Help! Smoke out of left exhaust and something smells like it's burning

[Bunyan]

Maybe it has something to do with my recent oil change yesterday? I picked it up from the shop and drove it to work and back.

I noticed it tonight as the wife and I were looking at *Toyota Sequoias and left the X running in idle.
There was actually quite a bit of smoke coming out of the left exhaust.

I turned it off and started back up and drove home about 5 miles without any issues.
No more smoke but something still smells like it's hot.

I'll check it out tomorrow morning when it's light out but now my babies got me worried.
She's an '06 4.4l with 87k


*We're looking at "bigger" vehicles to replace her 4Runner (or God forbid my X5) to give us more room for the baby car seat. I'm 6'6" and there's no room for the car seat behind me when I'm driving. Plus we need a third row in at least one of our cars.

[ninjabmw]

Buy an e70 with 3rd row seating and i think it wont happen again

[Bunyan]

Forgot to mention that the smoke did appear white. Search shows a possible coolant leak and a few other issues I have no idea of what they are, ppv?!?

[Bunyan]

Originally Posted by ninjabmw

Buy an e70 with 3rd row seating and i think it wont happen again

Hah, yeah I've been trying to work that one into the conversation with the misses.

[pnoyako85]

Originally Posted by Bunyan

Forgot to mention that the smoke did appear white. Search shows a possible coolant leak and a few other issues I have no idea of what they are, ppv?!?

yup...had my X repair.......same issue..when i pull over a red light,hit the gas white smoke comes out....


culprit was......coolant going into engine.....expansion tank?.....but i did the whole cooling system, and right side vavle gasket was crack.....time for the new seals all around .....problem solved minus $$$ out my pocket= life long feeling of everything will be fine after....

[Bunyan]

What kind of damage am I looking at if it turns out to be the same issue?

[pnoyako85]

have them check your cooling system and gaskets.......question have you done your cooling system yet?>can start from there....

[Bunyan]

Good point. I haven't done that yet as far as I know.

[pnoyako85]

Originally Posted by Bunyan

Good point. I haven't done that yet as far as I know.

[Skyline]

Coolant burning has a very distinctive odor...somewhat sweet. If you can't tell, any trained mechanic should know what burning coolant smells like. And there's NO way any part of the cooling system external to the engine (like the prone-to-failure overflow container), can cause white smoke in the exhaust. Assuming it IS coolant, there are a few spots where this can happen, for example a blown head gasket. (Recent oil change guys put in too much oil???)

N62's are also known for making oil smoke in conditions like you describe; often quite white in color, (somewhat blueish??). Often the CCV is gummed up, sometimes valve guide seals ($$$).