Just got an Xterra Naija used. I started observing white smoke from the exhaust , went to 2 mechanics they told me I have to drop my engine that my rings are bad. So I now dicussed wit one of them to drop the engine.
But when I got home I now remember that each time I over oil my Gen erator set it smokes, so I went to my car check the oil level through the deep stick. I observed H and L and the oil level was mush much above the H line, I now called a friend that drives an Xterra, asked the qty of oil he uses , he told me abt 4ltrs.
I cut the call went under the and drain more than 1ltr, because I had change the oil wit more than 5ltrs. I was thinking that If my 190 I4 takes 5ltrs then an Xterra V6 should take more, but I was wrong.
So after draining the oil drove for some hours, park the car start it the next day, the smoke has disappeared, and has being driving since then witout any smoke issue.

I went back to meet one of the mechanic, he was asking me if I have droped the engine I said no, so he asked me what did I do? told him notthing and he is still not beliving me.

Only a compression test will confirm if the engine is weak

Gabrinoz: Just got an Xterra Naija used. I started observing white smoke from the exhaust , went to 2 mechanics they told me I have to drop my engine that my rings are bad. So I now dicussed wit one of them to drop the engine.
But when I got home I now remember that each time I over oil my Gen erator set it smokes, so I went to my car check the oil level through the deep stick. I observed H and L and the oil level was mush much above the H line, I now called a friend that drives an Xterra, asked the qty of oil he uses , he told me abt 4ltrs.
I cut the call went under the and drain more than 1ltr, because I had change the oil wit more than 5ltrs. I was thinking that If my 190 I4 takes 5ltrs then an Xterra V6 should take more, but I was wrong.
So after draining the oil drove for some hours, park the car start it the next day, the smoke has disappeared, and has being driving since then witout any smoke issue.

I went back to meet one of the mechanic, he was asking me if I have droped the engine I said no, so he asked me what did I do? told him notthing and he is still not beliving me.

Well my broder I will tell u dat u re so lockin, and u might not b dat locky next tym, I am advicing u to use ur owners manual of ur car, or download it from d internet if u dont hv one, any type u wan to do maintenance if u want d car to last. Gud luc

Only a compression test will confirm if the engine is weak

for Nigeria?

obua: Only a compression test will confirm if the engine is weak

Compression tests alone is not enough to justify a weak engine. Bad oil scraper rings could cause engine smoke however, over filling the engine with oil beyond its capacity could cause internal pressure within the engine crank case to force oil into the cylinders.

Most mechanics in naija don't understand the basic technology in an internal combustion engine let alone talk of the maintenance procedures. Diagnosis of faults like the one you've mentioned should start by simply checking the oil level with the engine oil dipstick. That should explain the problem but the fraudulent ones will suggest that you change the engine so that they can charge you more for doing unnecessary work or just the simple fact that they haven't got a single clue apart from the one way street they wish to take you down on.

Have a look at the pictures below and see what happened inside the engine of a Toyota Camry that was brought into my workshop.

The owner of this car was having a similar smoking engine problem like the op's and his mechanic suggested using several cans of engine oil treatment to help stop the smoke.

When the car almost packed up, he brought it round to my workshop and on further diagnosis we found out that the oil treatment had formed a terrible sludge in the engine that almost knocked it up. The real culprit was the valve stem oil seals which we changed and the car is perfect now.

Make sure you seek professional advice from the ones who know before entrusting your car to anyone.

This is what the cylinder heads looked like after a thorough clean up and degreasing. Valve stem oil seals changed, valve seats grounded in and pressure tested before installation with new head gaskets.

the xterra guy..count ur self lucky...for now...overfilling the engine with oil is as bad as underfilling...............
next time..try not to assume and read ur manual before any oil change.....if you overfilled by upto 3litres or more..you would probably hv wrecked your engine by now...especially if u fired it hard

car-doctor:
This is what the cylinder heads looked like after a thorough clean up and degreasing. Valve stem oil seals changed, valve seats grounded in and pressure tested before installation with new head gaskets.

@car-doctor, my camry pencil light 4cyl was set to idle @ 2000rpm because the ac would make the car trip off when I slow down while driving

When the ac is on the car idles @ 800 - 1100rpm and I'm not comfortable with it. I fear it'll cause the car to overheat, or wear down the engine fast

What might be the problem?

n.oxide:


@car-doctor, my camry pencil light 4cyl was set to idle @ 2000rpm because the ac would make the car trip off when I slow down while driving

When the ac is on the car idles @ 800 - 1100rpm and I'm not comfortable with it. I fear it'll cause the car to overheat, or wear down the engine fast

What might be the problem?

Check your air flow meter. If its faulty it would cause the engine to idle at a very low speed eg 500 rpm which is not fast enough to handle ac operations. Try changing the air flow meter and see what happens.

car-doctor:


Check your air flow meter. If its faulty it would cause the engine to idle at a very low speed eg 500 rpm which is not fast enough to handle ac operations. Try changing the air flow meter and see what happens.

thank you sir. I'll check it right away