Smoke coming out at start up

[CARGUY40]

I noticed smoke comes out at cold startup and once the car is warmed up it goes away but every fluid stays full so i dunno what it can be but is it possible its moisture from sitting so long? I believe the car been sitting for a while before i purchased it 4 days ago. The oil is a lil past the full mark about half an inch but i dont think that would cause this?

1995 buick century 3.1 v6 85k miles.

 

[Dakota1820]

just moisture

 

[DrDusty86]

bad valve seals?

 

[cmorr]

What color is the smoke ?

 

[CARGUY40]

i put a bottle of iso heet in the tank few days ago maybe that is just doing its job and removing all the moisture out? Also temps range from 30-50f here.

 

[GearheadTool]

It happens when it is cold.

What I do... is I look at every other car. (First red light, etc. Believe it or not.. I am not the only person starting my car, the first thing in the morning! How about that.) If my car smokes exactly the same as then, I don't worry about it. And it does.

I have seen every recently started car smoke. That is what they do, in the cold.

And yes, I too thought there was something wrong.. until I looked at every car...

Is still maddening, isn't it?

Also.. EDIT: Generally, it is smoke at ANY temperature that is the oil being too thin, and getting past rings. IT DOES HAPPEN SOMETIMES WHEN GOING AS THIN AS POSSIBLE.

 

[fdcg27]

Are you seeing blue smoke at engine start?
Blue oil smoke at engine start is a classic symptom of worn valve guide seals.
This will not normally result in much consumption and is more of an irritation than a problem.
I'd not worry about it unless you start to see really bad blue smoke all of the time.
Are you seeing white smoke at engine start?
This could be a more ominous sign.
What does the oil look like?
Is it at all milky?
These engines are famous for LIM gasket leaks, so this is a possibility.
At only 85K, they probably haven't been replaced on your engine.
Replacement shouldn't be horribly expensive if needed, since so many shops have gotten so good at doing the job, having done it many times.
If you feel able to DIY it, the replacement gaskets needed are pretty cheap.

 

[tom slick]

Originally Posted By: GearheadTool
It happens when it is cold...
Also.. EDIT: Generally, it is smoke at ANY temperature that is the oil being too thin, and getting past rings. IT DOES HAPPEN SOMETIMES WHEN GOING AS THIN AS POSSIBLE.


Contemplate that thin oil is easier to scrape from the cylinder walls and potentially less likely to "leak" past the rings, thick oil is more difficult to scrape away and potentially more likely to "leak" past the rings.

 

[CARGUY40]

im using 5w30 conventional oil since thats what the cap says to use 5w30 but in the manual u can use 10w30 if temps are above 0f i dunno maybe i shouldve gone with 10w30?

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: tom slick
Originally Posted By: GearheadTool
It happens when it is cold...
Also.. EDIT: Generally, it is smoke at ANY temperature that is the oil being too thin, and getting past rings. IT DOES HAPPEN SOMETIMES WHEN GOING AS THIN AS POSSIBLE.


Contemplate that thin oil is easier to scrape from the cylinder walls and potentially less likely to "leak" past the rings, thick oil is more difficult to scrape away and potentially more likely to "leak" past the rings.


Gee, I wonder why worn engines use less oil with thicker oils??????

Could it possibly be better ring seal?????

To OP, 5W vs 10w isn't going to make a difference when cold, either are at least 20-25x thicker when cold...

If valve seals are worn a engine will always smoke after a long idle(a minute or more) or deceleration period, in these cases it isn't uncommon for oil usages to be at 600-800mi per quart...

 

[mechtech2]

Probably water vapor, since the fluids are not changing in level.
This is of course more noticeable in c.old weather.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: boostedtsiawd
I noticed smoke comes out at cold startup and once the car is warmed up it goes away but every fluid stays full so i dunno what it can be but is it possible its moisture from sitting so long? I believe the car been sitting for a while before i purchased it 4 days ago. The oil is a lil past the full mark about half an inch but i dont think that would cause this?

1995 buick century 3.1 v6 85k miles.


I do not believe any moisture can ever be seen at startup. You need a moment to get some steam going.

If it is present as the engine fires up without any delay it is oil or coolant. Pick your poison.

Oil is extremely common as few modern cars do NOT have oil in their manifold at all times from PCV.

 

[CARGUY40]

Well i just noticed today that it had the wrong pcv valve in it so i put the correct one hopefully that will make a difference cause the one in there before was longer but the correct one is shorter. The longer one was prolly sucking in not only vapors but oil.

 

[demarpaint]

Blue smoke is oil, black is usually carbon, white smoke is condensation, it's normal, and is more noticeable when the weather starts to get colder.