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Update: blue smoke,tapping, 7MPG.

Discussion in 'General Tundra Discussion' started by Thee_Oddball, Jan 9, 2019.

  1. Jan 9, 2019 at 1:56 PM
    #1
    Thee_Oddball

    Thee_Oddball [OP] New Member

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    Eric
    Chicago
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    2013 Double cab 4x4 5.7L, 78,000 miles, Nautical blue.
    As of this post I am so aggravated and angry I am am thinking of just trading the truck in on something other than a Toyota (not likely)... For those who don't know I have been getting a puff of blue smoke from a cold start along with and INCESSANT taping from the right side of the motor plus a constant 6-7 MPG...

    First trip to my trusted mechanic was fruitless, he changed the oil and told me if I continue to get 7 MPG to sell the truck....
    I bought a ODBII reader that showed only a misfire on cyl 7.

    Next stop was yesterday, I decided just to take it to my local Toyota dealership as I was positive they have all the right equipment to track down a problem with their product. this is the response I got.

    "Eric its **** , The Tech started the car with me and there was no noise from the engine . WE did notice blue smoke at cold start up but noticed it did not stay blowing blue. The tech states its normal for it to burn some oil and start up. As the oil can stay in head from the lifter."

    they also informed me on the phone that my bad gas mileage is from the cold weather....add to this the fact that NO ONE can seem to hear the constant tapping that is REALLY loud when you first start the truck...

    At this point I called corporate and got them involved which succeed in the dealership calling me and regurgitating their original message...

    I will be trying one more mechanic i know and if they can't figure it out then it will be time to sell as i am spending almost $300 month on gas.
     
  2. Jan 9, 2019 at 2:09 PM
    #2
    15whtrd

    15whtrd Mr. Blonde

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    White 2015 Tundra DC SR5 TRD 4x4 5.7L, White 2003 Sequoia 2WD
    TRD Pro suspension, +2 Coachbuilder shackles, 2015 TRD Pro headlights, 20% ceramic tinted windows, clear ceramic tinted front windshield, aFe drop in pro s dry air filter, TRD airflow accelerator, TRD oil fill cap, TRD 18 psi radiator cap, BDX Bullydog tuner, Weathertech floor mats front and rear, rear seat fold down mod, DNA hard trifold tonneau cover, Linex with uv protection, TRD rear swaybar, TRD center caps, TRD Pro grille insert with color matching surround and bulge, TRD PRO headlights, aluminum oil filter canister, Real truck tailgate seal, Pop-n-lock tailgate lock actuator, rear diff breather relocate, RCI front skid plate. 275/70 R18 BFG KO2s
    How about a compression test? Is the truck using excessive oil? Sometimes simple things cause huge problems. And I’ve noticed with Toyota they are hard to track down because one thing wrong causes multiple codes to pop up. Do you have a laser thermometer? Maybe you have a dragging brake caliper. Check your rotors next time you’re back from a small trip. They should all be around the same temperature front left and front right, then left rear and right rear. I’m curious about the PCV valve as well. Cylinder seven misfire. Try swapping the coils around to see if that misfire moves. There are just too many variables. I’ve even heard of dead lifters in different brands.
     
  3. Jan 9, 2019 at 2:12 PM
    #3
    15whtrd

    15whtrd Mr. Blonde

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    White 2015 Tundra DC SR5 TRD 4x4 5.7L, White 2003 Sequoia 2WD
    TRD Pro suspension, +2 Coachbuilder shackles, 2015 TRD Pro headlights, 20% ceramic tinted windows, clear ceramic tinted front windshield, aFe drop in pro s dry air filter, TRD airflow accelerator, TRD oil fill cap, TRD 18 psi radiator cap, BDX Bullydog tuner, Weathertech floor mats front and rear, rear seat fold down mod, DNA hard trifold tonneau cover, Linex with uv protection, TRD rear swaybar, TRD center caps, TRD Pro grille insert with color matching surround and bulge, TRD PRO headlights, aluminum oil filter canister, Real truck tailgate seal, Pop-n-lock tailgate lock actuator, rear diff breather relocate, RCI front skid plate. 275/70 R18 BFG KO2s
    I know these trucks get bad gas mileage but that’s pretty bad. I only have a 2 inch lift in the front on stock tires. I was only able to get 16 1/2 miles per gallon at 70 - 75 mph on the way back from Las Vegas. I mean I was seriously trying to see how good it would get. My tires are pumped up and I did not even floor it once. I think this was the most mellow I’ve driven for four hours straight in my life LOL.
     
  4. Jan 9, 2019 at 2:21 PM
    #4
    ColoradoTJ

    ColoradoTJ Certified tow LEO Staff Member

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    Blue smoke means a couple possibilities:

    Worn piston rings (seal)

    Worn Valve guides, and you will usually hear a tapping or rattling.

    That truck would be gone if it were mine.
     
  5. Jan 9, 2019 at 2:36 PM
    #5
    15whtrd

    15whtrd Mr. Blonde

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    You know what? You’re right that bitch would be gone! Take it to another dealer and trade it in. I wouldn’t give up on Toyota just yet. There’s no telling how it was treated before he got it if he bought it used. Maybe it’s just a lemon.
    If it’s not something simple and the dealer is not very helpful, see ya! This is why I decided to throw in the towel on my Chevy. The LS2 motors are known to throw bearings.
    I cut open the oil filter and found brass shavings. I wasn’t into a motor swap. Goodbye!
     
