Excessively Smokey Starts - With Video

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Torpedo423
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My tercel:: '84 SR5 Wagon - 4A Swapped
Location: Idaho

Excessively Smokey Starts - With Video

Post by Torpedo423 »

Hi guys,

Been having some issues with my '84, it smokes excessively at startup, after it has warmed up and run for a bit it usually stops until it has been sitting for 4 or 5 hours then it'll start smoking again. Coolant and oil are dropping slowly (not alarmingly fast but need to top off a little coolant maybe once a week). I just replaced the head gasket, when this video was taken it had less than 100 miles on it since the work was done. Also no sign of coolant in the oil and no drip spots on the ground under it. Bit stumped as to what is causing it, considered the possibility of a cracked head or block, or both, possibly needs new rings too but wanted to ask here to see if anyone has a possible solution. Considering a 4A swap if this engine continues to give me trouble, pull one from the yard, rebuild it and drop it in.

Here's a video of the smoke after we let it sit overnight


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWdlTVg ... e=youtu.be
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: Excessively Smokey Starts - With Video

Post by Petros »

welcome to the forum,

sorry to hear about your trouble, after viewing the video it looks like bluish oil smoke. if it only manifest on start up, usually that would be the valve seals giving up (how many miles on the engine total?). did you install new valve stem seals when you replaced the head gasket? if not, they are not that difficult to install without removing the head, there are threads with instructions on how to replace the valve stem seals else where in this forum.

Not likely the head or block are cracked, that would be very rare in any toyota motor.

Badly worn rings will also smoke like that, did it smoke like that before you replaced the head gasket? Have you run a compession test on it?

Check your PCV valve, replace if necessary (they are cheap, you can get generic valves at any autoparts store).

Did you follow the procedure I developed over in the repair guides section for replacing head gaskets. if the head was warped it has to be resurfaced or the new head gasket will also fail. It can be machined flat, or you can actually resurface it yourself with simple tools in your garage, I show how it can be done in the head gasket repair guide thread.

If there is no obvious cause, you might consider putting a can of Restore into the crank case. it does not always work, but sometimes it does and it is a lot easier than pulling the engine apart.

good luck.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
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Torpedo423
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Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2019 2:10 am
My tercel:: '84 SR5 Wagon - 4A Swapped
Location: Idaho

Re: Excessively Smokey Starts - With Video

Post by Torpedo423 »

Hi Petros,

The engine has about 200,400 on it right now, valve stem seals were replaced while doing the last head gasket change. It's smoked like that since I've owned it, which has only been since February. I bought it from a kid at 199,300 miles who said the motor was seized, changed the head gasket, whatever seals we could get at (minus valve stem), new radiator, brakes, etc to get it running and it's smoked since then. I forgot to retorque the head bolts and the gasket started leaking again so I changed it a second time using your method just to be safe. This time changing valve stem seals as well. PCV is new, we even tried starting with it blocked off to see if it made any difference and she still smoked like hell. We haven't done a compression check yet as we don't have the tool but planning to get one soon

Haven't tried a can of restore yet, will have to give that a shot. Appreciate the reply, thanks!
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NWMO
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Re: Excessively Smokey Starts - With Video

Post by NWMO »

Torpedo,

Petros is king, here are a couple of my thoughts. If you are having to add coolant once a week, it's going somewhere, if not under the car, makes me think into the cylinder.

That much smoke (if from oil) should be pretty apparent by smell. The description of starting with heavy smoke and then clearing up only to smoke again after sitting, makes me think oil.

I would say the best thing to check would be your plugs and see if they appear steam cleaned or not. I would say look for burned oil, soot, etc as many cars will even foul plugs when they start using much oil. However, the last few weeks of the 3A's life in my Tercel, it was drinking oil through the cylinders and the plugs never looked the worse for the wear?? I don't know why they stayed so clean as I put a quart of oil in every 500 miles or so.

Chris
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Petros
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Re: Excessively Smokey Starts - With Video

Post by Petros »

you can rent a compression tester for free from most Autozone parts stores, others lend tools as well. no need to buy one, but they are not that costly for a home mechanic type compression tester if you want to own one.

before the Restore, you also might try the Seafoam treatment to clean up goop around the rings. some forum members have had good luck with it. than add the Restore. I have had it work wonders on a road trip, one cylinder would foul the spark plug so bad it would hardly run (I bought a used Tercel in another state), i had to add a quart of oil and change out the spark plugs at each gas stop. I put a can of Restore in out of desperation, and I drove it another 3000 miles on the same set of spark plugs, and only had to add one quart of oil, before I got it home. others have had similiar results.

if you are loosing coolant through the head gasket, there is not much you can do but replace it again. OTOH, sometimes a pin hole leak in the hoses or water pump will not be noticeable, it will only seep out as steam when it is warmed up. those are hard to find, but you just have to do a careful inspection when it is good and warm. that should not keep you from driving it, but it is important to eventually track down the source of coolant loss.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
xirdneh
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My tercel:: 87 tercel 4x4 wagon w/reringed engine, 83 tercel 4x4 wagon w/salvaged engine and 4.1 Diff's
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Re: Excessively Smokey Starts - With Video

Post by xirdneh »

When head was off did you check the cylinder walls for vertical scratches?
Love those Tercell 4x4 wagons but they sure suffer from road noise.
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