Last Updated on April 29, 2022
If you start up a vehicle with a gas engine and you notice white smoke blowing out of the exhaust pipe, there are a few reasons why this could be happening.
One reason for white smoke is very common and completely harmless. But there are other times when white smoke is coming out of your car’s exhaust that you do need to pay attention to as it can be a sign of a major problem.
5 Causes of White Smoke Blowing From Car Exhaust
#1 – Condensation
This is a common occurrence, especially in colder climates. When it’s cold outside and you notice white smoke at startup, then you probably have nothing to worry about.
When the warm or hot exhaust gases meet cold outside air, condensation and steam is a result. After a short amount of driving, the white smoke should lessen.
It’s common for drivers who have lived in a warm climate like California and then move to colder region to worry about this but it’s harmless and perfectly normal.
#2 – Coolant Leak
If you continue to see white smoke coming out of the pipe after the engine has had a chance to warm up or while accelerating, then your coolant might be leaking internally.
The most noticeable symptom of internal coolant leakage is when the white smoke is billowing out of the exhaust pipe and leaves a sweet odor in the air. If you the white smoke consistently comes out and the sweet odor smell is present, then it is definitely a problem with your coolant leaking.
The reason why coolant usually leaks is because there could be a crack in the cylinder head or even engine block. Even if the crack is small, the internal coolant can easily leak out and contaminate the oil of your engine. This is how the exhaust smoke ends up turning white.
The combination of the coolant and engine oil will create a milky appearance in the smoke. All it takes is for just a little bit of coolant to get into the combustion chamber for white smoke to be produced.
Once you have a low coolant level and a cooling system that isn’t being maintained properly, your engine will begin to overheat. This will cause your head gasket to fail because they won’t be able to seal properly when they’re overheated.
As a result, your engine will get worn out much faster and its internal components will get damaged.
#3 – Piston Ring or Valve Seal Leak
Leaking valve seals or piston rings are another possibility when it comes to smoke. In this case, bad seals or piston rings cause oil to leak into combustion chamber which then mixes with fuel and burns. The result is a white or light bluish smoke that comes out from exhaust manifold.
If you want to fix this white smoke problem, the easy solution is to take your vehicle to the nearest auto body shop as soon as you notice it. But if you are trying to fix this yourself, never try to remove the coolant reservoir cap with the car still running because the engine will be too hot and it will cause you serious injury.
Once the car has had a chance to cool down, check the reservoir and see what the coolant level is at. If the coolant appears to be at the normal level, then you’ll need to have a cooling system pressure checked performed so you can pinpoint where the coolant leaks are coming from.
#4 – Bad Fuel Injector
A faulty fuel injector, usually one that is stuck open or is leaking from the o-ring, will deliver too much fuel to the combustion chamber. This excess fuel cannot properly burn in the engine and instead comes out as white or gray smoke out of your tailpipe.
Replacing the bad injector (or its o-ring) is the solution.
The hard part is figuring out which fuel injector is bad so depending on vehicle mileage, many mechanics will recommend replacing all the injectors since they’re not very expensive in most cases.
#5 – Incorrect Injector Pump Timing (Diesel Engines)
A diesel engine requires precision timing and fuel pressure of the injector pump. When the timing is not what it’s supposed to be, your engine will essentially be running rich which will cause fuel to not completely burn and instead exit out of the exhaust as white or gray smoke.
See Also: P2002 Code (DPF Issue)
Thank you, the info was helpful.
Is there any lubricant or anything else that can be mixed with fuel or engine oil or coolant to reduce the white smoke emission.
Thank you!
JA
If a coolant leak, no. If the issue is with the injectors, you could try a fuel system or fuel injector cleaner in case there’s some buildup causing an injector to leak or remain open.
Where do I put injector cleaner on a dedicated gas engine
Many injector cleaners are added to the fuel tank. Check the directions on the bottle to verify.
I have this particular experience in my ew0 engine. In fact one could watch the coolant sink into the engine as it is refilled. When the engine is running the smooth gets thick white though slightly clears When the engine gets hot. I really need help. Engine from the dip stick does not appear to be mixed with water. I also notice loss of engine power while in motion.
