# 2017 Pathfinder White smoke Exhaust on Start up (sometimes)



## Falcon1 (Oct 3, 2020)

We purchased a 2017 Nissan Pathfinder used about 12 days ago with 34,000. We drove it short distances for about a 4 days with no issues. Last Saturday we drove it about an hour to a half hour and stopped for about 45 minutes. We were walking back to the car and I remoted started the auto and black smoke bellowed out of the exhaust followed by white smoke. I was greatly concerned. No other noticeable issues and not waring lights on the dash. The next morning when I started the auto the engine light was blinking and it was sputtering. We took it to the dealer and it is not under warranty due to age. We called and told them it was running badly and it had a blinking engine light. We were told not to drive it and bring it on in. Long story short, Were were told that the mechanic wanted to change all the spark plugs- Here are the words form the mech check: " CS Engine light on and running rough, Multiple MIS FIRE 23 on CYL1 1013 on CYL 2 and 6 on CYL 6- Recommend Plugs- Found Multiple Cyl misfire codes P 0101 0102 0106, Inspected plugs and found burnt...Looks as if water intrusion from TOP like maybe from washing engine. Replaced all plugs & Retested all codes gone and driving to specs."
They changed plugs and gave me the old ones that are in fact Burt looking with some white on a few of them. We have not had any warning light or driving issues but yesterday I started the car after my husband had drove it about 1 full hour. I got into the auto and started it with my car window down and white smoke comes billowing in the window when I started it. Today on start up we did not have any smoke but when he got to our destination (drove about 45 minutes) we noticed the smoke was back and its bad! What do we do? What could it be? We are taking it back to have the car looked at first thing Monday morning.
1. I do not see smoke when I start it first think in the morning
2. Smoke starts when we have driven the auto for over 30 to 45 minutes.
3. No engine light at this. 
4 The first time I saw the smoke it was black then white. Since the spark plugs have been changed I have only seen white smoke.
We are so disappointed!!! But believing that God has the answer and we just may have to repair it because we have no other options for trade in or a new car purchase at this time.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

There is a 3-year/36000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty that begins the day the vehicle is sold, which you may be no longer covered. However, there is still a 5-year/60,000 mile powertrain warranty, which covers engine mechanical, transmission, etc. If you vehicle is California emissions certified, which it would say on the sticker located under the hood, your vehicle is covered under the California long-term emissions warranty, which covers things like ignition coils, defective (as opposed to worn) spark plugs, the ECM, cam/crank position sensors, etc., for 7-years/70,000 miles. There is also a Federal emissions warranty that is 8-years/80,000 miles which covers various things, like the catalytic converters. There should be a warranty guide with your owners manual that explains the various warranties and what's covered. It is important to understand what is and what isn't covered under warranty. Parts that are covered under warranty are covered due to defects in the parts or parts, but not if something outside of the vehicle causes it. For example, if a steering tie-rod is defective and fails under its warranty period, it will be covered. However, if it failed in its warranty period because someone drove the front tire into a curve and that caused damage to it, it would not be covered. 
There are some "unknowns" in your post that affect the answer to your concern. Was the vehicle purchased used from the dealer that did the repair or was it purchased from somewhere else? Did you have the engine pressure washed...or was it from the selling dealer or a private party that sold it to you?
The CEL codes show that the V6 engine was misfiring on both banks; cylinders 1 and 3 are on bank # 1, which is the bank by the firewall, and 2 and 6 are on the right bank, which is closest to the radiator. Black smoke would indicated unburned fuel, which is consistent with ignition misfire. Flashing CEL is also consistent with an ignition misfire. The factory NGK spark plugs in your vehicle are good for 105,000 miles, which is the recommended replacement interval per Nissan. If there was white corrosion on the top side of the spark plug (not the part that screws into the engine), that would suggest that water got past the ignition coil seals that seal out water from getting into the spark plug wells. Normally, water (such as rain that gets into the engine compartment) won't get past the coil seals, however, it is a possibility if the engine was washed by a power washer, as they suggest. That scenario would negate warranty coverage as it is not a fault caused by the vehicle or its parts. That would also be something that could affect both banks of the engine. However, if you didn't powerwash it, then the selling party likely did and if it's the same dealer as the one that repaired the vehicle, the responsibility for the cost of the repair should be on them. Anyway, let's look at some other possibilities...
White smoke from the exhaust on a cold morning is steam and is perfectly normal for an efficiently running engine which creates water as a by-product of combustion. It should dissipate after a short while. If it continuously bellows white smoke, that is an indication of something wrong. If it's blue-ish white and/or has a bittersweet odor, it is an indication of a blown head gasket, which may or may not cause overheating issues. That would be something that should be covered under a powertrain warranty. FYI, blue smoke is consistent with oil burning in the combustion chamber and black smoke is unburned fuel. Also, FYI, something else that can cause misfiring on multiple cylinders and is not uncommon on VQ engines (although, usually not on engines with that low mileage) is a faulty crank position sensor or one of the cam position sensors, which are covered under long-term emission warranty.
Until the vehicle is looked at, again, it's hard to comment further as to what is wrong with it and the responsibilities as to the cost of the repair. Something you can do is report your problem to the Nissan customer hotline and have them start a report on the vehicle and they can be reached at 1-800-NISSAN-1. This will document your issue with Nissan and they may provide some assistance to you as needed. The fact that your engine starts smoking AFTER 30-45 minutes is concerning. Perhaps there is an issue with the engine that was not discovered before it was sold. Usually vehicles that are 3-years old and under 36000 miles being sold at a dealer are lease turn-ins, but you still may not know all of the history of the vehicle, like maybe it was overheated at some point? Let us know how you make out and good luck!


