Whitish smoke coming out of tailpipe at startup

2013 INFINITI JX35
85,000 MILES • 3.5L • 6 CYL • 4WD • AUTOMATIC
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RUDAI123
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  • 1 POST
Hello, I have a big plume of whitish smoke coming out of my car's tail pipe. There is also an oil leak, about one quart every two weeks. The coolant level is stable. The dealership and another mechanic informed me there was a lot of sludge in the engine, and that there is an oil leak. The mechanic has tried to clean the oil out with an oil additive (twice) to lower the sludge, which might help lesson the smoke. It has not worked at all. I do no't want to put too much money into this as it has 85,000 miles, but want something to keep it going for maybe 10,000 more miles. Thanks.
Jun 26, 2018 at 1:27 PM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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Hi and thanks for using 2CarPros.com.

White smoke is usually the indicator that coolant is getting into the combustion chamber. Since you are using oil, but see no drop in coolant, I need you to try a simple test. With the engine cold, remove the radiator cap and start the engine. Watch if coolant is pushed out or bubbles inside while the engine is still cool or at operating temperature.

Here is a link that discusses all the ways to identify a head gasket issue:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/head-gasket-blown-test

This link talks about smoke from the exhaust and reviews white smoke:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/excessive-smoke-coming-from-the-exhaust-pipe

Let me know if this helps and what you find.

Take care,
Joe
Jun 27, 2018 at 6:31 PM