So what could be problem when the smoke only come when you start the engine once driving there is no smoke.
If white-ish smoke, this is likely just normal condensation and nothing to worry about.
Doesn’t happen always there is a little white smoke in the morning or if I haven’t driven the car for a while there is no oil on the coils or coolant or in my driveway?
When I started my car white smoke came out so I checked my oil and it was dark and a little thick while is that my check engine lights isn’t on but I do have a oil leak from me getting a oil changed last wk and they stripped my plug so now I have a oil leak is that why the smoke came out and the oil is dark now and kind of thick I think
Oil gets dark pretty much as soon as you drive away from the shop (it only takes about 100 miles or so). What that means is dark oil alone isn’t cause for concern. If it’s thick and jet black, that’s a different story; usually that means it’s been too long since it has been changed.
Not sure about the white smoke. Was it cold outside? You might check your coolant level to make sure you aren’t burning any coolant if there was a lot of smoke. If you have any doubts, it’s always a good idea to run it by a shop you trust to see what they think.
Also it does not have a sweet smell at the exhaust it smells like gasoline could this be a fuel injection problem? Could it be because the person that put the radiator and just clip the copper part of the transmission cooler line
Hi,I have a MAN TGA,26.480,I changed all the injectors,all the filters including the tube filters and did all the head gaskets but the truck is still pushing out white smoke when accelerating,it smells like unburnt fuel…can someone help?
my vehicle is having this issue right now. mechanic thinks its a seal sticking to piston, which results in a new motor 🙁 Apparently Chevy has a big problem with this from 2007- 2012 era.
Okay how about brand new water pump and everything belts squeaking little bit and it’s smoking I don’t know why what can be the problem
Check the belt tension. If accessory belts are too loose, they may squeal from slipping against one of the pulleys.
I recently had my car in for a major repair.
Its Mini countryman Cooper S with 4WD – it needed a new timing chain and oil pump.
I had to Take it back to the garage because they hadn’t changed a seal and it was leaking oil. I had also flagged to them that it was intermittently billowing white smoke.
It appears they did not address the issue with the white smoke from the exhaust.
It’s intermittent and seems to be most obvious when taking off from a stop, or reversing into a space – so when the engine is under load. I can’t say it’s a sweet smell, but there is certainly a smell!
Could this just be a bad seal? I know for sure that they are going to awkward as they had real problems with this initial repair – I think they bit off more than they could chew and I suspect they have barely broken even on what was a very time consuming and expensive repair.
I’d appreciate any suggestions.
Many thanks
It does sound like intake valve seals to me. When idling, the vacuum pressure is higher and you are sucking in a bit of oil. When you give it gas (from a stop or when reversing), the oil gets in the combustion chamber and quickly burns off. It would appear as a blueish/whiteish smoke.
My car blows out a large cloud of smoke when i start it for the first time everyday and then stops but the area around where my belts areunder the hood is making a clattering noise
I have the exact same problem…less the clattering noise. Did you find the problem?
Hey Stewart, I have Countryman S 2012 with the exact same thing white smoke at idle and go. Did you fix it?
If I start my car it will not show any type of smoke but if I am driving with higher speed or low speed of about 50 km/h it will show a small white smoke emission from the tile end exhuth please I need to know the condition of my car ,remedy and the possible solution
I recently just got a new radiator put in my 99 Jeep Cherokee as a new water pump also from overheating when I came back the next day to fix it because I was broke down at the store it would not fire up only with jump start and pumping the gas as soon as jumper cables were taking off car shut off now it will crank over but there is water or fluid coming out of the tailpipe and white smoke what could this be the person that put the radiator in cut the transmission cooler line could this be the reason
No
Did u get this fixed
Did you ever figure out the problem and what it was.
So what could be problem when the smoke only come when you start the engine and AC on in idling time 4hour or more, and accelerator pressing white smoke coming.half km driving there is no smoke.
I did the heard and changed the valve stem seals, petrol pump plugs, oil filter and timing belt on a Mitsubishi lance glx 1.6 2004. After that there is a smoke coming out when I start the car and once the engine is warming it died down. What coup be the reason?
