2003 Avensis, Excessive White Smoke...

[Druid Boy]

One of my favourites that is. Works though. My wife loves the way I explain things to the kids.........

[BigMo82]

Ok just bought the sensor. Going to fit it in a little while and see what happens. Fingers crossed.

[RichT180]

Had a similar problem, a new air filter seems to have fixed it, just a thought.

[BigMo82]

Thanks for the reply Rich, already had the air filter changed about a week ago.

[Konrad C]

Due to the extened winter being experienced, my car is blowing vapour out the exhaust, plus there is moisture droplets coming from the exhaust.

Now because the exhaust exits on the offside, it is more noticable when looking through the drivers side mirror. This is especially in the following cars headlights.

The vapour cloud looks worse in my car than other cars, but in reality is the same. If the exhaust was close to the nearside the vapour would be less noticable.

I am not worried about it because it normal and the coolant is the same level. It disipates very quickly too.

If I was local to you Mohsin, I would come and look for myself. If you could take a photo and post it, we could see how smokey your exhaust.

[fastbob72]

Have just read through all 6 pages with interest and was surprised that it wasn't till the very last post by Konrad that anyone mentioned one very pertinent and significant factor in all of this.

Bah Konrad,you stole my thunder :)

Am not sure what the prevailing weather conditions have been like throughout march in London but up north it's pretty much still winter with the temp below zero often when I've left for work.Have seen -8 several mornings and it was -6 when I got in last night.

The point is in cold winter weather particularly first thing in the morning when the cars warming up clouds of steam,vapour.i.e white exhaust is the rule not the exception.When you're sitting in traffic look around and at how many other cars have vapour from their exhaust although at idle when you're at the lights it won't seem so noticeable as when you're pulling away.

Also,like a few others have mentioned,I've seen the vapour 'clouds' catching my eye in the drivers mirror and been guilty of the same pangs of dread but like the rest of you my coolant level hasn't dropped in the 6 months I've had the car,it runs perfectly,the plugs show signs of nothing but good combustion so it's simply condensation and cold damp mornings that are at play,,the exhaust exiting on the driverside is why we're all more aware of it than usual.

As was said water is a normal byproduct of combustion which is,by the way,corrodes the exhaust system far quicker than the outside enviroment does meaning condensation will collect in the exhaust system particularly when you've been driving and it cools down.

Add to that the naturally cold damp conditions we've been having.If it's cold enough there's a frost which means the airs clearly damp.If it's frosty on the ground,your windscreen etc then it will be inside and outside your exhaust but just because the next day it's a few degrees above zero and there's no frost the air's still damp but you don't notice as it's less obvious.

Bear in mind that catalytic converter isn't effective until it's up to it's high operating temperature so you're always likely to see steam until it's properly heated up,that is until the cats up to temp not the engine.i.e it could simply be that the engines hot but the cats still not fully up to temperature and with the cold weather we've had plus city driving in London like you said it's very possible you're cat simply isn't getting properly up to temp which is 500 degrees plus where as the engines operating temp is around 85-90 degrees approx.

I think you're looking for a problem that isn't there (btw the o2 sensor is heated to get up to temp quicker than being heated by the exhaust gases alone so onces the engines properly heated up the sensor doesnt require to be heated electrically anymore).

If it was the middle of summer and still producing a fair amount of steam then that may indicate a problem but it's to be expected at this time of year,you're only more aware because the exhaust is easily seen exiting on the driverside plus you've only just got the car.

I know as it's my first winter with mine and I went through the same thing driving to work watching my exhaust fumes more than the road to begin with :)

But it's fine,no coolant loss means no water problems except just the water produced naturally by combustion and the heavy damp cold conditions we're blessed with.

Roll on summer :)

[Konrad C]

Sorry Bob. You made me laugh.

It's good to share thoughts with like minded people and use the forum as a think tank.

Also to spread a bit of humour.

Please can winter go now so we can enjoy a good spring/summer.

That is another thing. I have noticed that people sometimes do look for a non-existant problem - I have done it myself. My brother was worried about changing the Battery because he heard of issues with Renault Scenics not working properly when the Battery is disconnected. I asked if he had specifics and he said no. I changed the Battery for him with no issues. I helped get the radio code back in, and he said the windows have been have problems. I sorted them out in a few minutes.

My last problem which is still ongoing, is my sticky starter. I was going to by a new starter but was told by my friend motor spares man, not to bother because it is clutch dust. I have not fixed it yet because the start only stick in extreme cold. That it money saved.

[BigMo82]

I have just uploaded a few pics and a video to show what the smoke looks like on idle. It doesnt start until a few minutes after the car has started. Also it was quite windy this morning so its not as easy to see.