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## fainegen (Aug 19, 2020)

This happened on my old truck. It turned out the be a problem with the head gasket.


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## Falcon1 (Oct 3, 2020)

So Nissan states we need a new engine.


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## Falcon1 (Oct 3, 2020)

They state the auto wasn’t properly maintained and the car fax shows no oil changes until 23000 miles so they will not cover it under the 60,000 mile power train warranty. We have had the car for a month on the 22nd and it’s been in the shop for 17 days


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Well, if the selling dealer won't assist you any with the repair, then I would opt for a used engine from a salvage yard with a warranty and have an independent shop with a lower shop rate install it. Car-part.com shows some used engine available for it in the $3000 range.


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## mojrmiss (Apr 14, 2021)

Falcon1 said:


> They state the auto wasn’t properly maintained and the car fax shows no oil changes until 23000 miles so they will not cover it under the 60,000 mile power train warranty. We have had the car for a month on the 22nd and it’s been in the shop for 17 days


Not every place that changes oil posts the maintenance visit/service into Carfax. I wasn't aware of that either until a good friend that is a mechanic told me. Also....if people change their own oil, it would not be logged into Carfax. No one goes to Valvoline or jiffy lube ( THEY DO ENTER INTO CARFAX) because they do a HORRIBLE job and are extremely overpriced. I know several people who take their vehicles to privately owned shops that follow all manufacturer requirements for proper vehicle maintenance. Fight this. I'm looking to see if there is a class action..... because I'm the same Titanic you are.


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## Justine M (Sep 12, 2021)

i have the same exact issue right now! 2020 Nissan Pathfinder with 20k miles. No smoke on cold start up. If I drive it for about 30 minutes and then start it up after, huge cloud of white smoke. Had a dealer check it out and tell me there is sludge in my engine. I have read that this is very common with pathfinders and warranty won’t cover it. Such BS!!!


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Justine M said:


> i have the same exact issue right now! 2020 Nissan Pathfinder with 20k miles. No smoke on cold start up. If I drive it for about 30 minutes and then start it up after, huge cloud of white smoke. Had a dealer check it out and tell me there is sludge in my engine. I have read that this is very common with pathfinders and warranty won’t cover it. Such BS!!!


Sludge buildup is not a common issue on VQ engines that are properly serviced; not only am I a former Nissan Master Tech, I own two Pathfinders with VQ engines with 272,000 miles and 212,000 miles, respectively. Both are original with no other mechanic repairs other than replacement of the timing chains and water pumps. Both have been serviced every 7500 miles with Nissan oil filters and Walmart SuperTech 5W30 full synthetic oil. Neither smoke nor knock and there is no sludge buildup on top of the cylinder heads. 
Do you have maintenance records on the vehicle service? Have you tried addressing your issue with the Nissan customer hotline @ 1-800-NISSAN-1? Are you the original owner?


