I am driving a one owner 2002 Camry. It has 90K miles. I recently noticed that at morning start, smoke comes out from exhaust for about 10 senconds. Smoke then disappears and does not come out at any other time. I have been changing oil and taking care of it very well. My question to any experienced person: is it time to rebuild the engine?
Its normal as Nobody said if you dont consume alot dont worry. You actualy lubricate the cilinders when they need the oil the most, on startup. It actualy should make the motor last longer as startup is supposed to acount for a large portion of wear due to the oil not circulating yet
No need to worry about rebuilding the engine. As others mention, most likely valve guide seals. The Camry has dual overhead cams and the valve guides and seals are sitting in the oil that collects under the valve cover overnight so a small amount can seep past the seals and is burned off when first starting the engine. One of the reasons I sought to eliminate this is that I don't believe it is especially healthy for the oxygen sensor to be receiving an oil cloud/ film, since blocking the microscopic pores with carbon is the primary source of reduced efficiency. First, I was not not original owner of the car, so I changed the oil quite frequently initially, seeking to improve engine cleanliness, even though the prior owner changed oil at 5,000 mile intervals, using conventional oil. I ran one treatment of auto-rx through for slightly over 500 miles to remove hardened deposits from the surfaces of the seals. (originally designed as a commercial printing press cleaner is said to safely remove engine deposits that can also form on engine seals and harden the pliable surface.) Then I added Lucas oil stabilizer 20% when changing the oil. Since I'm now using Mobil 1 synthetic, I also use the Lucas synthetic oil stabilizer. At 85,000 miles I would occasionally get large clouds of smoke on cold start. Now at 165,000 miles and the condition is completely non existent, -- has been for years, and my oxygen sensor still tests good. I keep the car in perfect condition and it runs fantastically well. One key to optimum maintenance is keeping up on everything, especially fluids. When I change anything I change everything using genuine parts. That means I change associated parts, bolts, gaskets, etc. Keeps the car like new.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.