Burning engine oil and have gray smoke coming from below the engine and the tailpipe.
I bought a car with little oil in it 3rd party. I got an oil change and started to drive home 4 hours away and the oil light came on. I stopped and checked the oil and all was burned after I drove it 200 miles and I added 3 more quarts and it was burned off after 150 miles. There is gray smoke coming from below the engine and the tailpipe. There is no dripping oil on the ground. I took it in to a shop and they said oil was in the combustion chamber(spark plug well I believe). They said I had to rebuild the engine or get a new engine. Is this the only course of action? Is there anything else I
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Hi there. If you are getting gray smoke from under the vehicle and in the engine compartment, then there is an external oil leak. The oil is leaking onto the exhaust pipe and then burning off. This is why you are not seeing any oil on the ground. As for the engine smoking some oil, then the valve guide seals on the cylinder heads are possibly leaking causing oil to enter the combustion chamber through the intake valves.. Another way that the engine could be getting oil into the combustion is having a positive crankcase ventilation valve (PCV valve) being stuck causing oil to enter the intake system. To check this, check the intake tubing and see if there is any oil present. If there is oil present, then I recommend replacing the PCV valve to prevent any oil from going into the combustion chamber. The external oil leaks could be, a leaking front engine seal, a leaking rear main seal, a loose oil filter, oil cooler lines could be split or loose, or a valve cover gasket could be leaking. If you need further assistance with your engine using a lot of engine oil, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
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A thick grey cloud from your exhaust pipe is usually a sign that your car is burning oil. Once oil escapes it can burn off as grey smoke from various hot points around the engine. The liquid can leak into your combustion chamber, leading to reduced fuel economy and eventually, damage to your catalytic converter.
One possible reason for white smoke coming from your car`s exhaust is that the engine is burning oil. This can happen if the oil level in the engine is low or if the oil seal is leaking. If you notice that your car is burning oil, you should take it to a mechanic to have it checked out.
Leaks: The most common reason your car is burning oil is a leak. Leaks can happen in a number of internal places, including the oil cooler lines, oil pan or gasket, oil drain plugs, or the valves.
Oil burning happens when faulty engine parts allow oil to seep into the combustion chamber. Blue-tinted smoke coming from your exhaust is a potential indicator of this issue but may not always be evident if your engine only burns small amounts.
If Your Car Smells Like Acrid Smoke Or Burning Oil
If you notice the smell not long after an oil change, the leak might be caused by a loose drain plug or filter that wasn`t properly attached—or an oil cap that wasn`t screwed on tightly enough.
If there`s a noticeable thick burning oil smell coming from your car, it may mean that your oil is leaking. Oil can drip out onto the hot engine parts, creating this acrid smell. If your oil is leaking, it could also mean that your vehicle is overheating.
“Regardless of the vehicle manufacturer, we have noticed white smoke being emitted immediately after an engine oil change. What could be the possible reason for this?” White smoke most likely would indicate that water or coolant is getting into the combustion chamber or exhaust port.
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.
If there is a problem within the engine that produces smoke, that smoke will exit the engine through the exhaust. A leaking valve cover gasket might produce smoke caused by oil dripping on a hot manifold. If the leak is large enough, you will likely see the oil dripping on your driveway or garage floor.
Blue/gray exhaust smoke means there`s likely an oil leak and your engine is burning oil.
Oil Spillage and Leakage – If oil spills on the engine, it can burn and send up smoke without there being any overheating. The smoke will be blue or gray. 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.
Lucas High Mileage Oil Stabilizer helps to control blow-by, dry starts and oil burning – maximizing efficiency, reducing harmful emissions and extending oil life. Lucas High Mileage Oil Stabilizer can also be used as an IDEAL ASSEMBLY LUBE.
Blue smoke from the exhaust: Bluish smoke can indicate your car is burning oil during the combustion cycle. Burning oil smell: A thick burning oil smell could mean oil is seeping onto hot engine parts. Frequent low oil light warnings: Regular low oil warnings can indicate excessive oil consumption or a car burning oil.
