Question for mechanics, truck smoking

[Guest TankerHC]

I am not a mechanic, have some idea what MAY be going on but not sure. Thinking I should take my truck to the dealer tomorrow but wanted to know if this is something that should be of concern or can it wait or what else.

 

Truck is a 2014 Tundra with the 5.7 and 4x4. Has 25,000 on the odometer. 

 

Ran perfectly, I leave it in the driveway some nights and the driveway is on a slight incline.

 

Up until the other night when the temp hit two degrees no problem. Next morning I started it up and it blew dark grey smoke out of the exhaust for a good minute. 

 

Tonight I notice when I pulled in the driveway and got out that it was blowing dark grey smoke again. I had sat in the driveway (On the incline) at idle for about 20 minutes before I got out and saw the smoke.

 

It only seems to smoke after sitting and idling. And only on an incline. 

 

Any idea what might cause this?

 

 

[R_Bert]

Not a mechanic, but sounds like a blown head gasket. You certainly don't want to score a cylinder wall due to ingress of coolant.

[Guest TankerHC]

Hope not. One other thing, the morning after it hit 2 degrees, the truck got noticeably louder. I noticed it was louder but my wife says it is really loud now. 

[Guest kingarmory]

May have cracked an exhaust manifold.  If you get air coming into the exhaust its going to make the O2 sensor read lean and will make the ECM richen the mixture to try to "correct" the mixture problem.  When you're idling there is less backpressure and will let more air get in through the damaged manifold, which would make the problem more prominent when idling.  Could also be a fuel injector dumping/leaking fuel, that will cause a richer mixture at idle and grey smoke.

[runco]

That new of a truck and that low of miles, take it in to the dealer.  Check your oil level, see if its using oil.

[R_Bert]

and check your coolant for oil ingress, as well as look for coolant in the oil (will show on the dipstick)

[peejman]

May have cracked an exhaust manifold.  If you get air coming into the exhaust its going to make the O2 sensor read lean and will make the ECM richen the mixture to try to "correct" the mixture problem.  When you're idling there is less backpressure and will let more air get in through the damaged manifold, which would make the problem more prominent when idling.  Could also be a fuel injector dumping/leaking fuel, that will cause a richer mixture at idle and grey smoke.

 

 

Being brand new, obviously take it back to the dealer but I agree with the above.  The noise and the smoke point to cracked exhaust manifold.  Unless it's uber steep, the slope of the driveway should have nothing to do with it. 

 

Pop the hood and spray the COLD exhaust with some soapy water.  Have your wife start the truck and you watch the exhaust.  It should make bubbles if there's a crack.  And it'll  burn off quick so you'll have to be alert.

Edited January 10, 2014 by peejman

[Sam1]

Take in under the warranty, that could be anything from a bad valve seal to a cracked block.

[leroy]

Tanker.... I'm gonna try to make ya feel a bit better... We have a 2001 Lincoln Navigator that is our pet... My wife loves it and she is the principal driver... I always "exercise" (...read that run and idle all our vehicles for 30 or so minutes a day....) when it gets down in the teens; it's just my old time heavy equipment upbringing...

 

I want the engines and trannys to heat up and have the oil and water circulating everywhere on these ultra cold days... The lincoln started up as it always did and ran beautifully (...like it always does...)... I shut it down in the evening and moved it the next mornin (...the 10 degree one...) and saw what you saw for a few seconds; then the engine cleared up... My guess; the computers and air sensors evidently remember the last settings and it takes a few seconds for them to obtain new data and adjust accordingly...

 

I think that the real cold weather exasperates these cycles and it may take a bit longer to hit the right point for engine operation on these cold days... They will start and run (...except for my old jeep, that misses the start point every now and then; takin two times to start...); but they need a bit of time to dial in the exact air/fuel combination for the temperature outside...

 

If ya keep seein it, i would take it to a dealer or a mechanic ya trust... If the warmer weather makes the problem go away and the engine aint missing; i wouldn't worry...

 

Hope this helps...

leroy

[Sam1]

I wouldn't wait, make the dealer check it out... that's what the warranty is for.

 

Even if they say nothing is wrong with it, you will have a record of the issue on file and if something catastrophic or cascading related to this issue happens that may not be covered by the warranty, the responsibility will fall back on them.