It’s likely normal due to some oil that got on parts. You should notice less and less smoke until it final burns off completely.
When I accelerate my car (Mitsubishi Galant), often miss-fires and a puff of white smoke comes out…then she takes off.
I recently had the oil pan replaced and the guys told me my spark plugs, timing belt, and some pump need replacing too. Will this solve issue?
Hi my mini one seems to smoke when it gets up to temp and idling but not when driving and it’s not overheating and there are no warning lights present . Should I be worried ?
I have a ford mondeo 2.0 diesel. Every now and again about once every 3 weeks or so I have either smoke pouring from the engine for about 2 minutes if I am stationary or if I am moving the car coughs a little and I get plumes of white smoke from the exhaust for about 5 seconds then it all clears. I have no other issues and dont lose any oil and it is serviced very regularly but the smell from the smoke in the engine is burning oil. Like I say it’s not constant but worrying and there is no oil on the floor at all
My 2008 GMC Sierra has 180,000 miles. I crank it up in the morning and it’s white smoke really bad that comes out but burns off fast. If I park it say 3 hours it will smoke but less.
Check your oil level. You probably have a small oil leak in the combustion chamber which burns off from the heat after starting the car. The longer the car sits, the more oil drips in there so you have more smoke. This is assuming the smoke is a white/blue-ish color.
when i start my car the the car accelerates low and sounds like its struggling after it blows out the grey smoke it then goes back to normal? what do i do to fix it…
I get white smoke on starting but dissipates after about driving 800m
changed the stem valve seals for new ,oil change plugs e.tc. but still the same.
I just recently put a used motor in my SUV 04 Land Rover,due to the other one having a crack in the engine block. The older engine was leaking coolant in the oil so bad that water would even flow out of the tail pipe, especially if you revved up the engine. Of course the oil was white where the coolant was mixing with it. Now I have what seems to be a good motor put in it after about 8 months. It seems to run well and in checking the oil, there is no coolant mixing. However, when the engine gets warmed up, it does begin to blow out some white smoke. Depending on how it sits some times it is thicker or really thin. I drove it down the road and did not see any smoke. When I drove it back and turned around, it blew out some white smoke. I revved it up some and it seemed to thin out and at times seemed to almost stop smoking.
Could this be some coolant/moisture that is still setting/puddled up in the muffler and exhaust from the previous motor and once the system gets hot, it is evaporating the left over water? The motor runs smoothly during this whole time.
Yes, it’s very possible to simply be burn off from old fluid. It should slowly dissipate over time.
Sometimes after I run my AC for awhile while idling around work or sitting somewhere I turn off the engine and when I come back shortly after and start up the engine a decent size puff of white smoke comes from the exhaust. Also today after that happened a low coolant light came on and I went to check it out right away. Coolant looked fine and light was off when I started engine back up. Could this just be condensation build up or do I need to investigate more?
Ok i have a dodge Durango and it has a different motor in it the size of the motor is v8 one size smaller of the 5.9 and I got white smoke when I start or it might be a bluish white but it’s not really thick and here recently when I drive after I let it warm up completely. I have noticed that when I’m going down the road it has a little trouble shifting at the 30 mph range the rpms gets to 3000 rpms and I can let off the gas and it will shift but then when I get to the 40-45 mph it does it again it will shift on its own @45 mph but then when I give it gas it starts to shimmy like the motor is straining but not all the time. I Had thought it was bad gas so I used fuel injector cleaner,gas cleaner, and other stuff that i thought would work but it’s still doing it my question is what should I do to find out what is wrong with it cuz its my only way back and forth to work thank you in advance for your reply
F350 diesel 166k white smoke on startup smells like diesel. Stops after warm. From what I’m gathering from this article there’s an injector problem correct? Please respond with advice/suggestions. Thank you for your time.
Hi , my Renault is using a lot of oil and all of a sudden a lot of white smoke is coming from the exhaust when starting the car . What do you think it could be ?
Another cause: My VW Golf Mk4 Diesel was difficult to start and giving off lots of white smoke on startup. The cause was the temperature sensor. Replacing this fixed the problem.
