Toyota Kluger white smoke on cold start/heavy load

[Kluger KXR]

Hey Guys,

Bought a used Kluger KXR with 85k on the odo last week from a first owner. Three days ago i started the car in the morning and a cloud of white smoke came out of the exhaust. this is the first time ive experienced an issue of this nature with my cars, so i switched the engine off and checked the engine oil dipstick, it was way over the full/max mark. went to my local mechanic to drain excess oil and to my surprise the oil was in a VERY bad shape. when we checked the engine oil cap i could clearly see oil sludge build up inside the rocker cover aswell. so we did an engine flush and replaced engine oil/filter. the white smoke went away for the time being. after driving for almost 70kms, i had to overtake a car infront of me on the freeway and upon accelaration out came a big white cloud of smoke until i let go of the throttle; which did not clearly compromise engine’s performance by the way. i became cautious and spoke to my mechanic about it over the phone, he told me to add engine stop leak/smoke additive to recondition the valve seals. it was after business hours so i could only but the additive the next day. i kept using the car for tbe day and no smoke at all, even on heavy load/acceleration. and even no smoke on cold start the next morning. i was happy that its nothing to be worried about anymore. but then again today in the morning when i started the car, out came the same white smoke cloud from the exhaust for 15-20sec (picture attached: at it was 32 degrees at the time when i took the picture) with a funny smell and then when i revved the engine on idle there was smoke came out for the first couple of revvs and then no smoke at all. 

any suggestions and past experiences with such problems on a toyota V6 or kluger and what should i do for starters? i cant even say that the services on the logbooks are fake coz they were stamped from the dealorship!! i would appreciate any recommendations on expert mechanics for this job. 

Cheers!

[campbeam]

Do a search on all forums with the search term " white smoke " and you will find a few threads on this issue.

If you look in the Latest Posts, you will find the following thread

http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/54384-2009-aurion-blowing-smoke-on-acceleration/

If the vehicle is under warranty, take it back to the Dealer for the oil channels in the front valve cover to be thoroughly cleaned and also the PCV valve cleaned or replaced.

Definitely check the oil level of the engine to make sure it is above the low mark. Personal experience of oil level being full in the morning and around the low mark after about 7 hours of highway driving with some hard acceleration leaving smokescreen behind. Panic stations until I found out the cause.

For the past 2 years, I have been adding 500mls of diesel or ATF to the engine oil to assist in desludging the engine. Depending upon how badly sludged up your engine is, the oil will become quite a dark colour [heavily contaminated] in a few weeks so time for another oil and filter change.

[Kluger KXR]

Thanks Campbeam,

i went to this other local mechanic refered my a friend who does regular servicing as well as engine overhauling. without even diagnosing the car he passed his verdict that the valve stem seals are gone, and its very common with this engine, and he overhauled a number of aurion/kluger engines. i wasnt impressed at all. i was quoted a price mark of $2200. i have gone through the various threads published on this page regarding white smoke on aurion/kluger. i am planning to move ahead with the diesel fuel flush as another mechanic also suggested that its way better than the conventional engine flush additives you buy off the counter. at the end of the day im hoping for a resolution or im screwed.

[campbeam]

My PCV valve was blocked open and I had to thoroughly cleaned it a number of times while desludging the engine.

If you have read the various threads then the quickest sure solution is to remove and clean the front valve cover particularly the blocked/restricted oil channels in the cover plus do some engine flushing. In my case, I badly underestimated the extent of the oil sludge build up in the engine so it has taken about 12 oil changes over 2 years.

