2003 Avensis, Excessive White Smoke...

[BigMo82]

I have just purchased my first Toyota. I bought a 2003 Toyota Avensis 2.0 vvti t- spirit. The car has covered 77000 miles and is a one owner from new with a full Toyota service history. Everything seems to work perfectly other then a stiff clutch which I presume is down to the clutch being worn or it needing a new master cylinder which I am happy to get done.

However when I started it up this morning I noticed quite alot of white smoke from the exhaust. The smoke continued for my 30 minute journey to work. It seems to be worse when the car is driving although in the 40 miles I have done since yesterday there has been no overheating what so ever. Any ideas?

[BALIKBAYAN]

As far as I know white exhaust gases is a sign of water. My advise to you is check the coolant level.

[+robster+]

just my 2 cents

cold start map stuck on due to a dodgy temp sensor?

shows as steamy white exhaust, can you smell excess petrol / idling higher than normal / using excess fuel?

youve just purchased it. did you not get any kind of warranty that you can take it back for checking

if it was head gasket problems id be almost certain it would have used enough water on a 30 minute journey to show overheating symptoms

[BigMo82]

Thank you for your replies. I have now driven it about 60 miles including being stuck in traffic for an hour yesterday. Again the temp did not go over half way mark, the water and oil levels havent budged and it drives fine. Occasionally the revs drop a little when idle, say by about 100rpm but then rise again however that is barely noticable.

It was a private sale so no warranty. The car belonged to an elderly chap who had it from brand new. He passed away 5 months ago so it hasnt been driven since and its only done 1000 miles since its last service in april 2012. Do you think it could be an injector?

The car is absolutley mint and every electrical item works perfect so I would be gutted if it was the head gasket.

[BigMo82]

And just to confirm the smoke is steamy white like Robster mentioned. It is not blue or black and is oderless, also the exhaust pipe is completely dry if that makes any difference.

[t-spiritpete]

Hello,

if possible try taking the car on a nice long fast out of town run to get the engine and exhaust system hot, this may help after the car being stood all that time. If it's ok when you get back then all should be fine, obviously keeping an eye on the temp whilst you are driving.

Pete.

[BigMo82]

Thanks Pete, planning on doing that tomorrow.

[Druid Boy]

White smoke is usually just condensation clearing from the exhaust. Condensation is a natural by product of combustion and will build up whilst the exhaust is cold. Once the engine warms the exhaust the white smoke will clear although this obviously takes longer in cold conditions.

[BigMo82]

Thanks for your reply. The problem is it still smokes even after the engine has warmed up. It does it most when I accelerate and the fuel consumption hasn't been great. It's almost as if the fuel air mixture isn't right.

[Druid Boy]

Hmmm...thats a bit wierd. Too little fuel to air wouldn't make smoke, too much would make it black/dark. If your water and oil levels are ok then thats very reassuring - but keep an eye on them anyway just to be safe. The white smoke can persist even when the engine is warm because unless sufficient hot gases are being blown down the exhaust at a high enough rate (engine revs) it simply won't warm up and clear the condensation - hence T-Spirit Pete's suggestion of a motorway run.

It may be that you are more aware of things with the car because its new to you. If it is really concerning you and you can afford it then consider getting a Toyota garage to check it over for you - or an independant specialist. For now I would just keep an eye on your fluid levels and motor on.

[BigMo82]

Thanks again for your reply. Like I said the car hasn't been driven for at least 5 months and possibly upto 8. While it was left parked up it was left with a full tank of petrol, not sure if that could have anything to do with it. I will have to leave it until Monday to take it for a good long run. It's just weird that it runs so well and if it wasn't for the smoke I can see in my drivers side mirror I would never think there was anything wrong with it.

[Konrad C]

I think you have found the problem. Old petrol with water from condensation after standing for a long time.

A complete refill of fresh petrol should help. Mind you, the current climate mean cars will show a bit of steam from the exhaust.