I recently ( not even 45 days ago) purchased a 2017 Chevy Equinox. I noticed right away that my dash said 23% oil. I called the dealership. I was told it had a oil change. I have not checked the oil yet. I am waiting until it cools off. I noticed a white smoke coming out of my engine. I have no lights on my dash at this time. What can be causing this?
The “23%” refers to oil life remaining which is completely normal. Most newer cars monitor this in some way. Checking the oil level should be the #1 priority but you definitely have some type of leak that’s causing the smoke when it makes contact with hot engine parts. Check the levels of all fluids to find the issue.
Faulty injector will it also cause the car not to go above 6000rpms when idling
There is a white could of smoke that’s coming out of my exhaust, but that only happens some times after starting my vehicle. There is no sweet smell, it smells like petrol and there is a lot that comes out. I does not always happen but if you can give me advice I would really appreciate it.
Thank you for the I have a Toyota diesel and the white smoke seems to have some odour and thick it seems I may have problem with a coolant.
I am taking to a mechanic.
I have a dodge nitro it has set few months when I started it cloud of white smoke (allot) came out exhaust, went away after driving it, but I have started it twice since and white smoke come out at first n goes away
Sometimes cars blow a little white smoke when they’ve been sitting for a while. This is not cause for concern. If the vehicle continues to blow white smoke even after it’s warmed up, this could indicate a head gasket failure. This is typically accompanied with a sweet smelling exhaust.
I need help when I start my Peuget 308 gti in the morning while it get warm white smoke come out, but when you drive it goes off and the car is normal for driving no smoke. What could be the problem can somebody advice.
Unless the white smoke also smells sweet this sounds normal, especially if you’re starting the car on a cold day. Condensation will build up in the exhaust system and create a white cloud of smoke on startup, but if it goes away as your car warms up and you are experiencing no other symptoms then I don’t think this is cause for concern.
Hey, my car is having a hard time starting and when it does it spits out white smoke. what could be the cause? It is a 2005 Toyota Scion if this is needed to troubleshoot. Thanks!
Some cars smoke on startup due to temperature or from condensation, especially after sitting for a long time. I would take your car to a mechanic for a (likely quick) diagnosis if you continue to run into trouble.
Hello,
My Opel Meriva Z16XEP has white smoke and the coolant has some thick whitish thing. It also has a Lil rough idling
The symptoms you describe sound like it could be a head gasket leak. I would perform a leak down test so you know for sure before tearing anything apart.
My 2001 Honda Accord has a thick white consistent smoke coming from the exhaust & also the hood(while idiling) when starting the car up & for awhile after, no sweet smell emerges only a strong gas odor, lack of power & acceleration are also issues, what can the issue(s) be??
It sounds like a head gasket failure. Since a head gasket replacement is an expensive job, I would verify that with a leak down test first so you know for sure. A leak down test is about $200 at a shop, while a head gasket replacement is anywhere from $800-1200.
A leak down test is pretty easy to perform yourself if you have an air compressor and are looking to save some money. You can probably rent a leak down tester from your local auto parts store for free.
To perform the test, all you have to do is screw one end of the tester into each spark plug hole, hook the other end up to a source of compressed air, then watch to see if any air leaks into the cooling system. You will see this either out of the radiator cap or the coolant overflow reservoir.
Note that this test must be done while each cylinder you test is on its compression stroke, so you’ll need some way of turning over the motor (a wrench and the appropriate socket for your crank pulley bolt).
Do not remove the radiator cap while the car is hot. This is dangerous and could burn you.
I got home after a day out to find a bad leak in the radiator,next day I
Replaced it with a new one got the antifreeze to the correct level,on
the following day I started the engine with some difficulty and found
white smoke billowing out of the tail pipe,I have no sence of smell so
I can’t help you that way. I would be obliged for your opinion. Thank you.
Did the antifreeze leak out onto the ground, or did it mysteriously disappear? With the information you’ve given me, I’m inclined to believe it’s a leaking intake manifold or head gasket due to the white smoke. These leaks will likely be internal and probably won’t leave a puddle of antifreeze under your car.
Does the antifreeze level continue to drop with the new radiator? If so, the problem lies elsewhere.