Currently, I use a combination of diesel and ATF when doing an engine flush and oil change.

http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/55791-hilux-de-sludge/

 

[campbeam]

This URL is definitely worth your time to read. Very close replication of your experience.

https://www.noordeman.com.au/smokey-toyota-2gr-fe-v6-engine-the-simple-solution/

[Kluger KXR]

Thanks for further info, i did a bit of my own research too and found similar solutions. this morning there was absolutely no smoke from the exhaust. so i got a jerry can from supercheap and filled it with diesel fuel. its too hot today so not getting down the engine bay today. will do the diesel flush tomorrow and see you that goes. on the contrary i inspected pcv valve on the engine, it was a bit sludgy but too my understanding it should not have oil residue on the outlet valve where the vaccum hose is connected.. right?? so im assuming its faulty and ive ordered one from Toyota werribee and will be delivered tomorrow. so fingers crossed, hoping for a resolution tomorrow! 

[campbeam]

In the meantime, I would be giving the existing PCV valve a thorough clean spraying degreaser etc, let it penetrate and repeat a few times. It should give a rattling sound as an indication it is not blocked. Your choice when you fit the new PCV valve but I would be inclined to wait a week or so after the engine flush.

Something else I do is to check the oil filter cartridge for the amount of sludge collected and give it a rinse in diesel or petrol to get rid of most of the accumulated sludge.

Positive Crankcase Understanding.doc

[Kluger KXR]

so i got the pcv valve from toyota dealership, have replaced it yet. got my mechanic to drain roughly 2 litres of engine oil, and then poured in diese fuel to mix with the motor oil to give it a good flush. it gave amazing and surprising results, the oil colour and viscosity changed drastically. replaced the filter which look really bad. and got 10w40 oil topped up. the car is driving beautifully. even the engine sound better, so thats just my perception. 

BUT....

the problem still remains; i was at the stop signal at the highway ramp and at green i revved the throttle, and puff came out the smoke. just like before i could hear a slight rattling noise while the smoke was coming out. so does that mean bad news??! or should i go ahead and replace the pcv valve  ?

[campbeam]

If you want to resolve this issue quickly, get your mechanic to remove the front valve cover and give it a thorough clean. This will give you definite proof of how badly sludged up the valve gear and cover is.

Another engine flush will also be necessary. Then replace the PCV valve.

[Kluger KXR]

my mechanic is reluctant in opening the valve cover as he thinks its pointless. i know what you mean with that but im gonna find someone else to do it for me coz he’s a bit up himself and doesnt like to be told what to do. like today when i got the engine flush done for the second time i told him to take th sump pan off so that we could inpect it as i have my doubts that its going to be pretty sludgy but then he was like it will be sludgy, but that wont cure the problem. take off the sump pan of any used car 5-6 years old, you’d be surprised by the amount of sludge in there. 

about that noise from the engine when i rev up from idle and smoke comes out of the exhaust, the sound is more like an engine knocking sound but the i doubt it from the engine itself as the car is accelerating beautifully. and i just release the throttle out of caution when i can see the car behind me covered in a smoke cloud. its embarassing though. 

im really confused here,  not sure if should even keep the car. but it would be really upsetting to let it go. 

any recommendations/ master mechanics in melbourne ??

[campbeam]

As a temporary measure, undo the PCV valve from the cover but leave it attached to the hose. Fold up a small piece of Chux or similar material and screw into the valve cover opening. The engine may smoke upon start up. Go for a test drive and do a few accelerations. Ideally, there should be no smoke. This will confirm that the issue is oil sludge in the engine and valve cover.

If you are still not convinced then fit the new PCV valve. Monitor for the next week or so and expect that the smoke will reappear.

[Codename47]

9 hours ago, Kluger KXR said:

my mechanic is reluctant in opening the valve cover as he thinks its pointless. i know what you mean with that but im gonna find someone else to do it for me coz he’s a bit up himself and doesnt like to be told what to do. like today when i got the engine flush done for the second time i told him to take th sump pan off so that we could inpect it as i have my doubts that its going to be pretty sludgy but then he was like it will be sludgy, but that wont cure the problem. take off the sump pan of any used car 5-6 years old, you’d be surprised by the amount of sludge in there. 

about that noise from the engine when i rev up from idle and smoke comes out of the exhaust, the sound is more like an engine knocking sound but the i doubt it from the engine itself as the car is accelerating beautifully. and i just release the throttle out of caution when i can see the car behind me covered in a smoke cloud. its embarassing though. 

im really confused here,  not sure if should even keep the car. but it would be really upsetting to let it go. 

any recommendations/ master mechanics in melbourne ??

