White smoke from exhaust on a 2003 Altima?

10

Asked by AQNT Apr 09, 2019 at 08:45 AM about the 2003 Nissan Altima 2.5

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I recently purchased a 2003 Nissan Altima 2.5L and have been having trouble
with white (or possibly blue) smoke coming from the exhaust. It used to be
very frequent, but then I discovered that there was a hole in my crankcase
ventilation hose, so I replaced that along with my PCV valve, and now the
vehicle only smokes on cold startups. Also, it will only produce smoke if the
car was driven recently, so for instance, I started the car and idled it for about
45 minutes with no issues, let it cool and started it up again, no smoke. But
even after a 10 minute drive, the car will smoke on next startup until it reaches
standard operating temp. It's also worth mentioning that the previous owner
replaced the valve cover and gasket. Other than the smoke, the car runs and
idles fine, no check engine light, no overheating, no power loss, etc. I appear
to be losing a small amount of oil, and maybe a small amount of coolant but
thats hard to tell. The fluids appear to be normally colored. The only leaking I
find under my car is water occasionally, which I assume is just the AC.

2 Answers

21,875

How many miles on the engine? Sounds like bad valve seals. When you turn off the engine, oil leaks through the valve seals creating the blue smoke. White smoke is usually caused by coolant leaking into the cylinders but you said no overheating or loss of coolant. As long as it is running OK, you are probably fine for a while. As it gets worse, you may see fouled spark plugs.

3 people found this helpful.
Best Answer Mark helpful
10

Almost 194k miles. If I were to notice a coolant leak in the future, where should I look? The head gasket?

1 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    3,250
  • #2
    GuruB42YD
    Reputation
    2,400
  • #3
    GuruSY3ZL
    Reputation
    2,220
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Honda Accord
47 Great Deals out of 963 listings starting at $2,995
Used Toyota Camry
52 Great Deals out of 1,143 listings starting at $2,500
Used Nissan Maxima
11 Great Deals out of 199 listings starting at $1,450
Used Nissan Sentra
65 Great Deals out of 1,916 listings starting at $3,995
Used Honda Civic
198 Great Deals out of 4,044 listings starting at $440
Used Toyota Corolla
137 Great Deals out of 2,301 listings starting at $103
Used Chevrolet Malibu
47 Great Deals out of 1,068 listings starting at $1,995
Used Hyundai Sonata
42 Great Deals out of 826 listings starting at $1,543
Used Hyundai Elantra
156 Great Deals out of 3,062 listings starting at $1,995
Used BMW 3 Series
68 Great Deals out of 1,212 listings starting at $2,500

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.