  6. Jan 9, 2019 at 2:52 PM
    #6
    ColoradoTJ

    ColoradoTJ Certified tow LEO Staff Member

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    Calibrated Power 5 Tune pack, Allison 1000 tune, PPE deep trans pan, Cold/Hot CAC pipes, Banks CAI, PCV reroute, resonator delete, S&B 62 gal fuel tank, B&W GN hitch
    If he has been getting #7 cylinder misfires, there might be a good chance that the cylinder wall was washed out (raw fuel), and could be low on compression. A leak down test will verify what he needs to know. Not sure he wants to invest that kind of money in a failing motor.
     
  7. Jan 9, 2019 at 5:16 PM
    #7
    Thee_Oddball

    Thee_Oddball [OP] New Member

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    2013 Double cab 4x4 5.7L, 78,000 miles, Nautical blue.
    2013 Tundra for sale, 84000 miles, blows blue smoke, tapping noise, rough start and gets 7 MPG, Toyota dealership says this is "normal" asking 20,000

    that's what my add will look like.....

    I just responded to Toyota corporate and informed them I am not looking for a freebee but I want them to direct me to someone who can PROPERLY diagnosis THEIR product.
     
    Adriver71x, Jrharvey02 and jewsNbrews like this.
  8. Feb 24, 2019 at 3:52 PM
    #8
    Thee_Oddball

    Thee_Oddball [OP] New Member

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    Eric
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    2013 Double cab 4x4 5.7L, 78,000 miles, Nautical blue.
    UPDATE: I called another service department and they told me to run a couple tanks of E85 and see if that fixes the issue. It did, halfway, the stumbling stopped when I first start the truck but it was still spitting out a cloud of unburnt gas and the gas mileage was still 7MPG.
    I did a google search and came across a tundratalk post with the same issue I had and they recommended a ECU reset (unplug negative terminal for a hour)
    Now I am getting close to 10MPG :yes:and there is no unburnt gas discharge when the truck starts. :) at this pint I am wondering if I have a bad O2 censor, MAF or both. I am also still wondering if that TSB about my ECU needing to reprogrammed is also still an issue.

    Any suggestions would be appreciated.
     
  9. Feb 24, 2019 at 5:48 PM
    #9
    ColoradoTJ

    ColoradoTJ Certified tow LEO Staff Member

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    Damn that still sucks at 10mph.

    You can test the O2 sensor if you have the correct voltmeter (10 megaohm impedance DMM) to see if that is the problem.

    Have you cleaned the MAF yet?

    At this point, getting 10 mpg, getting this fixed would be a priority.
     
  10. Feb 26, 2019 at 12:36 PM
    #10
    Crunch527

    Crunch527 Brute Force and Ignorance

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    You need to cover down on some basics or the dealer will run you in circles:
    Dealer task:
    1. If there are any open TSBs, the dealer needs to clear those off first. Surprised the dealer didn't start here???

    You perform these:
    2. Do a leak down test on ALL cylinders. You should be able to find info for the readings. Definitely a pain in the ass but will tell if you have a mechanical issue. Need to eliminate #7 as being a bad cylinder. I'd swap in new plugs while here.
    3. Cleaning the MAF sensor is cheap, quick and easy. Get the right cleaning fluid for the MAF sensor.
    4. Clean the throttle body and again, use the right cleaning fluid (very important).
    5. The brake caliper advice is also a good thing to do since it has 84K on the clock...good to rule in/out and could contribute to the poor gas mileage, yet this isn't gonna fix the blue smoke and stumbling issue.

    The fact it isn't throwing codes is somewhat interesting but not totally surprising.
     
  11. Feb 26, 2019 at 1:28 PM
    #11
    JohnLakeman

    JohnLakeman Burning Internet Daylight

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    Worn valve guides is my vote.

    I know your truck is a DOHC Toyota, but valve guides are valve guides. High performance Corvette pushrod small blocks are notorious for having blue smoke on start-up. Reason: They are designed as performance engines with increased valve guide clearances compared to those in mundane Chevy pickup engines. After shut down, oil in the heads leak down the valve stems into the combustion chambers. At the next start up, that oil is burned out of the combustion chambers in a few seconds yielding blue smoke.

    Your valve guides are probably at the top end of the clearance spec, due to either wear, poor maintenance, or manufacturing tolerances.

    I have read a few threads about the tapping or rattling of UR engines on start-up that goes away after warm-up. Smart guys I really respect say it's probably common Toyota piston slap that's inherent to the beast; worse in some, not in others.

    You have already determined the reduced fuel efficiency is probably unrelated to the other issues.
     
  12. Feb 28, 2019 at 4:45 PM
    #12
    superslif

    superslif New Member

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    Firestone bags, Toyota tow mirrors, TRD sway bar
    Not sure to what "cold weather" driving mileage you state but on my 14' (5.7) in cold weather (NE. OH.) 10-25 degree days I get 14-15 in combination driving. On warmer days even in the winter ( 25 - 40 degrees) I get 15-16 mpg on 50 / 50% city / highway driving. Summer driving I can get 20 / 21 mpg at 65 mph highway.... Even 10 mpg seems low, but if that is cold weather, short trips before your engine warms up I too will get 10 mpg for the first 2-3 miles.
     

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