhere and get out of it on some grounds of wear and tear?

Many thanks for your help and advice, and sorry for the long post.

Daniel

[jamesholden]

thinking that the Toyota was more reliable in the long-term

They used to be.

Steam when cold is pretty common so I doubt it's anything serious, head-gaskets usually go on the 2.2 diesels but the only real complaint on the 2.0 D4D's are flywheels.

As for power-steering it could be the belt slipping or power steering fluid getting low possibly.

[igormus]

Hi people

I am new to this forum, so hello to everyone. I own a 53 reg Avensis with 2.0 D4D with 89k miles on the clock with FSH. I have owned this car for 7 months now.

Lately, since the weather has gone cold, I've noticed the car is smoking white heavily when it is cold. This is not the normal condensation smoke, as it lasts for the first 3-5 minutes of actually driving the car. I've also tried to smell the smoke, and although most of the time it is odourless, I did think I smelt the sweet smell of burning antifreeze once or twice. Also, the smoke does not seem to come out constantly, but comes out in sudden puffs, a bit like it is only coming out of one piston.

However, I have been checking the coolant level, and it hasn't lost a drop of water. Power is pretty much the same. Car is not overheating even on long journeys or when stuck in traffic. There is also no bubbling or compression coming through the expansion tank. The only slight difference is that it is sometimes difficult to start early in the morning and often requires 2 or 3 turns of the starter. ( Might be the glowplugs here - haven't checked them out yet - would they give a warning light if they fail?)

I suspect that it is a blown head gasket. But then you would expect the car to loose coolant no? Also, the smoking issue seems to occur when the car is parked facing downhill, and is practically non-existent when parked facing uphill, which makes me wonder whether some form of condensation is working it's way up the exhaust and then just burning off as steam.

Today I got a new symptom - I started the car after having been parked at work for about 8 hours. When I came to turn the steering wheel, it just turned in jerks - almost as if I had no power steering one second, and powersteering the next, then no powersteering again and so on. It settled after a couple of seconds, and didn't come back again on a 3 hour drive!

I am booked at a mechanic towards the beginning of next week, but I am quite concerned about all of this, especially since I've recently sold my Y reg BMW which had been perfectly reliable, thinking that the Toyota was more reliable in the long-term....and here we go now! Any ideas as to what sort of bill I'm looking at?

I should still have a warranty from when I bought it from the main dealer....any tips of how to go about dealing with the warranty company to make sure they do not quote some loop hole somewhere and get out of it on some grounds of wear and tear?

Many thanks for your help and advice, and sorry for the long post.

Daniel

hi mate

in case yoou re 100% sure is is not a gasket then first you'd do is:

- check with all four glow plugs -- if one /two of them are faulty -- chane them all four;

- injectors with injection quality.

I will explain you why ---- when glow plug does not pre-heat, the injection is accured, in any way -- but this diesel is accumulated and spited out of cylinder as not burnt ---- what is after ---- it is being heated up in the exhaust maniforl but not sparked criating a white or white/loght blue smoke that might be looked as steam. But this has special odour. Now itis not clear whether you ve felt this or odourless like steam from coolant ---- it is a big question now.

You said that it was odourless. In this way there are two points -- either gasket or glow plugs.

Start to investigate this and come back

Chers/Igor

[cmia]

sounds normal mate

dont worry

[dnl_303]

Hi Guys

Thank you very much for all of your replies. Actually, after having read your posts, I think the glowplugs might be causing all of this as it was always a bit hard on starting, even in the summer. Also, when the car is cold during the day (i.e. temperature slightly higher), this does not happen.

I will check the glowplugs tomorrow morning and hopefully that will be the cure tot the dreaded white smoke. I'll let you know what the outcome is.

I'm glad you guys don't seem to think it is the headgasket though.

Cheers and many thanks to everyone.

Daniel