Emitting smoke out tailpipe after spark plug and valve cover replacement, no overheating, after a week spark have black oil deposi
I have a 2003 Nissan Altima with under 200k, it's my commuter. I just changed the spark plugs and noticed oil in the vavles. There were three broken seals and I replaced the valve cover along with the gasket as they don't come with replacement seals and are made of plastic. After driving for a week I had noticed initial white smoke at the start and after a minute it goes away but occasionally while driving I'll get a slight sputter and smoke come out the tailpipe. So after seeing that I pulled out the spark plugs to inspect them and noticed two of the four were black with deposits
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
It’s pretty common for the spark plug tube seals to fail, allowing the tubes to fill with oil. It could be that when you performed the repair, the seals didn’t get installed properly. Other potential causes for your oil-soaked plugs include worn valve guides, worn rings or a faulty positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system. Any of these issues can result in blue-gray or gray-white smoke being emitted from the tailpipe. I recommend having a professional diagnose and repair your concern. YourMechanic is an excellent option because we come to your home or office.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
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Your valve cover gasket may have leaked oil into the spark plug wells. When you removed the plugs that oil went down Into to the cylinders and was burned when you started the engine. Nothing to worry about unless it was a ton of oil, should stop smoking after a few seconds.
Either you`ve gotten some moisture in the plug holes when changing or you have a head gasket…or worse… warped head or crack. Check your oil for milky substance or coolant for oil droplets. If it burns off after a short period, then you more than likely got some moisture in the plug holes.
In most cases, while smoke is an indication of either excessive wear on piston rings, valve guides or that there is coolant inside the oil galley. This could be caused by a damaged head gasket, which can replicate oil leaking from a valve cover.
This is usually brought on by low fuel octane, oil contamination in the air/fuel charge, or excessive boost or nitrous injection in high-performance engines. It can also be caused by poorly performed repairs, a clogged injector, clogged fuel filter, or a marginally failing fuel pump.
This means that the fuel injectors are either adding too much fuel or that the intake valves aren`t letting enough air in. This could be caused by a leaking fuel injector, a faulty fuel pressure regulator, or a bad air filter. If your engine is running this rich, it can cause serious problems.
To fix blue or gray smoke: The easy way is to add a bottle of Motor Honey Oil Treatment to your motor oil with each oil change. It`s specially designed to reduce oil burning and stop smoky exhausts. The hard way is an engine overhaul, which is about a hundred times more expensive and a thousand times more work.
With a faulty coil, all the excess fuel that goes unburned inside your cylinders needs to escape somehow. It will eventually begin to force its way through the exhaust system and out of your tailpipe in the form of black smoke.
In case the spark plugs are unable to burn the air and fuel mixture completely, the unburned fuel will then enter into the exhaust system. Due to this, the exhaust pipe will emit strong smell of that unburned fuel.
White fumes come out of the engine when engine oil leaks. A cracked gasket cover is one of the prime reasons for oil leakage leading to the production of white smoke. It`s super easy to replace a faulty valve cover gasket in the early stage.
If your PCV valve is stuck open:
If you have trouble starting your engine, it can be as a result of a failed PCV valve. Black smoke in the exhaust, or oil-fouled spark plugs can indicate that your PCV valve is stuck open and is allowing oil to enter the combustion chamber through the air intake.
Leaking Coolant – If you see white smoke under the hood, it`s most likely burning coolant that has come into contact with the hot components beneath your hood. This smoke will smell sweet.
The most common answer to, “Why is my car smoking but not overheating?” is that there`s a type of fluid that`s landed on the engine. This can be motor oil, fuel, transmission fluid, coolant, or even condensation. It can cause your engine to smoke because it`s burning off that fluid from the engine.
White Exhaust Smoke
White smoke billowing out of your exhaust means that coolant is likely leaking into the cylinders. This usually happens when there has been a breach in the head gasket, which makes the coolant create this white steam.
If your exhaust system ever emits black smoke, it`s important to have your vehicle inspected as soon as possible. Black exhaust smoke means you`re burning fuel excessively. Of course, this not only turns your vehicle`s care mileage into something less than desirable – but it`s also an expensive problem to deal with.
If a valve seal has lost its grip or piston rings get worn, they can cause oil to leak into the combustion chamber. This wayward fuel then mixes with other engine elements and burns, causing white or blue smoke to escape from the exhaust manifold.
Sign #2: You Can See (And Smell) Engine Exhaust
So if you see anything that looks like smoke, it could be a sign that the oil is old (if it`s not a sign of a major mechanical fault like a cracked head gasket). Ditto for if you can smell any hint of burning oil in your exhaust.
If you remove the oxygen sensors from your vehicle, you will ruin the efficiency of the engine, thus consuming around 10 to 20 percent more gas than otherwise required, and also cause early failure of many components such as the spark plugs.
A faulty MAF sensor can cause your vehicle to run too rich or run too lean. You`ll notice if the tailpipes eject black smoke or when the engine runs rough or backfires. You may also notice you`re filling up at the gas station more than usual.
Cylinder heads sit on top of the engine block to form the combustion chamber. The parts can become warped through overheating and cause your engine to misfire. When the air-tight seal is lost, coolant can slip through openings and burn as white smoke.
