short back story - i've been out of the country for a couple months. I came back a couple weeks ago, took the car to a shop and swapped the necessary fluids. When i got home from work i noticed smoke coming from under my hood (and from my front passenger fender). Popped the hood and i saw this (see video link). I honestly am not the best with troubleshooting. Any idea what this could be? Oil leak? something worse?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/fUGf9hnWUe5PQN387

Haven't started up the car since last night. I checked the oil stick this morning and it's a the middle of the tip.

 

Looks like an oil leak. Keep an eye on the oil level and drive the car.

 

- Does it smoke when the engine is cold?
- Does it smoke when the engine is warm/hot?
- Does the smoke smell like burnt oil?
- Does the smoke smell like burnt wires and electronics?

My guess is the same as horseshoez....oil. Wonder if the place you took it to spilled oil somehow near the dipstick?

 

I was wondering the same thing or if an amount had puddled during the long layoff and is now burning off.

 

likely valve cover leaking onto front cat causing it to smoke up

 

Would you eat it with a goat? Would you eat it on a boat?
Would you eat it in a box? Would you eat it with a fox?



Yes, what it smells like would be a good clue. That seems like an odd area for smoke to come from. There's no exhaust components right there and the smoke is very centralized - not dispersed like if it were coming from oil on the exhaust pipe.

Can you remove the plastic cover from the engine and take another video?

 

Down under that corner is the exhaust for cylinder 4.
Get a bright light and take a look. When cool, hit it with some brake clean and if need be, shake some talc powder in the
area to see where it's originating.

 

Hmmm, I thought the J32A3 engines all have a single exhaust collector for each cylinder head.

 

I do not like smoking engine bays, Sam I am.

 

It does, but the exhaust must exit and move to the center so the hot exhaust in under the head @ #4, unless for some reason
that part of the exhaust/head is cool and only the center is hot, then I stand corrected.

 

I think it gets hot enough to probably cause a burn, but not hot enough to cause engine oil to smoke. Dunno. I've never gotten oil right there. I have gotten oil down below cylinder 6 though, when spilling a little after refilling oil. I never had it burn off like that.

Now if it gets on the pre-cat, that's a different story....

It's not an impossibility that if the valve cover were leaking right there that there'd be a bit of smoke. That's a pretty good swath of smoke though.

Did OP say if it's after the car is warmed up or if it happens even when it's cold? That would help narrow down if it's from an oil leak. It seems it would take a while for the cylinder head collector to get hot enough to cause smoking.

OP really needs to state what kind of smell it is and if it happens when the car is hot or cold (or both).

 

Well, there's something hot in that area or the oil wouldn't burn off and I can't fathom anything else hot enough except the exhaust.

 

Remove the plastic cover and take another video. Also state here what fluids you had the shop change. It's common for lazy dudes that work on cars to not use a funnel and pill fluids all over the engine while refilling. I've seen leftover engine oil and coolant burning off after a long drive. Looks scary but just spilled fluids burning off the hot surfaces of the engine.

 

sorry, i'm just getting back to the thread. the smoking happened after the car was running for about 20 min. or so (it's also hot as all hell in atlanta right now as well). i had them drain the transmission fluid and do an oil change, but this was a few weeks ago. i've driven the car practically every day since i've been back (until the smoking happened).

 

got the car back from the shop. apparently my alternator burned out and jacked up my drive belt
drove it home just now and all seems fine, i'll keep on it for the next couple days to see if it happens again.

 

Well, that seems extremely suspicious doesn't it... right after the shop changed fluids.

 

i agree, lol. nothing weird since the repair, so *fingers crossed*