White Smoke, Valve Jobs, And Poor Reliability, Blowing off some smoke Options

[highlanderowner]

Ok, '03 highlander blowing smoke on startups. Only 75K miles, and I am not the original owner. I change oil just like it says in the manual (previous owner I'm not so sure) I Took it in for a look, after a compression check, I was told it was the valve stem seals (a valve job basically). This was the same opinion given at two shops. Went ahead with the repairs, as well as a complete major tune-up (timing, water pump, plugs, gaskets, etc....Dang thing is still smoking - now I'm told its most likely the piston rings - the mechanic told me when they had it open there was quite a bit of sludge and carbon built up in there. REALLY????? on a toyota with only 75K miles????? I thought toy's were a reliable car - I have 180K on a 2000 Mitsu Montero Sport with little changed on it other than the timing belt and oil. My first question is why would a mechanic who already had my engine torn apart not recommend the piston rings at that time??? and second is, what gives with the short life of my engine? This sucks, I spent 3-grr on the valve job and maintenance, and now I might have to fork out another 3-grr for piston rings repair. I could have saved all the time, hassel, and cash and put it toward something that might last longer.

[LotOMiles]

I would suspect that it has more like 275K on it. I don't see how it's possible to wear out an engine in that short amount of time. Get a CarFax report and check to see if the ODO has been rolled back or replaced.

[abismom]

Sounds like a bad previous owner and also bad repair place. We just got rid of our 03 a month ago with no problems with 94k miles. It is mostly on the owner though. I have over 200k miles on my G.Cherokee with just a few minor problems. Mostly change the oil frequently is the big step.

[highlanderowner]

oops - I meant to say its an '02 - just caught that - anyway I'm not going to put any more time/money/effort into anything that failed on me that fast - I took ownership at 50K and in three yrs time have barely put on 25K additional miles. I have changed the oil just 6 times since owning it - I'm at a complete loss as to why or how this is happening. I owned a 1990 pickup that ran for over 10 years without anything major - and I drove that thing like it was a rental....

[LifeTech]

Engine gelling was common on the V6 and it conributed to ring/piston wear...the source of your smoke. This is not to say yu didn't have valve guide seal issues...also a resultant of oil gelling in your engine.

I would call Toyota and tell them yu have Oil gelling issues. There was a class action suit regarding this. Maybe your engine is covered regardless of mileage and ownership as per the settlement of the suit.

Short of having a poorly maintained engine by the original owner, the above may be your true problem.

Also, your mechanic is an *****. get another one.

Good luck

Lifetech