My Ford Ranger 2.2 TDCI 2017 model having a problem with a smoke, vibrating and without and there is a smoke that also goes to air filter from the engine.
Kindly assist
I was driving in an open stretch of road and i tried to drive fast since it has been a long time she stretched her legs it reached 4000 rpms and 140kph then i eent to a gas station to go to the comfort room when a cloud of smoke came out from the tailpipe
I stopped the engine and checked all my fluids everything was ok
I ran the car and no smoke
I tried to run again at abovr 4k rpms still no smoke.
Where did the smoke come from?
My engine is actually running better than ever after that epidode
How big was the cloud of smoke? Has it come back since that single event? Maybe it was just a good old Italian tune up!
I have a 94 Prelude SI 5speed that blows white smoke out of the exhuast, when pushing on the gas pedal it blows quiet a bit of smoke until I release the pressure on the gas pedal then it barely blows at all.. I have No Coolant Loss, No Oil Loss, No Loss Of Power, and it’s Not Overheating.. I’m very confused on what is causing the smoke..
When I got the car it had a Oil Leak ; in 18miles I would go through 4 – 4 ½ quarts of Oil.. I fixed the leak and it doesn’t leak a drop. I am leaking Brake Fluid pretty bad now could the cause of the smoke be due to Brake Fluid burning or the buildup of Oil dripping down and burning.?
The smoke probably isn’t caused by leaking brake fluid. If you were to do a leak down test, that will probably tell you where the leak is coming from.
If you think of selling it, let me know. I am a Fan of that year for Honda.
Hi, I repaired the car engine. It had a piston ring issue. But the white smoke still didn’t stop. It continues coming from the exhaust and smell like fuel. The repair was done by a repair station. I live in an environment which is like – 15. The repair station said it’s because of the cold. What shall I do? Wait till the summer and see whether it is still coming?
I would trust the shop. I’m not going to really be able to give you any more info than someone who was able to see the vehicle in person.
I have white smoke coming out of my exhaust and I was told I need a new high pressure gas pump. I am not sure what this is. Is it a fuel pump? Can you give me any information about this because I don’t see this as a common problem as to why white smoke is coming out of my exhaust.
What year, make, and model of vehicle are you driving? I can’t know if it’s a common issue unless I know that information, because some vehicles are more prone to certain types of failures than others.
Yes, I assume by “high pressure gas pump” they mean a high pressure fuel pump (HPFP). Direct injected engines typically have a low pressure fuel pump to bring fuel from the gas tank to the engine bay, then a high pressure fuel pump that sends fuel at very high pressures to the fuel injectors, which then inject fuel straight into the combustion chamber.
I don’t think the white smoke would be caused by a bad fuel pump, but you’ll have to look into the problem a bit more to know for sure.
I only have white smoke coming out of my exhaust pipe after the car is sitting running / idling for about an hour and the smoke only comes out when I step on the gas and only does so for about a minute and then completely goes away. This is the only specific time and way the smoke comes out of the exhaust pipe. If I do not sit idling for an hour then nothing happens. any thoughts?
Do you have a turbocharger? It’s possible the cooling lines in the turbo are leaking a bit. You could perform a leak down test to help you eliminate bad head gaskets as a possibility. Any other symptoms? Does the issue affect the car’s drivability?
I have the same problem but im not losing nothing oil is ok and coolant ok 🤷♂️ Did you fixed it yet ?
My 1993 acura legend has white smoke blowing from the exhaust and green liquid in the engine. Big old cloud of white smoke when the car turned on. Is it a bad water pump or blown gasket?
Sounds like a blown head gasket. I would do a leak down test to confirm.
What is a leak down test
A leak down test is a test where you hook up compressed air to each cylinder when it’s on its compression stroke. During the compression stroke the cylinder should contain most of that air. All cars leak a little bit past valve seats and piston rings, so some leakage is 100% normal.
What you’re looking for with a leak down test is excessive leakage, particularly coming from a single cylinder. This is a tell tale sign that there is a problem. If you listen to where the compressed air is coming out, that will help tell you which component needs attention.
