DDLexus

Greetings,
My 2002 RX300 is starting to smoke when I cold start the car.

The car has 48k miles and I'm the second owner at 46k miles. I recently changed the oil and noticed the oil was a little gritty around the oil filler cap. I immediately thought... SLUGE. But, I didn'tt want to jump to any conclusions and kept driving the car. Today, with high humidity and 74 degrees, the car filled the garage with a grey/white smoke after sitting for about 6 hours in the driveway.

I asked my father about the smoke coming from the exhaust and he mentioned valves not sealing. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this issue? The car is under warranty, but I'd like to have an educated conversation with the service manager before taking it in this week.

Thanks in advance!

TunedRX300

white smoke means water is leaked into the engine, not a good sign

rxdriver

It could be a normal amount of water vapor, if it's only for a short time. The cool exhaust piping (relative to the exhaust temperature) is making the water condense out of the emissions. That's very common in colder climates, especially in winter - the colder the exhaust system, the longer white smoke comes out. You may even see water drip out of the tailpipe. Once the piping warms up, the white smoke and water should stop. In summer weather, the piping should warm up very quickly... "filling the garage" sounds like an awful lot of smoke.

Another possibility is a head gasket leak, which is where TunedRX300 is going. If coolant is getting into the combustion part of the engine, then the excess water would burn off as white smoke. I really don't think the car is old enough for that to be the problem. Pull out the oil dipstick and check for water or coolant on it that's mixed with the oil. Also, keep an eye on the amount of fluid in the coolant tank; compare the level over time at points when the car is cold. (The level will probably vary when the car is hot and when it's cold - that's OK. Only check when it's cold.) If the level of coolant is dropping, it could support the bad head gasket theory. That's a MAJOR problem, if that's it. A dealer could run a pressure test on the cooling system to verify that diagnosis.

See if you can get your hands on the maintenance records for the vehicle. The sludge problem is caused by lack of maintenance (oil not changed enough). If there are records of the oil being changed on time, then the oil should be OK.

DDLexus

I started the car again this morning and smoke did come out of the exhaust. It smells like oil/rubber burning. It doesn't last that long, probably 15 seconds. The previous owners appear to have neglected oil changes. Is there any tests that can be done to determine where the excessive smoke is originating from?

We did notice that the coolant level was at the minimum level a few weeks ago and purchased some of the Toyota RED coolant. I added a 50/50 mix and forgot about it. I'll keep my eye on it. However, I think the issue is oil related.

Do you think a visit to the dealer would result in $ out of my pocket? My last service visit was $85 for a diagnosis.

TunedRX300

Go to the dealer, sludge should be covered under warranty, even at owner's neglect. If it is water leak then white smoke would not stop.

DDLexus

I dropped off the RX at the dealer today. I explained my knowlege of sludge and discussed the problem with the service consultant. He explained that if it was sludge, they would replace all the parts and I'd be without the RX for a long period of time. I am OK with this as long as the problems are resolved. He did tell me that if SLUDGE was the issue, it would be fixed regardless of owner reglect. Just like was stated in the previous post.

The Lexus service consultant loaned us an ES330 and said we might have this car for a while. He is eager to open of the engine and make a determination. I'll keep you all posted. He tells me that in Huntsville Alabama, they get maybe 1 sludge car a year. Our population is around 200k people in the area. Seems like a small number of problems.

parula

DD, good luck, too bad everyone doesn't do basic preventive maintenance.

DDLexus

After dropping off the car at the dealer and describing the problem and my educated guess (possible sludge) the dealer took the valve cover off and diagnosed the problem. SLUDGE. They told me that it was really obvious when the cover was pulled that the engine was covered in sludge.

The dealer is awaiting a Lexus field rep to sign/approve the replacement of this engine. This dealer tells me that all parts will be NEW and the repair work will take approximately 2 weeks. We have an ES330 loaner car and we will patiently await our RX to return from the dead.

I wonder if Lexus will extend my warranty since they did do alot of work inside the engine? Anyone have their engine replaced due to sludge? I would think there is some additional coverage after such a major overhaul...

HarrierAWD

Lexus service normally warranty their work for 12 months. In the engine sludge case, they'd actually give you a brand new engine which may come with additional warranty. Check with your service advisor and get it in writing.

In any case, you are protected for 8 years / unlimited miles for the engine gelling/sludge issue. That's universal protection for RX300 up to the 2002 model year.

parula

Harrier, do you know why only to the 2002 model year? Why not '03? same car . ...

HarrierAWD

Toyota engineers realized what cause the oil gelling problem (narrow coolant passage to upper area.) They fixed it starting February 2002. So AFAIK, the 2003 owners need not worry about this issue thus no free extended warranty for them. If your 2003 were covered, you'd receive a letter from Lexus saying so.

My RX300 was made in January 2002. I did receive a letter from Lexus a while back regarding this free extended warranty.

TunedRX300

narrow coolant passage - sounds like improper cooling by design. In fact, I never heard of sludge from major automakers except Toyota.
Kudo to Toyota to stand behind RX's engine...On the other hand, it signals that Toyota is acknowledging a flawed design.

DDLexus

Since I am the second owner, I never received a letter. Also, my 2002 was manufactured in May 2002 (according to my carfax report). So, if this is correct, HarrierAWD is wrong about the Feb 2002 engineering fix for the RX. If you're concerned about this in 2003s, call the dealer and ask. Those that have 2003s would probably like to hear what the dealer has to say.

DDLexus

The smudge warranty is covered if there is proof of the past three oil changes. The dealer called and wanted a copy of the bill of sale because we are the second owners of the RX. Because we are not the only owners of the car, we are not required to show proof of oil changes, so the engine is going to be replaced over the next two weeks. I do my own oil changes, so how does Lexus expect proof of oil changes?

HarrierAWD

If you can do your own oil change, simply keep the store receipt for oil and filter in lieu of maintenance record.

The fix was implemented starting Feb. 2002. It's not bullet-proof if the previous owner neglected to do oil change. Since you only put 2K miles on it and the standard powertrain warranty (6yr / 72k miles) is still in effect, you get a new engine at no charge.

Your May 2002 RX300 is not covered under the 8 year/ unlimited mile engine warranty.