1997 Toyota RAV4 oil leak?

leapn.lena · 13 Jul 2010, 06:10 pm

white vapor like smoke from exhaust pipe when starting up..nothing after that. It runs well and was told 3 years ago it needs a new engine, never did that..over 100,000 miles on it. Can I save her or does she need a new engine?

Thanks for your quick response. There has been oil on the floor of the garage and it doesn't seem to go thru a lot of oil, but is there something I should be doing right now to keep this from getting worse?

Timbo is here · 13 Jul 2010, 06:12 pm

In this weather all cars emit some white vapour known as steam from the exhaust as water is a normal by product of the combustion process. This tends to be coulourless when the engine gets hot so you only notice it when cold.

From your description there does not seem to be anything wrong with your car. Oil leaks do not create smoke and vapours from exhausts.

If there is an oil leak it will fall on the floor at some point - it does not mean you need a new engine.

If you mean it is using oil then that is being burned due to engine wear. All engines burn oil - it is the quantity that matters. If it uses more than 1 litre per 1000 miles then it is excessive and indicates serious engine wear which means a major overhaul or a reconditioned engine will soon be needed..

Pete · 13 Jul 2010, 06:15 pm

AS LONG AS YOU DONT HAVE TO PUT LOTS OF WATER IN ENGINE THEN NO WORRIES, AND OIL ON GROUND ALWAYS SEEMS WORSE THAN IT ACTUALLY IS, JUST KEEP A CHECK ON YOUR OIL AND WATER, THEN YOU WILL BE OK,

Dusty · 13 Jul 2010, 06:18 pm

Some Toyota models, well before the recent spate of defects and recalls, have been known to have engines sludge up. In 2007, Toyota's U.S. division settled a class-action lawsuit from Toyota owners over an design-induced oil-sludge buildup, which destroyed their engines, despite compliance with Toyota's maintenance guidelines. You might want to see if your model and year was affected by this defect.

1997 Toyota RAV4 oil leak?

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