Hi Mate,

I have had same experience with my Aurion (poorly maintained). It has same engine 2GR-FE 3.5 V6. This is a known problem toyota wide. These engine do build up a lot of sludge in the engine due to not servicing them properly. I would say @campbeam has been dealing with this issue longer than me. 

I would go by his advise. Open up both the rocker covers , buy replacement rocker cover gaskets from Toyota and clean them both nicely.

Drain the oils, do a ATF/Diesel flush and practise this for next 3-4 weeks. You will have blue/white smoke during startup due to the oil sitting in the intake manifold, thanks to your stuck open PCV valve.

I rang Toyota Australia to get the PCV valve, they had none in stock Australia wide. I have ordered one PCV valve from US, message me if you want it as I've traded my Aurion already. 

You are right, it is very embarrassing to see the cars behind you stop because they cannot see anything. 

[Kluger KXR]

@campbeamis inspected the PCV valve today and screwed it back in with the piece of Chux, the smoke was still there. i have cleaned the existing PCV valve and to me it looks fine as its rattling/making that click noise when i shake it.

@Codename47 with the oil flush, ive carried out the flush twice with a gap of 200kms. first with the liqui moly engine flush and then with diesel fuel. im plan on running this oil for atleast 1000kms now. and then go for a third flush. so by removing the rocker covers, do i also remove the sump pan as well? 

 

[campbeam]

The temporary measure is essentially to disconnect the PCV valve from the valve cover so it can no longer draw oil into the intake.

The piece of Chux is to plug the hole in the valve cover to keep dirt, foreign objects, etc out.

The PCV valve remains connected to the vaccum hose and it will now be able to only draw air, as required.

Then place/wedge the PCV valve on top of the valve cover and replace the engine cover.

Smoke should now quickly go away once the oil in the intake and vacuum hose has been sucked into the engine.

Is so, this confirms the cause as being the sludged up oil channels in the valve cover.

If the engine is still smoking , then oil is being drawn in by some other means.

[Kluger KXR]

so i should remove the pcv valve from the top manifold and fix a small piece of chux in the opening to avoid any dust/outside particle in the engine. and should i drive it for a while or keep it idle?? and what do you mean by replacing the engine cover? you mean the rocker cover? could you please explain again. thanks 

[campbeam]

The PCV valve screws into the front bank valve cover. I rolled up a small piece of Chux into a tight cylinder shape then screwed/rotated one end into the opening. The idea is to test drive and confirm that the engine no longer smokes when you are accelerating.

Following shows the location which is similar for the 2GR-FE engine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmJSkSPCou8

This is for the engine cover.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/TOYOTA-KLUGER-PLASIC-ENGINE-COVER-GSU40-GSU45-08-07-03-14-2GR-FE/202006901554?hash=item2f088cb332:g:ficAAOSwx2VZgl47

[Kluger KXR]

so i unscrewed the pcv valve today and drove the car around, i felt as if it was a big lagging in performance but i didnt see smoke from my rear view mirror on all types of drive modes, i’ll keep monitoring this for a couple of days. is that a good idea?? 

even so, upon ignition there is still smoke coming out from the exhaust which i fairly less, 3-4 seconds as compared to the previous 15-20sec white smoke. any suggestions/inputs?? 

 

[campbeam]

Keep monitoring for the next few days.

Upon the next startup, I would be expecting that there should be no smoking

[Codename47]

On 12/15/2017 at 10:57 PM, Kluger KXR said:

@campbeamis inspected the PCV valve today and screwed it back in with the piece of Chux, the smoke was still there. i have cleaned the existing PCV valve and to me it looks fine as its rattling/making that click noise when i shake it.

