white smoke coming from underneath the engine

[jose310]

i just had finished cleaning my maf connector and i decided to go around the block, wen i was parked and poped the hood there was white smoke coming from the passengers side of the engine. ? didnt smell like oil . it was coming from the 2 big pipes.

[qship96]

what 2 big pipes ? if you mean the exhaust headers,it is oil from leaking valve cover gaskets

[jose310]

the two big grey pipes from the passenger side of the engine

[Haitian_King]

Damn your Q looks good.

[96Q45GAL]

I have the same thing happening with mine... I believe its your Valve Cover Gaskets leaking! Mine is smoking from the other side and at times will really smoke depending on how I have drove it..... I hope this helps!

[Haitian_King]

Hmm. I'm going to check mine out. Just to be safe. I'm sure that if I don't get on that, I'll be up all night worrying about it.

[qsiguy]

I'm not at my Q so I can't look but I can't think of what the 2 big pipes are you are talking about. If it's the valve covers leaking it will definitely smell like oil burning.

Did it have any odor? Can you take any pics of what you are talking about?

[jose310]

ill take pictures tommorow, everybody that i talked to says it can be the theometer that is making the anti freeze get clogged up? but its the grey pipe a lil underneath were the oil dip stick is at. if that helps, ive been told before that i have a oil leak. wen i replaced my alternator it was dirty of oil, and it really smells wen i park it, but about the white smoke it didnt smell like oil, like evaporated water.

[elwesso]

Yeah its a valve cover leak.. Not to worry, just live with it until you're motivated to fix it... Theres nothing coolant related over there.

Everything coolant related is on the front of the motor or under the plenum.

[jose310]

so is it drivable? because i havent drove it in 3 days because im scare the engine will over heat, or it will be toast?

[elwesso]

If its a valve cover leak, then you wont hurt anything.. How bad does it smoke?? If its like a plume comes out from under the hood when you open it, thats bad. If its just a tiny bit (like you see a tiny bit rise up when you open the hood) then you're OK. I drove for a year on leaky valve covers, not really an issue other than an annoyance.

[jose310]

ohh ok, cool, its just a lil bit i guess... but it smokes for like a good 30 - 45 sec, but a light smoke not really alot.

[elwesso]

go ahead and shoot a picture and we'll go from there (just to verify, 95% sure im right.).. If it just smokes a lil bit after you turn the key off youre fine to drive the car...

[jose310]

Alright ill take one tomorrow after work. i dont kno if it would make a difference but my car was cold wen i drove it around the block, and it smoked. got another question wesso, my engine feels like its starving and its loud like if its something loose in there , or something is vibrating. it comes and goes away but only wen on drive

[elwesso]

you're just going to have to make a judgement call. I dont think the valve cover leak is that big of a deal, which that assumes that indeed is what the problem is.. Of course if theres some information missing somewhere, then it could be a different story..

Remember I can only help based on the info you provide.

ON the other problem im not sure what to tell you.. Theres so many things it could be, im going to need more info.

[qship96]

Why not invest the 1 hour labor and have entire car inspected by a senior infiniti technician and get a written report of all problems found,then decide whether you want to invest the time/money into repairs or dump for a different vehicle?

[96Q45GAL]

I have no idea if it's good but I have been driving my car for a few months like this....Sometimes it dosent do it other times it really gets to smoking and stinking like a burning smell! Im not sure like I said if it's safe but mine hasnt caused my engine to overheat at all!

[qship96]

A leaking valve cover gasket wont cause overheats,just a stinking mess and if severe enough,shortened alternator life due to oil bath

Be sure to keep an eye on oil level in case the leak turns into a geyser...the leak will get worse over time,and shows up more as the weather gets colder and seals shrink....why these posts seem to surface every fall/winter

About a 6-700$ job to fix along with new plugs,then you can forget about it for 100,000 miles{unless you are Brian,then 59,999.99 miles}

[jose310]

i let my sister borrow it today and she called me sayin the car was smoking from the passenger side of the car with the hood close , but wasant that bad, but noticesable

[AlabamaDan]

It's valve covers. It will just make a mess. Over the long haul I guess it would mess up the alternator to have it real dirty.