Mo

1c838bcc1e64beec7d2c4fc8729a04cd.MOV

[garethpaul]

the level of steam on the video is perfectly normal, and in my opinion far less than other cars (mine included), and is likely due to moisture from combustion. ?Assuming your coolant level is stable, then it's nothing to worry about.

You should see mine on the way to work some cold mornings. I pull up to a set of lights on a hill about a mile from home. Due to the increased revs for a hill start, when I pull off I leave a big white cloud behind that the following cars have to drive through - a bit like the old TV show "stars in their eyes"... well, not quite as bad as that but you get my drift.

Everything checks out ok, and it has always been like it.

I suppose something which is sort of connected to it is that the garage I take my car to for MOT knows Toyota's all to well - he specifically stated that the exhaust system on a lot of Toyota's takes a lot more effort to get nice and hot for the emissions test.

I'll see if I can get a video of mine one morning, just for comparison :)

[Druid Boy]

Everything normal there my friend. All looks fine.

[Konrad C]

I agree with Druid Boy. My car has even more at first startup, and even when warmed up during this recent cold spring has steam coming out the exhaust.

The video even shows the steam evaporating almost immediately.

Wait until the real warm weather arrives.

[BigMo82]

Thanks for the replies gents.

I have posted a video of me driving and reversing this morning and 1 of the car sitting idle again but its clearer to see as it was less windy. My brother was taking the video and he said he could smell fuel which may make sense as I still havent got around to changing the oxygen sensor.

Thanks again for all your help. I just hope I can contribute something back to this brilliant forum.

IMG_0486.MOV

IMG_0485.MOV

[BigMo82]

Also I know some have alot at start up but the smoke on mine doesnt start until a few minutes after start up and although it gets better as the car warms up its always there.

Mo

[cooper12000]

maybe this video will put ur mind at rest..... i have seen it alot worse than this but cant find the video.

(sorry dont know how to embed videos).(skip to 1.40 if ya impatiant like me)

from my understanding the o2 sensor helps the ecu trim the fuel. if u have excess fuel going through the system it will smoke,

hope this helps and puts ya mind at rest

coop

[cooper12000]

lol ok i just found out how to embed video lol u just post the link!!!! sorry about that

coop

[BigMo82]

Thanks for the reply coop but I can't see the video you've uploaded.

Mo

[garethpaul]

Also I know some have alot at start up but the smoke on mine doesnt start until a few minutes after start up and although it gets better as the car warms up its always there.

Mo

Yep, nothing to worry about. You are looking for a problem that isn't there.

What you are seeing is steam, nothing more.

The reason you can smell fuel is that when cold, the engine ecu is pumping more fuel into the engine so it runs rich - like the chokes on old carb cars. This will continue whilst your idle revs remain high (around 1200).

When the engine has warmed up and the natural idle automatically drops to around 800 (could be a good 10/15 minutes) then the ecu leans off the fuel and this strong fuel smell will go away.

If it does, then I very much doubt your O2 sensor is faulty.

Immediate smoke on startup is usually from oil sitting in the cylinders - you would be able to smell this easily and see it as blue smoke. This smoke would also not just disappear into thin air like yours is doing.

[BigMo82]

Thanks for the reply Gareth. The reason I have mentioned the o2 sensor is because I have an EML on the dash and the OBD scanner is showing fault code P0057 which is sensor 2 bank 2. I have reset this a few times and it comes back within a few miles.

[garethpaul]

Yes, sorry you did mention that earlier in your thread.

I believe you said you also bought a replacement sensor - you obviously have an issue with the sensor on the car so get the new one fitted and take it from there.

Just don't be concerned with the steam, it's normal. Some days on mine it never seems to stop - however it does get better the warmer the car gets. I guess it depends on the ambient humidity of the air.

[cooper12000]

Thanks for the reply coop but I can't see the video you've uploaded.

Mo

just go on google video or utube and type in white smoke from exhaust u will see the diff between a car thats cold and a ca with an issue

[BigMo82]

Coop I saw the saab in that video and that was about 30x the amount of smoke I get from mine.

Mo

[Steverav1]

nowt wrong with that pal mine does exactly the same infact mine was worse than that this morning :-)

steve

[cooper12000]

Coop I saw the saab in that video and that was about 30x the amount of smoke I get from mine.

Mo

thats why i posted it that amount of smoke is wrong...urs is nothing to worry about

[Konrad C]

Now that Saab has a real problem - blown turbo.

When they ran the car for the second time, I thought they were causing more damage by revving the engine.

I thought it was unnecessary, but I suppose it was for the video.

[cooper12000]

head gasket had gone as well.... if u watch the whole video they pull the dipstick and its covered in mayo and all round the oil filler cap. however i did see they had written in it was the turbo as well.

i just posted it to try help put the op's mind at rest that his car is ok.