A pretty common issue that occurs with engines that are running low on oil is a strong burning oil smell. If you`re driving and you start to smell an oily odor coming from somewhere, that`s usually a pretty good sign your vehicle is due for an oil change.
However, a bad PCV valve is a tiny, inexpensive part that can cause an engine to burn oil if it goes bad. Replacing it is fast and easy! If your engine is burning oil, hope that it`s due to a bad PCV valve.
Clogged PCV Valve
When the PCV valve becomes clogged, it can cause oil to be pushed out of the engine and onto hot engine components, creating a burning oil smell.
There is an easy way to find out if your engine`s head gasket has blown. Simply check under the oil filler cap. If the gasket is not damaged, the inside of the oil cap will be mostly dry. If you discover a milky brownish-yellow substance that is similar to the thickness of a milkshake, you probably have a gasket leak.
A head gasket failure is a prominent cause of white exhaust smoke. The head gasket is located between the cylinder head and the engine block. A breach can cause coolant leakage, exposing coolant to the high pressure and temperatures of the combustion chamber. This causes white smoke to be emitted from the cars exhaust.
White smoke is a result of unburned fuel particles passing through your car`s combustion chamber and out of the exhaust pipe. As previously mentioned, white smoke is related to lower temperatures in the combustion chamber. When the chamber isn`t hot enough, some fuel particles fail to ignite.
Blue or Grey Smoke
If the smoke from the exhaust pipe is either grey or bluish-tinged, it generally means that your engine is burning oil inside the combustion chamber.
At times, black smoke can be an indicator that a manmade material is burning such as tires, vehicles or a structure. As a general rule, the darker the smoke, the more volatile the fire is. Grey smoke can indicate that the fire is slowing down and running out of materials to burn.
To slow oil consumption, a higher viscosity grade oil can be used, especially an oil with a higher operating temperature viscosity. Oil burns when at its hottest and therefore thinnest viscosity.
It is a fact that most engines will burn some oil. The majority of manufacturers consider one quart of oil in the range of 1,500 miles to be acceptable. It should also be pointed out there are some performance vehicles that will consume a quart of oil in less than 1,000 miles and is also considered acceptable.
Billowing black smoke is generally a sign that the fuel-air ratio in your engine is too rich. 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.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
Burning engine oil and have gray smoke coming from below the engine and the tailpipe.
ANSWER : Hi there. If you are getting gray smoke from under the vehicle and in the engine compartment, then there is an external oil leak. The oil is leaking onto the exhaust pipe and then burning off. This is why you are not seeing any oil on the ground. As for the engine smoking some oil, then the valve guide seals on the cylinder heads are possibly leaking causing oil to enter the combustion chamber through the intake valves.. Another way that the engine could be getting oil into the combustion is having a positive crankcase ventilation valve (PCV valve) being stuck causing oil to enter the intake system. To check this, check the intake tubing and see if there is any oil present. If there is oil present, then I recommend replacing the PCV valve to prevent any oil from going into the combustion chamber. The external oil leaks could be, a leaking front engine seal, a leaking rear main seal, a loose oil filter, oil cooler lines could be split or loose, or a valve cover gasket could be leaking. If you need further assistance with your engine using a lot of engine oil, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.
Oil was leaking, put in over 4 qts of oil and oil leak stopper. White smoke coming tailpipe,engine shakes, car dies. Oil leaking.
ANSWER : Oil additives are not recommended by any vehicle manufacturer for any reason. Additives that purport to resolve oil leaks are useless, a waste of your money, and may result in engine damage. Every vehicle manufacturer strongly recommends against use of these materials. There is only one recommended and approved repair strategy when it comes to oil leaks: fix the leak.
You can only add the manufacturer specified amount of oil to an engine. If you add too much oil, or too little oil, that will cause engine damage. You should check the engine oil dipstick to determine if there is presently too much oil in the engine. If there is too much, the excess will have to be removed to prevent engine damage.
The leak that you are referring to can be repaired if you request an oil leak diagnostic. If you have further questions or concerns as you decide what to do, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic because we want you to make the most of your repair dollars and help you get the best possible results.
