White smoke from engine bay after radiator fluid change
#1
White smoke from engine bay after radiator fluid change
Hi, I got a full synthetic oil change at valvoline, and they recommended a radiator fluid change. They said it was an Infiniti recommendation every 60k miles and my car was at 125k. A little background, I got this car from original owner with 120k miles on it. I’ve had it since Feb and absolutely no smoking problems ever. But today I got the radiator fluid changed and now my car is smoking from the engine bay when it gets hot, although my temp gauge is reading as normal just a little below the halfway mark. I also smell a burning coolant smell through my ac but only when I’m not moving. Do you think they just spilled some coolant on the engine and it’s burning off, or do you think it could be more serious? Kind of scaring me bc if valvoline ****ed up my car I know it’s going to be hell trying to make them take accountability for it.
#4
So I’m not sure how far up the resovoir should be but here’s some photos I snapped of it. Also I went to check the oil to see if it was milky and I saw that they didn’t put my dipstick back in the hole it was jammed next to it so the dipstick hole was just open and there was oil residue everywhere around it I’m assuming when my engine was on it was shooting out of it. The oil was not milky at all however. Do you think the smoke could have been the oil spilling out of the hole?
#5
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So I’m not sure how far up the resovoir should be but here’s some photos I snapped of it. Also I went to check the oil to see if it was milky and I saw that they didn’t put my dipstick back in the hole it was jammed next to it so the dipstick hole was just open and there was oil residue everywhere around it I’m assuming when my engine was on it was shooting out of it. The oil was not milky at all however. Do you think the smoke could have been the oil spilling out of the hole?
This is the source of the white smoke, most likely. Has it stopped smoking since you reinserted the dipstick?
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shurur (07-26-2022)
#7
Wow. More evidence why you should never let a "quick oil" place service your car. The "technicians" are just guys off the street that are clueless and don't care.
This is the source of the white smoke, most likely. Has it stopped smoking since you reinserted the dipstick?
This is the source of the white smoke, most likely. Has it stopped smoking since you reinserted the dipstick?
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#9
Update: yea Thay was definitely it. The smoking did stop completely. There was just a burning oil smell bc of the residue. I called valvoline and told them what happened and the manager was super apologetic he told me to come down he had my engine bay cleaned, topped off my oil to make sure it was the proper level, and he offered to refund me the cost of the oil change but I had paid through Groupon so I wasn’t sure if I would actually get the money back so he flushed and changed my power steering fluid (which was a recommended service that I hadn’t done) for free. So yea they definitely ****ed up but the manager made it right so it’s all good I guess. I’ll also say I exclusively use valvoline for oil changes for at least the last 4 years for all my vehicles bc I love the convienence of not having to get out of the car, and this is honestly the first thing they’ve ever messed up.
#11
You should still check your oil level to make sure it's at the high mark. You can actually puke a significant amount of oil out of the dipstick hole over time. Crankcase pressure needs to go somewhere, the PCV valve will use intake VACUUM to suck the pressure out when at part throttle but when you're under load giving a lot of throttle like getting on the highway you aren't generating nearly as much intake vacuum but are generating significant crankcase pressure which is then PUSHING on the PCV system. With the dipstick removed the path of least resistance is now the wide open dipstick hole. After a month of driving, especially with highway on ramps, you can easily push 1/2 a quart or more from the dipstick hole.
#12
You should still check your oil level to make sure it's at the high mark. You can actually puke a significant amount of oil out of the dipstick hole over time. Crankcase pressure needs to go somewhere, the PCV valve will use intake VACUUM to suck the pressure out when at part throttle but when you're under load giving a lot of throttle like getting on the highway you aren't generating nearly as much intake vacuum but are generating significant crankcase pressure which is then PUSHING on the PCV system. With the dipstick removed the path of least resistance is now the wide open dipstick hole. After a month of driving, especially with highway on ramps, you can easily push 1/2 a quart or more from the dipstick hole.
#13
Yeah you're fine then.
Strongly suggest for the future that you personally do a visual check of the oil level before they close the hood. Only takes a second but I've seen a LOT of blown motors over the years because of lube techs (entry level minimum wage employees, like Taco Bell) screwing things up.
It's one thing if they don't add enough sauce to your chalupa, it's another thing if they don't add enough sauce to your engine.
Strongly suggest for the future that you personally do a visual check of the oil level before they close the hood. Only takes a second but I've seen a LOT of blown motors over the years because of lube techs (entry level minimum wage employees, like Taco Bell) screwing things up.
It's one thing if they don't add enough sauce to your chalupa, it's another thing if they don't add enough sauce to your engine.
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2003G35stock (07-29-2022)
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