White smoke from engine cover 2008 Aveo

[JGould]

Hi all, I've recently been having an issue with white smoke occasionally coming from under the hood of my 2008 Aveo LS (95,000 miles). I have had a few opportunities to pop the hood to check where the smoke is coming from a few times while driving, and here is what I have noticed:

The smoke primarily appears to come from under the plastic engine cover. The smoke is not very dense. It is noticeable to me, but someone a few cars behind me would not be able to see it.

The white smoke usually happens a few minutes after running the car, and it is only visible when stopped at a stop sign or at a red light.

I notice that it primarily happens when I drive my car after not using it for some time i.e., driving to the gym (first time running the car all day), but on the drive back it is not noticeable. Perhaps this indicates a leak somewhere that burns off relatively quick after the car warms up?

There's a lot of black gunk around the engine area and from underneath the plastic engine cover, although the entire under hood is also very dirty (its getting to be an old car).

No check engine light, no performance issues, no overheating, no noticeable oil loss since oil change 1500 miles ago, coolant level appeared normal (although it looked old and likely needs replacing soon).

No definite 'oil' spots in my underground parking spot, but there is a few circles of what appears to be water - but it doesn't evaporate like water would (maybe coolant?).

I'm hesitant to take this to a shop at this point. The issue appears minor, and I worry about running into expensive costs, such as hundreds for diagnosis, then perhaps hundreds more for actual fixes (the vehicle is only worth approx.$2500 afterall).

If anyone can offer any insight I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks fellas.

[EAD15]

Does the smoke smell sweet at all? How about your oil, does it have a "milky" look to it or does it look normal?

[Heavywrench5150]

I've got an 09 and mine appears to have a slight valve cover gasket leak, a little oil on hot parts can cause this. I'd try cleaning it down with some brake clean and compressed air then run it a few days and re-inspect. You also might try pressure testing the cooling system. Might be able to rent a pressure tester from an auto parts store

[JGould]

I noticed today that the leak on my parking spot was a little bit bigger than a quarter, this time with a oily/darker feel to is. That supports the idea of a leaky gasket I guess... I hope to be able to pull the plastic cover off and take a closer look on my next day off. I'll clean it up and check back a few days after words.

EAD15 - The smell is what I would consider to be a typical burning smell, not really any other way to explain. My oil looked great when I checked it - I don't believe any coolant has leaked in to it somehow.

[JGould]

Took a few minutes to pull the engine cover off and I snapped a few pics...

Car #1 Pictures, Car #1 Images, Car #1 Photos, Car #1 Videos - Image - TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting
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By the looks of things, it appears as though my valve cover gasket is in fact leaking. Since there's so much gunk everywhere though I think itd be hard to say for sure that this is what has been causing the car to smoke. Seems very likely that there could be leak(s) elsewhere too.. Thankfully, it appears that the valve cover gasket is pretty simple to replace.