White smoke on start up

[Beep Beep, I'm A Jeep]

When i start my car up, i am engulfed in a haze of white smoke, but after 30 seconds or so or after i start driving, it goes away. What could this be?Its not a BHG, i already had it tested for that, and im not low on coolant. Any ideas?

[grecco28]

probably the valve oil seals...

[del82]

probably the valve oil seals...

You'd be right, but you're rolling your eyes as if he/she is automatically supposed to know.

[Beep Beep, I'm A Jeep]

You'd be right, but you're rolling your eyes as if he/she is automatically supposed to know.

thank you

but anyway, i have never had to deal/replace them, what do i need to do to replace/fix them with the difficulty level and price

[del82]

I'm assuming you haven't modified it, so it's still a K engine. In that case, it's a pain in the ***, and to be honest, if you're going to do the work involved with replacing the seals, now is a good a time as any to just have the head rebuilt, particularly if the engine's got a lot of miles on it. That'll give you a chance to also replace the valve seats and guides, shim or replace the springs and some other things.

If you're interested, the normal path is to disassemble the timing assembly (most of the front of the engine comes off), then the valve covers, cams, rocker assembly (not there on some setups), valve caps and keepers, and then the springs.

That's the easy part, then you have to slide off the seals and slide new ones on without dropping the valves in the cylinders. Again, this is why you may as well just rebuild the head. Gives you a chance to deck it and replace the head gasket, for longevity and to get some compression back.

Oh, and while you've got the timing assembly apart, the water pump is usually in there, not a bad idea to swap that out along with the timing belt too, if you're over 80k miles.

[Beep Beep, I'm A Jeep]

I'm assuming you haven't modified it, so it's still a K engine. In that case, it's a pain in the ***, and to be honest, if you're going to do the work involved with replacing the seals, now is a good a time as any to just have the head rebuilt, particularly if the engine's got a lot of miles on it. That'll give you a chance to also replace the valve seats and guides, shim or replace the springs and some other things.

If you're interested, the normal path is to disassemble the timing assembly (most of the front of the engine comes off), then the valve covers, cams, rocker assembly (not there on some setups), valve caps and keepers, and then the springs.

That's the easy part, then you have to slide off the seals and slide new ones on without dropping the valves in the cylinders. Again, this is why you may as well just rebuild the head. Gives you a chance to deck it and replace the head gasket, for longevity and to get some compression back.

Oh, and while you've got the timing assembly apart, the water pump is usually in there, not a bad idea to swap that out along with the timing belt too, if you're over 80k miles.

you gotta be kidding me

i just did an engine swap about 2 months ago (stock to stock) after rebuilding an engine. Im tired of working and putting so much money into this car just so it can run they way its supposed to

[del82]

You rebuilt the engine you just put in? Did you use assembly lube on the valve stems and seals when you were installing them?

Also, if its a fresh rebuild...before you dig into all that, you may want to double check your head bolts for torque. That one, at least, is generally easy to do, but if you're already blowing coolant out the back because of that, instead of the seal problem, you'll need to pull the head anyway and replace the head gasket.

If the bolts have good torque, and you're confident your tech knows how to properly install a head gasket during a rebuild, then its probably just the seals, and you can skip rebuilding the fresh head. But...its still a pain to do. That said, there's no serious effects leaving the engine to burn a little oil off on startup, in the short term anyway. Eventually the oil will start to cake on the valves, and grime up the exhaust including the cat and such. You've probably got quite awhile to get it looked at, but that engine if rebuilt should still be under warranty of some kind, and you may wanna have it done before that runs out.

[Beep Beep, I'm A Jeep]

what happened is i got the car about a year ago and it had a dying engine, so i rebuilt it my self. Im not sure 100% what i did wrong, but an oil line got clogged or something and the head want getting any oil, so it warped it, and i had to get a new one instead of repairing it. So i got a used one from Nissan Heaven and put that in, and now its doing this

i can do all the mechanical stuff my self, i know how, but its the time that i dont really have.

[2projects2many]

Don't have time- Don't need 240, simple as that. No disrespect, but these cars require attention, (and money) t keep them zinging.

[del82]

Don't have time- Don't need 240, simple as that. No disrespect, but these cars require attention, (and money) t keep them zinging.

This is about 30% not true. The normal case is yes, the car is bought and driven by people who like to hot rod it, obviously. Its a sports car. But the car itself, particularly the KA motor, which is derived from the 2.4 in the Nissan pickup, is reliable enough. It's just a fairly weak platform for modification.