Air coming from the oil filler cap could indicate a bad seal in the piston rings. Air out the intake could indicate a leak in the intake valve(s), and air coming out of the tailpipe could indicate a leak in the exhaust valve(s).
Air coming out of the cooling system is a strong indication that there is a head gasket failure. This is because the only path from the combustion chamber to the cooling system would be the water jackets in the engine block, and this could only happen if there was a leak in the head gasket that allowed this air to pass.
My 2012 Nissan Qushqai is pouring smoke when ever I turn it on and accelerate I don’t know if this is because the dpf not cleaning properly or a coolant leak what do you think I should do?
I noticed a white smoke coming out of my golf 3 car, the moment I accelerate it brings out the white thick smoke. Please what is actually wrong with the car,?
It will be hard for anyone to give you more information than what’s in the article without doing some diagnostic work to narrow it down. You could try doing a leak down test to confirm a blown head gasket. Sometimes a bad intake manifold gasket will exhibit similar symptoms, as will a cracked block or cracked cylinder head.
I have a 2000 chevy tahoe 5.7l i can drive it for about an hour or so. When I stop at a light after that time frame it begins to smoke. When I press the accelerator pedal and take off it goes away. I’m wondering if it could be my head gasket or a bent vavle
What color is the smoke, and do you know where it’s coming from?
Hi.
I have a -03 Passat 1.8t. Got a problem where I couldn’t Rev more then 3000 and before I was able to stop I noticed a big cloud of white smoke from the exhaust. When checking for faults I found a broken vacuum hose to my turbo and that the “fan” in the turbo was loose. Change the turbo now, got about 500m before the white smoke came back. Coolant is ok, oil ok. Smoke smells a little burnt. Got any idea?
Sounds like you’re losing coolant through the turbo. The turbo may need a rebuild.
My car smoke in the morning when start it up real bad I can’t see out my back window for about 5 minutes after that it’s OK it do this every morning real bad
There are a number of things that could cause smoking, particularly on startup. You may have a head gasket or intake manifold gasket leak and are burning coolant.
Hi
I have VW Golf 2002 Diesel, on startup it releases white smoke, after driving sometime it doesn’t release the white smoke anymore and seems fine. Then turning off the engine and starting again, it doesn’t release the white smoke, but when I keep the engine off for few hours and starting again it releases the white smoke again.
Kindly advise.
Could be a blown head gasket, could be bad valve seals. A leak down test will help you narrow that down. Leak down tests are tricky on diesel engines since you don’t have spark plugs. Take a look at this video for an idea if you want to try it yourself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0diWTupQAE
I have an 04 Nissan Xterra…. I know there’s an oil leak somewhere (the truck was gifted to me -rather than junked after an accident causing some front end damage, but has run great til recently)…. This afternoon I started it and could hear the clicking that I was told means I need oil. Put some oil in, and now every time I accelerate, white smoke comes out the exhaust. So much that I kinda panicked, and parked, and took a Lyft home ….
Is it leaking internally (into the engine), externally (onto the ground), or both?
If it’s an internal leak, I would do a leak down test to figure out where that leak is coming from. Perhaps it’s burning oil (worn rings, excessive blow by) or perhaps some of the valves aren’t sealing correctly.
If it’s an external leak, they make UV dyes you can put in the oil that will make it significantly easier to track down the oil leak. All you do is add the dye and shine a black light around the engine after letting the oil and dye circulate for a while. It may help to clean up the engine bay before you do this so you can see which leaks are new and what’s an old oil stain.
Hi I have a 2009 VW Tiguan tdi 4motion with only 58 thousand miles. It’s giving off white smoke from the exhaust too.
The garage carried out a compression test and came back as ok.
They said there’s fluid leaking at turbo to DPF clamp. So they suspect an internal leak somewhere.
They said they need to remove cylinder head to investigate.
What could it possibly be? Hose pipe O rings? Or something more serious? I drove it back from the garage.
I don’t know. Sounds like your mechanic is on the right track, though.
A leak down test would rule out head gasket failure. You could have white smoke from coolant leaking into the turbo or coolant leaking into the combustion chamber, either via the head gasket or intake manifold gasket (assuming your intake manifold gasket has water jackets).
