Under 3 hours to Fix White Smoke From Exhaust Pipe
It’s time to pay attention to your car if it discharges smoke from the exhaust pipe. The fume can be of different colors that may not be dangerous at all. However, you should not ignore white smoke from exhaust pipe because it could be a sign of some big problems.
What Does White Smoke from Exhaust Pipe Mean?
Sometimes, the buildup of normal condensation inside the exhaust system causes very thin white vapor. There’s nothing to be worried about in this case as it disappears very quickly. Sometimes, the white smoke can be due to condensation.
When starting your car you will see the smoke emitting from the exhaust pipe. White smoke that dissipates quickly, especially during cold weather, is likely due to condensation in the exhaust system. This is a normal occurrence and generally not a cause for concern. It often happens when the engine is started after being idle for some time.
On the other hand, thick white smoke could be the warning sign of many serious issues such as a broken cylinder head, blown head gasket, or a cracked engine block – all of which are costly repairs.
The coolant burning is another reason for the white smoke. Even a small leak poses the risk of overheating and thereby severe engine damage. It may cause the coolant to mix with oil and can damage important engine parts. When the coolant tank leaks, the liquid inside flows out, causing the engine oil to be contaminated, and the exhaust smoke to turn milky.
In addition, the low coolant level is also the reason causing the white smoke from the exhaust pipe. This causes the head gasket to fail, causing wear of internal components and possible coolant leakage. At this time, the car owner should conduct a thorough inspection of the crack in the head gasket to decide whether to re-glue or replace it accordingly.
White smoke from the exhaust system, if not handled soon, will cause too much damage and reduce engine lifespan. Even, in the long run, this incident can cause fire and explosion during vehicle use.
How to Stop Car Smoking Exhaust?
When there is a situation where the vehicle starts to emit white smoke, drivers should check the vehicle’s parts and remedy this situation soon to ensure safety and minimize repair costs later. Follow these steps if your vehicle discharges an excessive amount of white steam:
Inspect the intake gasket
An intake manifold evenly distributes the coolant or combustion mixture to each intake port in the cylinder heads. There’s a gasket that seals that manifold to the head. If it fails or gets damaged, the coolant will enter the port and then to the combustion chamber. Your job is to remove the intake manifold and examine the gasket to see if there’s any leak or rust. If it turns out to be fine, follow the next step.
Examine further to check the head gasket
When the intake gasket is okay, probe further to find out the reason for the smoke. There’s a head gasket that seals the cylinder head to a block through which the coolant flows to the cylinder. Any leak or damage in this part will cause the coolant to enter the combustion chamber and create a stream of white steam coming out of the exhaust pipe.
Look for any crack in the cylinder head
This part is made of aluminum which is prone to breaking in overheated conditions. You have to change it if it appears to be broken or damaged in any other way. It’s important to ensure that it seals evenly with the engine block and head gasket.
Fixing such a problem is easy if you are an experienced mechanic. However, it will be wise to take the vehicle to a repair shop because changing any auto part is a complicated job for an amateur.
Coolant is an antifreeze ingredient that keeps the engine cool when everything is normal. However, the white smoke from the exhaust pipe comes out when this element leaks into the engine’s combustion compartment.
A pungent odor accompanies the steam, which is an easy way to detect the problem. Other symptoms are engine overheating and loss of coolant without any visible leak.
Watch more about the fixing process:
Emissions from cars not only affect human health but also adversely affect the environment, especially in areas with heavy traffic.
White smoke from car exhaust is due to many different causes, but if the car emits white smoke at times other than just in winter, drivers should handle it soon to avoid damaging the engine and reduce the vehicle’s power in long driving. Therefore, vehicle owners should understand the causes and the ways to fix the white smoke in their cars and plan for periodic vehicle maintenance and regular vehicle inspection to have timely solutions.
