A modern car should not have any visible exhaust coming out of the tailpipe. However, if your car has any kind of visible smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe, it could mean a serious issue. Furthermore, if your car is running at optimum performance level, no white smoke from exhaust should be emitted in to the atmosphere.
What Is Exhaust Smoke?
Exhaust smoke is a by-product emitted by the engine after burning fuels. Fuels such as gasoline, coal, natural gas, and biodiesel blends, among others. After combustion happens in the engine, the gases are emitted into the atmosphere via the exhaust system. Furthermore, most of the time, exhaust emissions are hardly visible.
Generally speaking, thin white exhaust smoke is expected from time to time. However, if you see thick white smoke, your car could be in trouble. There are many reasons why your exhaust emissions could be white smoke. Before going into panic mode, you should get it to a professional mechanic to be checked out and fixed.
The most common cause of white smoke from the exhaust is burning coolant or a blown head gasket. Furthermore, if white smoke comes from the exhaust and clears after a few minutes, it is probably nothing to worry about. However, it might be the first sign of a much more severe issue in the worst-case scenario.
If your car exhaust system starts changing shades, then you should get it looked at by a professional technician. For example, blue smoke is a serious indication that something is wrong. Black smoke could also mean something is wrong. Whatever the case is, you should always bring it up to your mechanic at your next maintenance session.
Causes Of White Exhaust Smoke
1) Coolant Leak
If there is a leak in the coolant tank, the coolant liquid makes its way into the fuel system. If you have a coolant leak, your engine will overheat. Continuing to drive with a coolant leak can cause serious engine problems. Once coolant starts leaking into your cars' cylinders, it is burned and what you see next is thick white smoke emissions from the exhaust system.
A coolant ooze could also be a result of a cracked cylinder head. However small the crack is, it will still leak coolant into the fuel. Combustion will ensure there is thick white smoke coming out of your exhaust system. The longer you drive around in a car with a cracked cylinder head, the more coolant seeps into your fuel.
Another cause of white smoke is a blown head gasket. As previously mentioned, the slightest crack in your head gasket requires a replacement. A head gasket failure cannot be fixed because it forms a seal between the cylinder head and the engine block. It prevents coolant from coming into contact with other parts of the engine.
The worst possible cause for white smoke coming from your car exhaust system is a cracked engine block. First, a cracked engine block will lead to the engine overheating. Second, a crack, even the smallest, ruins the engine. From there, it's a quick deterioration because a cracked engine block won't maintain compression as long as there is a crack in the block.
2) Faulty Fuel Injectors
Fuel injectors ensure optimum engine performance by delivering fuel at the right time. This ensures the combustion process runs smoothly. However, a bad fuel injector can cause multiple problems such as stalling and a fuel leak. Furthermore, when a fuel injector is not performing as well as it needs to be, thick white smoke can come from the exhaust system.
A fuel injector usually injects fuel at specific moments. Therefore, they have to be well-timed in order to function well. The slightest lag or catch could cause many problems. Usually, the variations in the faulty fuel injectors don't deliver the right amount of fuel, and even if they do, they deliver the fuel at the wrong time.
If there is too much oil in any part of your engine, it still has to get combusted, which means your car is blowing white smoke. Thick white smoke can be an indication that your engine is burning oil at the wrong time. Whether or not your fuel injector is leaking or stuck in one position, you should never attempt to replace one yourself.
3) Engine Control Unit Computer
Sometimes, there is no problem with your fuel injectors. However, this can still cause thick white smoke coming from the exhaust. A faulty computer can throw off the timings of the fuel injectors and cause them to malfunction. They won't inject fuel into the engine at the correct time, and this will cause white smoke to come out of your vehicle's tailpipe.
Usually, the symptoms of a faulty ECU come and go. Therefore, the white smoke will also come and go. The ECU has many functions, and it primarily has to read information from other multiple sensors to cater to optimum engine performance. Furthermore, to prevent further damage, a quick reset should correct this issue.
Fixing this problem is relatively easy. First, if you are confident that it's the computer causing the fuel injector to stall, you should unplug your car battery for a few minutes to reset the computer. If this is done and there is still white smoke billowing from your tailpipe, then you should probably get it checked out by a professional.
4) Oil Leak
An oil leak from your piston rings or valve seals will find its way into the combustion chamber. Once it is in the combustion chamber, it mixes with fuel which then causes white smoke coming out of your exhaust pipe. Burning oil in the engine block also causes blue smoke to come out of your exhaust pipe. Fixing this should be a priority.
In addition, when there is an oil leak in your worn piston rings, it will cause other engine components to get dry and keep them from running correctly. Therefore, adding more oil won't do much for the engine unless the oil leak is addressed first. In addition, if this issue is not addressed, it could spell trouble for your car engine.
