Recently I noticed an odd smell in the cabin while my car was idling at a stop light, and then I noticed smoke coming out of the the front of the hood by the head lamps. When I stopped to take a look under the hood i saw smoke coming out of the engine. It apears to me to be coming out of a bolt on the bottom left of the engine. Im not sure what the problem is but it went into limp mode the next day and went back to normal the day after. I'd appreciate any thoughts on what might be the problem.

 

Identify the fluid leaking by checking the fluid levels. Is the odor of oil, coolant, hydraulic fluid? Also read the OBDII codes and let us know what it is. Also until you identify the problem I would not be driving it you stand the possibility of overheating the car or running it out of fluid

 

I am not going to be able to get codes pulled until this weekend I work nights and the dealership is 45 miles away. All the fluid levels check good. There is no smoke in the exhaust btw.

 

Issue it with a citation for underage smoking!

Seriously though, smoke through a bolt it won't be, unless the bolt is holding something through which fumes can be transferred, & the bolt is loose.

It sounds as though something is dripping onto a hot exhaust component, and thence burning off as you drive. Equally, it will do it while the car is stationary with the engine running, but it may not be as much if the engine isn't ubder load. There will be fluid loss occuring, but it may not be rapid. The first thing I'd check would be the thermostat housing. If it hasn't been changed, it will be a bakelite version, and they warp allowing coolant to leak. There is usually no obvious indication such as a puddle on the garage floor, because the heat of the engine drys it off before it can drip to the floor. But if sufficient is leaking while you are stationary such as at a light, the lack of forward motion will send a smoky haze up from under the bonnet because liitle air is flowing through to disperse it. Particularly if the engine isn't hot enough to run the thermostatic radiator fan.

When you replace the housing, get the aftermarket aluminium version (you wont get it from the dealer, you'll need to go to an independant-the dealer will just sell you an 'upgraded' bakelite version, and it too will fail in time). And ignore the 'don't fit properly etc that the dealer will tell you if you ask: it isn't true. At the same time, replace (particularly) the bottom hose & the thermostat. It's much cheaper to do all that once, than to end up going back to fix the hose in 6 weeks time when it decides to 'cark it'. Rule of thumb; if you are in there, do it once, do it properly. If in doubt, fix it.

I'd just about bet this will be the problem, but if it isn't, look for something else that is dripping onto the exhaust system, because it is a fair bet that that is where the smoke is being generated from.

Cheers,

Languid

 

You may not need the dealership go to Autozone, PepBoys or Sears and see if they can read any codes and write them down.

 

No.1 for leaks is the cam cover gaskets, the oil leaks onto the exhaust manifold gaskets and the engine smokes, usually from the front or back, depending on the angle the car sits, as the oil moves on the gasket.
To check, look along the lower side of the cam cover, run your hand between it and the exhaust manifold, if there's oil, maybe time to change the gaskets.
The bonus in that is checking the timing chain tensioners, if plastic, there's another job as they'll need replacing.

 

. . . and welcome to the forum! Hope we can help.

 

Sorry it took me so long to get back to this thread, but didn't want to leave it unresolved. Turns out its the valve cover gaskets. Runs like a champ now thanks for all the input everyone.

 

i had a 00 xj8 that was doing that (without limp mode though) and it turned out to be oil leaking from the valve cover gasket area onto the exhaust manifold. was coming from the rear driver side of th motor.

 

Tell your engine to quit smoking, it's a bad habit you know that lol

Well, seriously I hope it's not a big deal

 

I have the same problem with my x j 8 now. how much was your repair bill for the valve cover gasket

 

I have same problem, mine is smoking from the right side of bonnet. mine is a 56 plate xj6 tdi. 78,000 miles on clock. does anyone else have same problem?

 

I had a similar issue on my 99 xjr. I had a lot of oil in the spark plug wire holes. Glad you got the issue resolved.