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## Tomoxlong (Nov 15, 2021)

Falcon1 said:


> We purchased a 2017 Nissan Pathfinder used about 12 days ago with 34,000. We drove it short distances for about a 4 days with no issues. Last Saturday we drove it about an hour to a half hour and stopped for about 45 minutes. We were walking back to the car and I remoted started the auto and black smoke bellowed out of the exhaust followed by white smoke. I was greatly concerned. No other noticeable issues and not waring lights on the dash. The next morning when I started the auto the engine light was blinking and it was sputtering. We took it to the dealer and it is not under warranty due to age. We called and told them it was running badly and it had a blinking engine light. We were told not to drive it and bring it on in. Long story short, Were were told that the mechanic wanted to change all the spark plugs- Here are the words form the mech check: " CS Engine light on and running rough, Multiple MIS FIRE 23 on CYL1 1013 on CYL 2 and 6 on CYL 6- Recommend Plugs- Found Multiple Cyl misfire codes P 0101 0102 0106, Inspected plugs and found burnt...Looks as if water intrusion from TOP like maybe from washing engine. Replaced all plugs & Retested all codes gone and driving to specs."
> They changed plugs and gave me the old ones that are in fact Burt looking with some white on a few of them. We have not had any warning light or driving issues but yesterday I started the car after my husband had drove it about 1 full hour. I got into the auto and started it with my car window down and white smoke comes billowing in the window when I started it. Today on start up we did not have any smoke but when he got to our destination (drove about 45 minutes) we noticed the smoke was back and its bad! What do we do? What could it be? We are taking it back to have the car looked at first thing Monday morning.
> 1. I do not see smoke when I start it first think in the morning
> 2. Smoke starts when we have driven the auto for over 30 to 45 minutes.
> ...


 My 2016 pathfinder started smoking like yours after 40k miles I bought it from new and paid $47k for it 
I was told it needed a new engine and they wouldn’t fix it because the service history wasn’t perfect 
It was going was putting 3 liters of oil per week as it was burning it so much and when it ran low it would smoke all the time when I was driving 
I put 2 bottles of oil sealer in the engine and drove it around for about 2 weeks and then all of a sudden the smoking stopped completely 
I continue driving it for about 1 1/2 years with no problems Then about 4 weeks ago the smoking started again I tried the sealer again and this time it wouldn’t work. So I listed it for 7 k and got rid of it 
My advice to you is to try the sealer and if it works and the smoking stops get rid of it 
I held onto mine and wished I had sold it when it wasn’t smoking and would have got 10 k more for it than I did 
Bring it to a dealer and get a trade in for a different car Don’t feel bad about it because someone sold you a dud car and they didn’t feel bad 
The reason why I found you was that I was driving and saw another pathfinder smoking heavily and thought to google to see if there was a fault with these cars I will never buy another Nissan 
I’ve had all different cars over the years and never has this happened 
So please take my advise and get rid of it


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## Marina K (11 mo ago)

Justine M said:


> i have the same exact issue right now! 2020 Nissan Pathfinder with 20k miles. No smoke on cold start up. If I drive it for about 30 minutes and then start it up after, huge cloud of white smoke. Had a dealer check it out and tell me there is sludge in my engine. I have read that this is very common with pathfinders and warranty won’t cover it. Such BS!!!


Exactly the same problem here. Did they ever figure out what was wrong with the car and did they fix the smoke issue??


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## Marina K (11 mo ago)

Justine M said:


> i have the same exact issue right now! 2020 Nissan Pathfinder with 20k miles. No smoke on cold start up. If I drive it for about 30 minutes and then start it up after, huge cloud of white smoke. Had a dealer check it out and tell me there is sludge in my engine. I have read that this is very common with pathfinders and warranty won’t cover it. Such BS!!!


Hello, did you ever find out what was wrong with the vehicle? Did you manage to fix the smoke issue???


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