[BigMo82]

^{Thanks for the reply Konrad. I may consider changining the temp control sensor as mentioned by Robster. Its only £15 so worth a shot, although im not sure exactly where it is located on the engine?}

[cooper12000]

while i wouldnt rule out condensation in the petrol tank if the car has been stood for a while it will of seperated also if its a full tank less lightly to occure i would of thought.

i bought a mk2 scirroco that had been stood for 12 years untouched i but a new Battery on it and turned the engine over by hand a few times to make 100% sure it hadnt seiezed and did several other checks.... started first time on the key no smoke no nothing petrol was fine.

coop

[BigMo82]

Thanks for the reply coop. I realise the petrol may not be the problem here and it may be something a lot worse. However I am trying to remain optimistic and hope the issue is easily resolved. Worse case scenario is a head gasket or a cracked head or block. In which case I doubt it would be worth repairing?

Just confuses me that nothing else is wrong other then the smoke. Time will tell.....

[cooper12000]

what colour is the coolent? does ya heater work ok? if ya sure the coolent isnt droping then i wouldnt worry about the engine being trashed.

i used to have a rover 25 that had hg issues as a make. every winter the forun would be littered with ive got hgf when all it would be is condensation in the exhaust. i have even seen a very small amount of mayo in the oil caused by condensation. the only external hgf issue i have ever seen the white smoke was soo bad it obscured the back of the car

hope this makes ya feel better

coop

[BigMo82]

Coolant is blue, and its not moved at all. The smoke isnt so bad that it rises to the rear windscreen but I can see it in my drivers side mirror. Mainly when I am pulling away.

[Druid Boy]

'Mainly when I'm pulling away' makes me think condensation in your exhaust and thats normal.

[BigMo82]

Ok here's the update. I got back from work today and decided to take it for a long drive. I drove from south London to past reading about 80 miles there and back. I marked the coolant box with a marker before I started the journey.

In the first 2 miles or so my engine management light came on but as the car was driving fine I decided to ignore it. (I'm guessing it was a sensor which I have had loads of issues on my last Vauxhall) I did 70mph for the majority of the journey.

I got back and checked the coolant and it was right on the marker. The temperature never increased beyond just below the half way mark and I am happy to say that the smoke from the exhaust had decreased by about 80% and was now only visible slightly if I was pulling off at about 3000rpm which would never normally be done.

I can't see the smoke in my drivers side mirror at all. So it looks like a good sign and I hope it stays this way.

Any ideas on how would I go about checking what's caused the engine management light to come on?

And also I would really like to thank the guys on this forum for your help.

[cooper12000]

only way to tell why the mil is on is have it read a garage will charge u around 50 quid or u can buy a cheap reader for around 30. if u had issues with ur vauxhall did u buy a reader for that if so wack it on ya toyota nothing can be lost

coop

[BigMo82]

The Vauxhall reader came with a windows xp software and I'm not sure where it is now, it was opcom. I have seen readers on eBay for as little as £10 - £15. I think they are OBD2 but I'm not sure if that's compatible with my avensis.

Seeing how I have read so many stories where even the main dealer has identified the wrong parts to be replaced I think I will give the EML a go myself.

[cooper12000]

just dont go swapping sensors willy nilly for example if it threw out an o2 sensor it might be due to somthing as simple as old plugs. i hate these moden cars i have seen a sporadic fault with an altonator cause all sorts of sensors be replaced unnesercerillay

coop

[BigMo82]

I appreciate the heads up Coop. I just want to read it to see what the code is. If it doesn't effect the performance I won't bother too much about finding a solution. At the moment I am averaging 20 - 22 mpg around London but I do normally travel through heavy traffic. I'm not sure that's normal or if there is a sensor which could be causing poor fuel consumption as well as the EML.

[BigMo82]

Today the smoke came back but it's more like steam and I could actually hear water inside the exhaust like its boiling in there. Coolant and oil is still exactly where it was. I think I may need to get the back box off?

[cooper12000]

well im in kent and i had to defrost / scrape the car at 8 this morning so a little condensation is to be expected