Hello,

Thanks in advance for your time in looking at my post.

I have a 1999 Toyota Camry V6. About three months ago, it started smoking upon start-up. The smoke is white-ish in color. After a few days, the smoke was evident when driving on the freeway.

I took the car to Toyota and they checked and found sludge in the engine. They flushed it and it still smokes like crazy. They told me that some seals were bad and that it would be around $2500 to get it fixed. The car has 125K miles on so I'd rather not invest that much in it.

For the past few months, it smokes randomly. I make sure it's topped off (10w40) with oil and hope that it doesn't feel like smoking on this particular day.

Any ideas as to what it is and if there is a cheaper fix than $2500?

Also, anybody ever try one of those smokeless oils?

Thank you for your time.

honestly there isnt a real cheap fix for your problem??
there is stuff out there to help or slow down but it will continue on

Have an oil analysis run on the engine. The results will help you decide if it is worth the repair cost and what is wrong with the engine.

Since sludge typically affects the top end of the motor, there's a good chance the valve stem seals have dried up/failed and are leaking oil constantly into the combustion chamber. If you have a leakdown test performed, it'll tell you if it's a valve or piston ring leak.

Replacing the valve stem seals isn't cheap with the engine in the car, but it's a viable option if you want to keep the car/engine running longer.

Call around to different shops and ask how much they'd charge to replace the valve stem seals on a 1999 Camry V6. If they have the correct tools, they can replace them without having to remove the heads.

I have a 2000 1MZ in my MR2. Make sure you have the PCV valve replaced in the rear bank head as well. It's underneath the intake manifold on the passenger side. This contributes to engine oil contamination/breakdown (and eventually sludge) when malfunctioning by allowing a buildup of gases in the engine.

Have a '99 V6 which started smoking badly on start-up only.
$3000 to fit new valve guide oil seals, clean out sump and oilpump strainer.
Now as new. Moral is to have oil changes oil when required.