No. The only thing that can cause white smoke is if there is water getting into your combustion chamber. And that can only be caused by a blown head gasket.
Black exhaust smoke
“When your exhaust pipe gives off black smoke, one of the things to get worried about are bad or worn out spark plugs. It means fuel burning in the combustion chamber is not being done 100 percent or burnt fully. It also means that air is not being well mixed with fuel to burn effectively.
Unburned Fuel
Heat can be damaging to almost any engine component, so it`s no surprise that it`s one of the most common causes of catalytic converter failure.
It is not recommended that you drive with a leaking valve cover gasket, as this can lead to overheating and engine insufficiency, as well as extensive engine damage.
Dirty EGR valve. The EGR helps to re-circulate the engine emission by returning them to the combustion chamber and not sending them directly to the exhaust emission system. The carbon chucks could clog your EGR valve, which will result in loss of power, fuel inefficiency and emission of black smoke from your exhaust.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
Emitting smoke out tailpipe after spark plug and valve cover replacement, no overheating, after a week spark have black oil deposi
ANSWER : It’s pretty common for the spark plug tube seals to fail, allowing the tubes to fill with oil. It could be that when you performed the repair, the seals didn’t get installed properly. Other potential causes for your oil-soaked plugs include worn valve guides, worn rings or a faulty positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system. Any of these issues can result in blue-gray or gray-white smoke being emitted from the tailpipe. I recommend having a professional diagnose and repair your concern. YourMechanic is an excellent option because we come to your home or office.
Spark plug chaos. Rubber stoppers are preventing the spark plugs from coming out.
ANSWER : Hi there. Try using a pair of small needle nose pliers to pull off the rubber boots from the spark plugs. As you pull, twist the rubber boots to break them free. If you cannot get the rubber boots off, then try using some mineral oil on the boots to aid them off, then clean off the oil with soap and water with degreaser. If you need further assistance with removing the boots from the spark plugs, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.
I have oil smoking out of my oil dip stick and oil filler on my valve cover. Lots of smoke coming out of my PCV valve
ANSWER : Hey there. Worn piston rings create more crankcase fumes (i.e. the smoke you see coming out of breather tubes and orifices). This is called "blow-by". As long as the PCV valve stays clear, and the engine can handle the fume/clean air & fuel mix, then you should be fine.
This is a normal stage of wear as long as tailpipe blue smoke doesn’t become excessive or offensive. The rough running at a stop light may be an early indication of too much blow-by, although those 6 cylinders engines had trouble with rough idle/low speed because of the big differences in the distance between the carb and each cylinder (Cyl 1 & 6 distant, cyl 3 & 4 very close). Keep it tuned, and watch for slow degradation in low-speed running. If you notice this problem worsen or would like to have this checked, then have a qualified professional from YourMechanic come to your car’s location to inspect the smoking problem and follow through with repairs.
Are thse current and relevant prices for this service, and how long does it take? REPLACE AUX VACUUM PUMP (OIL LEAKING FROM A
ANSWER : Hi there. It really depends on who provided you with this diagnosis as to how long the repairs would take to complete. In regards to not including the seals listed at the bottom, this is not advised. The seals protect the components from leaking and will also reduce the potential of overheating on your vehicle.
Engine will not stay started. I have replaced idle control valve map sensor spark plugs spark plug wires no check engine light is
ANSWER : You have a problem with the distributor assembly. I recommend replacing the distributor assembly. This will replace all the possible sensors and coil for the ignition and fix the problem you have.
lost all oil pressure, replaced the oil pump, low oil sensor, oil pressure sensor, oil pan gasket,
ANSWER : The fuel pump will not stay on if you loose oil pressure. This is why it is shutting off. The loss of oil pressure may be from bad crankshaft bearings or camshaft bearings. The engine oil pan should be removed and the oil pump needs to be checked to ensure that you put in the pick up tube seal to the pump and connected the pump to the block. Then remove at least one main bearing cap and inspect the bearings for excessive wear and crankshaft damage. If you need some help with this, consider YourMechanic, as a certified technician can help diagnose the issue with your oil pressure firsthand and help you fix it accordingly.
Just replaced spark plugs and wires and my car is still miss firing and I can’t pin point why and my old spark plug is oil covered
ANSWER : Hello there, many faults will cause your 1988 Ford Contour to have a misfire even after the spark plugs were replaced. When oil is seen on the spark plug this indicates that the valve cover is leaking onto the plugs. When this happens it fouls the plugs and can cause a misfire. Until the oil leak is addressed the spark plugs will continue to become fouled. If the misfire persists there are many potential causes such as the plug wires, fuel pump, vacuum leak, oxygen sensor, MAF sensor, or the cap & rotor. A qualified Technician such as one from YourMechanic will be able to diagnose your misfire fault and make any repairs required to resolve the issue.
My 2003 Mazda Tribute stalls in gear, no power, rough idle, not the plugs, oil fouled black, clean maf and idle air valve
ANSWER : Hello. I would start by scanning the vehicle for codes and checking to see if all of the sensors are reading correctly. If everything looks good then chances are it needs a new computer. I have seen the computers fail on these vehicles over and over again causing the ignition circuits to not work correctly which causes the vehicle to run just like this. If you need to have this looked at, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to you to [diagnose why the vehicle is running like this] https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/car-idle-is-rough-inspection
