White smoke from exhaust on a 2003 Altima?

10

Asked by AQNT Apr 09, 2019 at 08:45 AM about the 2003 Nissan Altima 2.5

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I recently purchased a 2003 Nissan Altima 2.5L and have been having trouble
with white (or possibly blue) smoke coming from the exhaust. It used to be
very frequent, but then I discovered that there was a hole in my crankcase
ventilation hose, so I replaced that along with my PCV valve, and now the
vehicle only smokes on cold startups. Also, it will only produce smoke if the
car was driven recently, so for instance, I started the car and idled it for about
45 minutes with no issues, let it cool and started it up again, no smoke. But
even after a 10 minute drive, the car will smoke on next startup until it reaches
standard operating temp. It's also worth mentioning that the previous owner
replaced the valve cover and gasket. Other than the smoke, the car runs and
idles fine, no check engine light, no overheating, no power loss, etc. I appear
to be losing a small amount of oil, and maybe a small amount of coolant but
thats hard to tell. The fluids appear to be normally colored. The only leaking I
find under my car is water occasionally, which I assume is just the AC.

2 Answers

21,875

How many miles on the engine? Sounds like bad valve seals. When you turn off the engine, oil leaks through the valve seals creating the blue smoke. White smoke is usually caused by coolant leaking into the cylinders but you said no overheating or loss of coolant. As long as it is running OK, you are probably fine for a while. As it gets worse, you may see fouled spark plugs.

3 people found this helpful.
Best Answer Mark helpful
10

Almost 194k miles. If I were to notice a coolant leak in the future, where should I look? The head gasket?

1 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

2003 Nissan Altima

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    3,250
  • #2
    GuruB42YD
    Reputation
    2,400
  • #3
    GuruSY3ZL
    Reputation
    2,220
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Honda Accord
1,530 Great Deals out of 29,716 listings starting at $600
Used Toyota Camry
2,098 Great Deals out of 37,775 listings starting at $575
Used Nissan Maxima
232 Great Deals out of 3,572 listings starting at $2,400
Used Nissan Sentra
882 Great Deals out of 43,302 listings starting at $600
Used Honda Civic
1,382 Great Deals out of 29,474 listings starting at $600
Used Toyota Corolla
1,683 Great Deals out of 24,904 listings starting at $1,100
Used Chevrolet Malibu
1,003 Great Deals out of 20,132 listings starting at $700
Used Hyundai Sonata
861 Great Deals out of 17,897 listings starting at $450
Used Hyundai Elantra
990 Great Deals out of 27,254 listings starting at $650
Used BMW 3 Series
1,126 Great Deals out of 13,140 listings starting at $516

Used Cars for Sale

2024 Nissan Altima For Sale
33 Great Deals out of 20,046 listings starting at $18,899
2023 Nissan Altima For Sale
262 Great Deals out of 3,490 listings starting at $17,001
2022 Nissan Altima For Sale
207 Great Deals out of 2,628 listings starting at $12,999
2021 Nissan Altima For Sale
172 Great Deals out of 2,658 listings starting at $12,695
2020 Nissan Altima For Sale
155 Great Deals out of 2,023 listings starting at $9,990

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.