What Other Exhaust Colors Mean
a) Black Smoke
It might look awful coming from your tailpipe, but black smoke is probably the least problematic. If you drive a diesel engine car, you might see this from time to time. However, black smoke from the exhaust often is cause for concern. The primary reason for black smoke is fuel passing out through the catalytic converter without being burnt.
Black smoke can also be the case of worn-out fuel injectors injecting too much fuel into the engine. This causes unburnt fuel to go through the engine causing black clouds of smoke. Continuous black smoke from your vehicle will only increase your fuel consumption. Driving around with black smoke could also increase the risk of damaging essential sensors.
b) Blue Smoke
If you have a good engine, then blue smoke should not be in your exhaust gases. Burning oil is expected in any engine. However, if there is enough burning oil to make the exhaust fumes blue, then it is more than likely that you need to have repairs done. Furthermore, a pro tip would be to check the level of engine oil.
If your engine oil is steadily decreasing, then it could mean that you have an oil leak somewhere. If it is coupled with blue smoke, then it is definitely time to have your car checked. Furthermore, if you have a turbocharger fitted to your car, it could also be the cause of the problem. Older cars are also at a higher risk of emitting blue smoke.
c) White Smoke
As we have mentioned above, white smoke from exhaust fumes is indicative of burning coolant. This could very easily lead to your engine overheating. The white thick smoke that happens quite suddenly can also be a hazard to your engine. Stopping your car immediately can save your vehicle from costly repairs, not to mention the inconvenience.
What most people don't know is that white smoke might mean different things. This depends on whether you drive a diesel or petrol engine vehicle. The more coolant your car burns, the less cooling effect it has on your engine. Sometimes thin white smoke is not a cause for concern, as it can also be water vapor.
d) Gray Smoke
Gray smoke means there is an oil leak in your engine. Sometimes when your car is burning excess oil, it might also produce gray smoke. Gray smoke means engine oil found its way into the combustion chamber and is causing gray exhaust smoke from your car's exhaust. Most cars in good working conditions should not have any visible emissions.
Furthermore, if you reside in a country where your car has to pass an emissions test, then your car will not pass. Gray smoke is not an everyday occurrence in your car. If your car has grey smoke from the exhaust, then you might also witness a dramatic decrease in power. Gray smoke is difficult to diagnose and will always need a professional mechanic.
How To Prevent White Smoke
Sometimes white smoke is inevitable, and especially in older cars. However, there are ways you can prevent white smoke or any other color smoke from coming from the exhaust. Furthermore, on a cold day, older cars might tend to struggle a little. Either way, there are a couple of steps you can take to prevent taking your car to see a professional sooner than expected.
i) Smell The Smoke
Sometimes, thin white smoke coming from your exhaust is nothing to worry about. Usually, it is just condensed water being expelled from the car's exhaust. It is usually odorless. However, if you can smell the thick white smoke coming from your exhaust, then it means it's time for action. The potency of the smell should key you in as to a possible problem.
However, it would help if you did not make it a habit to smell exhaust smoke as it is not healthy. But should you get a whiff of a strong fuel smell, coupled with thick white exhaust smoke, then it is time to have it checked out.
ii) Use Pressure Testers
For any leak within the engine block, there is a decrease in pressure. Therefore, an oil leak or burning excess fuel should be indicated in the pressure drop. For new cars, especially SUV-type vehicles, the pressure usually drops when the car is still new. However, the easiest part to test is the coolant. The coolant goes through the radiator, which makes it easier to fix the pressure tester on the radiator.
iii) Keep Your Maintenance Check
Every car requires servicing multiple times every year. At each visit, your mechanic should be able to diagnose any issue that requires attention. Furthermore, keeping your vehicle up to date with your checks will keep your car running smoothly. In addition, replacing worn-out parts ensures your car is in good shape for the longest time possible.
If you sense that something small is off with your car, then you should immediately take in for a routine checkup. Furthermore, the more preventative maintenance you perform on your vehicle, the better for you and the more control you will have over your car. Catching minor issues before they become a significant problem is critical.
Conclusion
Taking care of your car should be second nature if you want it to serve you for a long time. For example, by paying attention to the color of smoke coming from your exhaust, you can catch a minor issue that would have cost you thousands in repairs. Monitoring your car's fuel consumption can also give you a lot of information that will be helpful in the future.
In addition, keeping your car at optimum performance ensures road safety and keeps you as well as other pedestrians and motorists safe. Furthermore, taking care of your vehicle will ensure it passes through all the safety regulations for vehicles. Finally, vigilance is the only thing that will save you and your car from major breakdowns.