Ziggy716

So I been driving for the last month and noticed engine hesitation at W.O.T when engine is not fully warmed up. Now I went to the store and smelled something like rubber or oil didn't expect it to be serious. I arrived home about ten minutes later after the fact and opened the door to step out and Holy Crap I was overwhelmed by the smell. I pulled my car in to the garage removed the engine cover and let the car run for a few minutes. I was observing the engine bay and I seen a steady amount of smoke coming from the drivers side of the engine don't know whether it's top end or exhaust manifold, but it's bad. No check engine light, no overheating on the gauge cluster. Oil is little above the first divot on the dipstick.

Help!

Thanks to everybody in advance.
Ziggy

2007 GS 350 Miles 80500

Boron

Unless you can see something with a torch from above or removing the bottom cover below, I'd say you're best not to drive the car.
If the smoke was whispy rather than thick plumes, then it's probably exhaust gases. If vice versa, then coolant or oil, assuming it's not just something external touching a hot engine.
Either way, if you can't see anything obvious, caution is the best approach, until someone can look it over or you get it lifted to the dealer/indy garage for a full and proper diagnosis.

Ziggy716

Now what I meant by thick smoke is, that there is a steady plume emanating from the engine bay on the drivers side. The smoke has the characteristics of burning oil as far as scent and color. I had to somewhat strain to see (look at a different angle) the smoke coming the engine bay but once I did it was a steady volume of smoke. As it was night time when I noticed I got out of the car and was able to see smoke coming out of the front grill when the headlights where still on.
Engine sounds normal nothing awkward shifts well and again no warning lights.
Is this part of a valve spring recall?
I'm kind of at a loss due to the fact that no one could look at this until Monday and that's if they have time.

Ziggy716

Yeah, it's basically going to sit while I can figure it out, no driving except to get to the dealership.
Think goodwill is an option, I have no warranty whatsoever. And this is not going to be cheap.
Thanks for your reply man.

arnieosp

iTrader: (1)

A while ago some friend of mine ran over a plastic grocery bag on a freeway, which got stuck to the catalytic converter. It poduced a lot of smoke and a lot of stink.

Ziggy716

This is something totally different from what i'm experiencing, looking through the forums and visibly looking at my car I have summed up I basically have an oil leak in the engine block. I also exemplify the hesitation when I accelerate. This is on a GS350 by the way. I don't know what to make of it besides put 10w-30 in tomorrow and see what happens.

Boron

Head gasket issue perhaps?
If yours has had the valve spring fix done, then you could claim it wasn't done properly if it is leaking from there.
Easy enough to find out - give your chassis number to the dealer, and they'll be able to see if it was, when, and where.
If not, then now's as good a time as any to get it done, subject to mileage or age being less than the cut-off point.

Ziggy716

Alright, so I went to Schucks and purchased 7 qts of 10w30 Penzzoil Synthetic and an oil filter. I drove the car by the way got back home drove the car up on ramps same symptoms as before scent, smoke whatnot. Anyways I put in 6.5 qts and started it up, smell is more or less pronounced and the exhaust is expelling quite a bit of smoke so obviously that did nothing to cure the situation in fact it seems worse. All in all I don't know what the freak is wrong I looked at the oil it was 1.5 qts low. Engine is quite noisy as well even considering the fact that it is noisy when normal, a lot of top end noise at idle.

Ziggy716

Hey Boron this is what I found out. I went on MY Lexus Service History and went through the list and seen a service titled " ALE REPL COMP SPRINGS & LASH ADJUSTERS FOR GS 350" on 10-19-10 and 56956 miles. I am currently at 80500. You think this might be it.

Boron

Something replaced compression springs & lash adjusters......I honestly don't know, but sounds about right.
Give the dealer a shout in the morning, and ask for a definitive answer.
Even reading that out to the advisor who only books the car in, he/she may recognise it without having to check the computer.
If putting more and a thicker grade of oil in has made it worse, then it sounds like you've blow-by at the piston rings, with oil being burnt and dumped out the exhaust route, unless we're still talking about the engine bay.

At a complete guess, if we assume there's no gasket leakage, then it's highly likely a case of trying a BG Products engine flush ('cause I know it works, others may be just as good - I don't know) to unstick the rings.
That said, if it is a ring issue, and there's codes stored, it could be the other engine TSB (technical service bulletin as we know them by, here in the UK) relating to excessive oil consumption from a poor ring/piston design.
So, speak with the dealership and find out where you are in relation to the TSBs your chassis number falls into, and symptoms.

Beyond that, it's all conjecture and guesswork, and I wouldn't want you to rely on that and continue to drive the car, only for it to let go in similar way to another member's here did fairly recently.
No over-temp gauge reading or warning lights - just conked out, like that <snaps fingers>.

So, better to be overly cautious rather than blasé, even if it ends up being a case of nothing would've happened as long as you kept the oil level between the two marks on the dipstick.