[glock55]

tanker why don't you call the dealer you bought the truck from and explain to the service department your concerns. they might be able to tell you if you should bring the truck in or not. this might save you a trip and some time if they tell you its no issue. however based upon what you've said I think the following may be happening. in the process of combustion many pollutants are produced that the modern exhaust system turns into harmless water. perhaps you have seen water dripping out the tailpipe of your car on occasion. if you are parking on the incline with the tailpipe on the higher side the water may be collecting in the exhaust and burning off as steam. in the process it picks up soot and comes out a dirty gray steam. the fact this smoke happened after sitting 20 minutes would account for time for the moisture to collect. if the problem continues try parking with the tail pipe on the lower side of the incline so water can escape and see if problem continues. if so I would definitely take to dealer. on a side note I would add that idling a engine for long periods is the most harmful thing that can be done. in cold temps it is best to start the car and take for a short drive if one wants to start the motor from time to time. this allows any condensation to burn off and heats the system better. the list of problems prolonged idling can cause are to long to list here.

 good luck 

[tnguy]

Is it a diesel? Could be glow plug problems (though I would think that would show up an idiot light)

[LagerHead]

Is it a diesel? Could be glow plug problems (though I would think that would show up an idiot light)

 

Tundras are gas only...for now!!! Bwahahaha!

 

Anyway, take it to the dealer. Use the warranty. That's why you have one. Call ahead, let them know you bought the vehicle there, and ask that they have a loaner for you while they take a look at it. It's a minor inconvenience to avoid a major headache. 

[bersaguy]

Just my :2cents: but all cars equip with fuel injection has a cold run injector that introduces extra fuel into the engine for a couple reasons 1st being it supplies the engine with the required amount of fuel for cold starts and also aids in supplying the engine with enough fuel to get it through the cold run cycle at a normal rate according to engine requirements. On extremely cold days that cold run injector will continue to produce extra fuel longer than in normal temperatures and once the motor warms up it is suppose to discontinue operation. Yours may be working beyond the point of a warm engine which in turn will cause dark gray smoke from unburnt fuel in the exhaust. The fact that the noise is louder than normal could be as several have mentioned above and you could  have a cracked manifold. I went through that a few years back on my jeep during some really cold weather. I was driving it after it had warmed up and it had began to rain and I hit a puddle of water and almost instantly the Jeep exhaust got louder signaling a cracked manifold. Son removed it and used nickel welding rods to seal the exhaust back closed. I didn't have a warranty due to age of Jeep. If I had a warranty I would have had it back the the dealership the next day. That is what warranties are for...............jmho

[Guest kingarmory]

Most newer cars/trucks don't have a cold start injector, the ECM's just run a longer pulse time (richer mixture) until the engine warms up.  Older Toyotas had a cold start injector in the manifold, pretty sure the newer ones don't.

[Howler]

Take it step by step. The ECM will adjust injector duration at all temps. The colder it is the longer the ECM keeps the injectors open. We are talking just milliseconds.  The colder it is the more fuel you will need. No different than adjusting a choke on an ATV or mower. The smoke being "dark grey" could just be the effect of the extra fuel that is correctly being added by the control module. Oil smoke will be a blueish color and fuel will be blackish color. The color of smoke is sometimes hard to tell apart. On a 2014 vehicle if the fuel trim is adjusted out of range (by the ECM) for reasons like a vacuum leak, leaking injector, or faulty sensor of some kind the vehicle will more than likely set a CEL/Service Engine Soon light.

 

If the smoke continues to roll keep an eye on the oil level. If you believe the you have a noise caused by low oil pressure have the truck taken via a rollback.

 

A lot of engines will be louder during very cold temps. Piston slap caused by lack of oil on the cylinder walls can cause it. A bad exhaust manifold gasket could cause it. It could be a number of things. If it's bad enough to worry ya take it to the repair shop and leave it overnight and show up early the next morning and start it with the mechanic. If he's worth a flip he won't mind.

[Guest TresOsos]

Get it to the dealer and let us know what the outcome is.

[Guest TankerHC]

Almost forgot about this. I called the service center and told them what was going on. Instructions went something (Exactly) like this.

 

After conversation and asking do I need to bring it in.

 

Answer "First just disconnect the negative battery terminal, give it a few minutes, hook it up and if it still does it, call me back and we can set up an appointment or you can just bring it in"  (Not there, I called the service department from the dealer I bought all 3 of my Tundra's from)

 

It no longer smokes, is no longer loud, and in fact I think it is actually quieter than before it smoked. I know it was resetting the computer...or something. Dont ask me, Im not a mechanic.

 

 

Next time I get a flat Im going to disconnect the battery and see if it re-inflates. 

[Guest RebelCowboySnB]

Yep, F.R.E.D. had a brain fart an needed reset.

Edited January 12, 2014 by RebelCowboySnB

[Guest RebelCowboySnB]

By the way, lots of dealers make more off shop work than selling cars so they would have just had you come in so they could make some money. Sounds like you have a good dealer.

[peejman]

The ECU software must be windows based...

[Guest TankerHC]

The ECU software must be windows based...

:rofl: