Hi,

My 02 Camry (85K) emits smoke from the exhaust pipe on cold startup, goes away after a few seconds. I can see the oil level dropping very slowly over time, and was told by a mechanic that it is probably the valve stem seals leaking a bit. As this is an expensive job, I decided to postpone it for now. I was thinking to use an oil additive, such as "STP stop leak" or similar (recommendations are appreciated) which presumably "rejuvenates" seals.

Is that a good idea? Any possible downsides?

And another question - if the car was to sit for a longer while, is there any risk that such an oil leak could accumulate and cause some damage when the car is started again?

Thanks!

 

What color is the smoke?

What would you consider expensive?


Waste of money.

No.

 

Pedro, thanks for your reply. I would say the smoke is thick white, although after being asked if it was blue, I was staring at it for a while and could almost see some blueish-ness there. But, that may be my imagination. The seals job was quoted at around 1200-1400$.

 

If your having a problem determining if the smoke has a blue tinge (or not) then this is not worth the worry now. I'm also having a problem believing a Camry with 85k has a valve seal problem. Exhaust with oil in it tends to linger longer before dissipating and you will definately see blue(ish) color, water in exhaust from humidity, which is normal, will evaporate fairly quickly. You know when the problem is worth fixing when you get constant blue smoke at idle. Getting quotes is your only way to determine if the cost is fair, but I would not spend any money on it right now. The seals may(?) be able to be replaced leaving the head in place; by removing the cam shaft, putting compressed air into the cylinder to hold the valve up, and removing the lifter, keeper, spring and seal. That would reduce the labor and that's how I (DIY) replaced valve seals on a truck of mine. For now you can sleep soundly.

 

Thanks for all the info Pedro, sleeping much better now