White smoke from the tail pipe

HLIVAE

MEMBER
2014 KIA SPORTAGE
3.0L
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
35,000 MILES

I am losing oil and just repair the piston rings, cylinder head gasket and valve seal. Runs good for few miles. Every time that I stop the engine and restart for few minutes and start again then smoke coming out from the tail pipe. When I run the car on the road and seems like few time the car joke and smoke coming out.

It happens when start the engine and also few times it happened during test the car on the road which probably caused losing engine oil.

Thank you and waiting to hear from you soon.

3 Replies

STEVE W.

MECHANIC
13,577 POSTS

White smoke is usually coolant and will have a sweet smell with a bitter ending. Bluish smoke is normally oil smoke and will stink.

You say you did a lot of work, With the rings - were the cylinders honed so the new rings would seat? Was the cylinder head resurfaced to eliminate any warping or damage? Are they the proper valve stem seals?

The description sounds a lot like an oil drain back issue and piston rings that are not seating. The oil is collecting in the head and being drawn into the cylinders either past the seals or possibly past the gasket. The smoke while driving is likely from the rings not seating.

Really would not expect an engine with only 35,000 on it to need any of that work unless it had been seriously overheated. In that case I would get either a good used or a re-manufactured engine to install into it.