I have gray smoke coming out of my tailpipe but it’s not heavy smoke and my car check engine light is orange my car shut off
ANSWER : You did not mention why the radiator was replaced but I think your engine was overheated causing the head gasket to go bad. This would cause the white smoke out of the tail pipe and an engine misfire and overheating can cause the check engine light to be on. I recommend having the engine checked for leaking head gasket and scan the computer for codes.
Low oil pressure light comes on when idle. Check engine light is on as well. Both came on after getting an oil change 3 days ago.
ANSWER : It is possible that they put in the wrong viscosity oil. In rare instances, a defective filter will also cause low pressure. If there is too much oil, it will aerate and cause low pressure. Be sure the oil level is really not above "max". The P2187 code will appear if the oil fill cap is not tight but it will also appear due to a myriad of causes because that code only "generally" identifies a lean running condition. Consequently, numerous parts would have to be tested including the O2 sensor, gas cap seal, manifold air leaks, any vacuum leak anywhere including PCV and EVAP systems, exhaust leaks, and fuel system faults such as failing fuel pump, clogged filter and more. Since the car has relatively low mileage, you would not expect a failed oil pump, although the pressure sensor (or switch) could be bad. However, the occurrence of the oil pressure warning light is quite coincidental to the oil change, thus I would suggest bringing the car back and asking them to redo with a new filter and double check the viscosity of the new oil that they use. If the problem persists after that, you will have to test actual operating oil pressure (at idle for instance) as well as the oil pressure switch. Finally, if the oil pressure warning light comes on continuously, unless the warning circuit itself is malfunctioning, that means the oil pressure is too low to operate the engine without damaging it. Anytime the light comes on for more than literally an instant, you should shut down the car and thus an issue like this obviously has to be repaired.
If you’d like, a YourMechanic certified mechanic can come to your home or place of business to inspect the vehicle and perform an oil pressure light is on inspection to diagnose the vehicle and suggest potential repairs.
Just found out that my vehicle has been leaking oil for at least 2 yrs. Would smelling that burning oil smell cause health issues?
ANSWER : Hi Larry. As the co-founder or a non-profit that focuses on education, awareness and screening for respiratory diseases targeting the automotive community, I am happy to answer a few questions for you to clear up some facts. First, there are multiple materials, chemicals, and substances on a vehicle that are emitted from the mechanical actions of the vehicle that MIGHT reduce respiratory function and lead to a diagnosis of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) or other respiratory diseases. However, it is nearly impossible to prove the precise source that can cause respiratory problems. Whether due to excessive exposure to these substances, social choices (smoking), workplace environment, indoor air quality in the home, even certain genetic conditions, it is possible for lung function to decrease over time. At Right2Breathe.org, we always recommend that anyone that is experiencing any breathing issues, visits their primary care physician and have them complete a spirometry exam (a non-evasive breathing test). This will allow them to measure your lung’s function and begin the official diagnosis process. Thank you very much for asking this important question. Feel free to contact us if you have further questions.
Still burning oil – CCV replaced – No smoke at startup/while driving I’m burning through roughly 1 qt. oil every 600-800 miles. Al
ANSWER : Hello. You should start by checking your antifreeze. If your antifreeze is too low, your car could just be compensating for the coolant its missing.
I always put 1/2 of a can of Seafoam in my engine before doing an oil change. I let it run for 10 min before changing it and the drain oil and replacing the oil filter. This will help clean out sludge built up in your engine. Please note that it is not safe to drive your car with the Seafoam in your engine. Do not run it for more than 15min. If you need help having this addressed, a qualified professional from YourMechanic can come to your car’s location to give you a thorough diagnosis of the oil issue and pinpoint the correct actions that should be taken.
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.
Just noticed a huge oil leak trailing my car. It seems to be coming from below the engine. I recently had my oil changed a month
ANSWER : You might have a problem with the oil filter leaking when you rev the engine and increase the oil pressure. This can be from a collapsed oil filter media or excessive oil pressure from the engine. I recommend having the oil and filter replaced using a good quality filter and have the oil leak verified to be from the filter. Make sure to not run the engine low on oil. If you are finding you do not want to drive with the leak, a mobile technician from YourMechanic can come to your home or office, and replace both your filter, and oil.