@Codename47 with the oil flush, ive carried out the flush twice with a gap of 200kms. first with the liqui moly engine flush and then with diesel fuel. im plan on running this oil for atleast 1000kms now. and then go for a third flush. so by removing the rocker covers, do i also remove the sump pan as well? 

 

I did the rocker covers only at the start and , made sure all the drain channels are clean. I used ATF (automatic transmission fluid to remove all the sludge. Next time when you do oil change put 5 Litre engine oil and 1 Litre ATF to clean up the sludge in other parts of the engine. 

Sump will be a hard job if you are doing by yourself as it will need seals/gaskets. Try taking it to a mechanic to do that. 

Did you check your oil filter ? Previous owner must not have replaced it in 20-25k kms . Mine was clogged, and it was that bad that I couldn't recognize whether it was filter or just mud in oil.

[Kluger KXR]

@campbeam day three and no smoke!! even on cold start. Appreciate the help and guidance! Cant thank you enough. 

on a second note, what should i do now since we’ve confirmed the issue? driving like this without the pcv valve is compromising fuel economy as well a slightly slugging acceleration. 

[campbeam]

Go for a day trip to help decarbon the engine. Also put some fuel injector cleaner in the fuel tank.

Hope you have found a mechanic who can remove and clean the front valve cover then refit the pcv valve.

 

 

[Codename47]

Agree with @campbeam, get someone to look at your rocker cover. If you are not bad at DIY, you could do it yourself. Make sure you get rocker cover gasket and the sealer for it. 

Top advise on injector cleaner, I had to use that few times.

[Kluger KXR]

@campbeam

so its been slightly over 500km that i have drive my kluger with the pcv valve removed from the rocker cover. i got the front rocker cover removed and thoroughly cleaned and put in a new pcv valve. 

i suspected that car wasnt driving as good as it was before, and i started the car again after 2 hours and the same smoke came out from the exhault, leaving me baffled for a moment. i have absolutely no clue whats going on with this machine. Help!! 

[campbeam]

4 hours ago, Kluger KXR said:

i suspected that car wasnt driving as good as it was before, and i started the car again after 2 hours and the same smoke came out from the exhault, leaving me baffled for a moment. i have absolutely no clue whats going on with this machine. Help!!

Drives you crazy especially when you think it is all fixed.

My engine smoked on start up again after I had just cleaned the PCV valve.

So a few weeks ago, I replaced the original PCV vacuum hose with 3/8” transmission hose and fitted an in-line filter. Engine has not smoked since although a recent check of the filter showed some possible oil vapour condensation.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/10mm-3-8-Inch-Chrome-Finish-Petrol-In-line-Fuel-Filter-Cleaner-Oil-Cleaner/222582313812?hash=item33d2f09354:g:77sAAOSwIhxZaaY1

This last Sunday, I changed the oil filter cartridge.  

 

[Kluger KXR]

Yea mate that is pretty frustrating, at one point i was like i should get rid of my vehicle coz its only becoming a waste of time and money. But then again, its not something major and i know it can be fixed. To my utmost disappointment, the mechanics fail to give such solutions and advice. I looked up the oil catch can, is that something you are referring to ?  i found two different types, one with the filter and one with just a reservoir. which one do think should be a better choice. Take a look at these linkgs below: 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Billet-Aluminium-Baffled-Oil-Catch-Can-Breather-Tank-Nissan-Toyota-JDM-Black/272946093794?hash=item3f8cdadee2:g:a~oAAOSwZW5aEtaK

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Genuine-Machter-200-Oil-Catch-Can-Pro-4WD-FORD-RANGER-MAZDA-TOYOTA-HOLDEN-NISSAN/142094217758?hash=item211579b21e:g:JzkAAOSwEEBaGNZK

and the oil catch can will go between the PCV valve and the intake manifold, is that right?