As for the head, yeah, used head, used head problems. That makes plenty of sense, as its quite possible the head sat on a garage floor for months before it was sold. You could try another used head out of the junkyard or something, but if you do, find one that's still got the valve cover AND fill cap on it, that way its less likely that the seals have dried out. Again, the bad valve seals aren't really an immediate problem, but eventually the burnt up oil will clog up the rings, cat, and probably layer the exhaust manifolds in cake.

[Beep Beep, I'm A Jeep]

This is about 30% not true. The normal case is yes, the car is bought and driven by people who like to hot rod it, obviously. Its a sports car. But the car itself, particularly the KA motor, which is derived from the 2.4 in the Nissan pickup, is reliable enough. It's just a fairly weak platform for modification.

As for the head, yeah, used head, used head problems. That makes plenty of sense, as its quite possible the head sat on a garage floor for months before it was sold. You could try another used head out of the junkyard or something, but if you do, find one that's still got the valve cover AND fill cap on it, that way its less likely that the seals have dried out. Again, the bad valve seals aren't really an immediate problem, but eventually the burnt up oil will clog up the rings, cat, and probably layer the exhaust manifolds in cake.

ya, my brother had a '97 pick up with the KA, and it was great to him

and i didnt buy just the head, i bought the entire engine. The head, block, everything.

and i do understand these cars require attention money and time, but so far it has been problem after problem after problem and its a diff problem every time. Im not going to give up on this car, i have a honda back up that i dont have to put any money into, so i am in a good position for this as a 'project car' but at the same time, its been quite a while since i have been able to drive it worry free, which i dont think i ever will again

[del82]

Well, there's always a bright side. Like my Hyundai, eventually you'll fix so much broken crap that you'll run out of problems (=

When I bought it I essentially replaced the entire braking system, the ECU, 2 fuel injectors, a sensor that does I forget what in the intake, a ruptured coolant hose, welded the transmission pan drain plug shut, replaced one CV axle, replaced all the wheel bearings, and put a new set of tires on it because of belt separation. That was almost 2 years ago, and I've not had an issue since, aside of normal wear that I haven't bothered to dig into. It still needs a motor mount and some new shocks, but...eh. I'll get around to em when I do.

[lil_ben_2020]

white smoke would be coolant blue oil black piston rings normally shot

[Beep Beep, I'm A Jeep]

white smoke would be coolant blue oil black piston rings normally shot

well yes, but im not low on coolant what so ever

and i found a shop that (i do trust them) can replace it for $1200that includes a new head, gaskets, and labor

i think that is a good price, or is it just me?

[Ka24de240sxS13]

Here is an Idea, Before I purchased my 240, the previous owner blew the motor. And in doing so, the blown motor shoved oil into the exhaust. So I buy the car, and slap a brand new rebuilt motor in it. Start it up and it runs like a dream, but it blows smoke! WTF??? new motor that blows smoke???Well after much trial and tribulation, I discovered that the exhaust was soaked in oil from the previously blown motor. So when the exhaust got hot enough, It burned vaporized the oil.

So, my proposal would be to try removing the exhaust and disassembling it. Then soak it in break cleaner and let it sit for like an hour. Then flush it with water and let it dry.

Put it back on and let your car run, within aprox 30 minutes of running the smoke should go away.

If it doesn't then you are SOL.

Worth a try though, if you have the TIME lol.

[lil_ben_2020]

well yes, but im not low on coolant what so ever

and i found a shop that (i do trust them) can replace it for $1200that includes a new head, gaskets, and labor

i think that is a good price, or is it just me?

um it seems a lil high but for the higher price means they wont rush to get it done and is important but it is only a lil high maybe by 60 dollars

[Beep Beep, I'm A Jeep]

Here is an Idea, Before I purchased my 240, the previous owner blew the motor. And in doing so, the blown motor shoved oil into the exhaust. So I buy the car, and slap a brand new rebuilt motor in it. Start it up and it runs like a dream, but it blows smoke! WTF??? new motor that blows smoke???Well after much trial and tribulation, I discovered that the exhaust was soaked in oil from the previously blown motor. So when the exhaust got hot enough, It burned vaporized the oil.

So, my proposal would be to try removing the exhaust and disassembling it. Then soak it in break cleaner and let it sit for like an hour. Then flush it with water and let it dry.

Put it back on and let your car run, within aprox 30 minutes of running the smoke should go away.

If it doesn't then you are SOL.

Worth a try though, if you have the TIME lol.

no, its not the car. I had another engine in it before, and it didnt blow that much oil into the exhaust

and most of it goes away AFTER the car warms up

if it helps, a bit more than usual comes out when i gun it

[Beep Beep, I'm A Jeep]

So do you guys think rebuilding the head is a good idea and will fix this?

[zach-Ka]

I would say so. I had the same problem. If this is happening, then really keep an eye on your oil level. I didnt and it lead to two seized lifters.

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