What was it?
Hi. Could you PLEASE email me!! I have a smoke problem with my vauxhall astra, it’s coming from the exhaust and I really need someone to advise me 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
What are the symptoms and what have you tried so far?
I have had non stop problems ever since I had an injector seal replaced, a new water hose and a new DPF filter fitted. The filter full continue driving warning light kept coming on a few days after having a new one fitted, weird right?! Then I started seeing white smoke coming out from my exhaust on starting the car and then every time I accelerated plus coolant level low warning light even though the tank was full. I took it to a garage they said the guy who fitted my DPF filter obviously didn’t know what he was doing as I had a split vacuum line which he would have noticed when fitting the new filter. The car was fine for about a week after that then the smoke started again, to the point where cars were holding right back away from me when pulling off as it was letting off so much. I took it back to the same garage who fitted the new vacuum line, they done smoke tests etc said it was fine but did come across a hole in my exhaust pipe so they repaired that. The car was again fine for about a week. Ever since I have had the coolant low warning light come on every time I get in the car and the smoke has started happening again! When I first start the car it let’s off a huge cloud and then when I accelerate going up gears it does it then too. I have no idea what to do or where to go from here! It seems the guy who fitted my new filter and water hose etc clearly didn’t know what he was doing because ever since he touched it I’ve had non stop problems. Nothing like this before!
The smell of my car as well is a really strong diesel smell if that’s any help?!
Have you tested for fuel leaks?
When the garage fitted me a new vacuum lining they done smoke tests etc but they came back normal which is weird! Could it be something to do with the injector seals?
I don’t know, possibly. What did the garage think?
I have a 2015 Chevy Camaro 6 cylinder with 65000 miles. I noticed yesterday after my car sat for an hour, I decided to go to a fast food drive thru and while waiting I noticed white thick smoke coming out my exhaust pipe, then when I pulled off the white smoke went away. Any idea what could cause this? This is the first time I’ve noticed this. Just wanna get an idea what it could be before I take it to the Chevy dealership and have them charge me 8,000 dollars lol
It’s honestly hard to say without taking it in somewhere to have them look at it. The diagnostic fee shouldn’t be bad, probably around $150. Independent shops tend to be cheaper than dealerships.
2010 mazda CX7.. the oil pressure light came on and then the check engine light.. I checked and my oil was a bit low.. I added some oil.. but when I read things on this car, most said it should be the VVT Solenoid.. which I am changing now.. I did open it up and noticed it looked a bit bad.. so I’m hoping that will fix it. But I am having white smoke coming out since the oil pressure light came on.. any ideas?
I would check the oil pressure using an external gauge to see if you are actually experiencing low oil pressure, or perhaps a sensor or wiring has gone bad.
Not sure on the white smoke. How much do you see? Is it only present on startup, or do you also see it when the car is at operating temperature?
I just changed the VVT solenoid and I’m hoping the oil is good now.. it seemed bad and oil all over it when I replaced it… the oil had gone down, so I just added oil to it now. Hopefully it holds. As I drove it about 1 mile it was smoking a lot out of the exhaust. Someone told me it could be burning the excess oil that already leaked out. I do see a good amount of condensation in the exhaust pipes and it leaking on the ground. I sealed everything well, let it run for about 30 min. Nothing seems to be leaking. But I do notice w kind of low pitch noise when I give it gas. Kind of loud. Hard to explain the noise. So not sure where to go from here..
Hey Raul, I’m not sure I follow. What was the original problem that led to you changing the VVT solenoid?
Was losing oil.. the oil pressure light was coming on.. and most threads I read for the vehicle with p0012 code said that the VVT solenoid was a possible issue.. also, we were hit with a big storm and I drove through high water not seeing it.. about a week later I started to see white smoke and a kind of deep whistle noise when I accelerated.. does any of this help?
That is useful information. I’m not sure if it’ll be just a VVT solenoid or something else.
I would take everything you said and run it by a local shop. A small diagnostic fee for the shop to take a look at it could potentially save you a lot of money when the alternative is throwing the “parts cannon” at the problem. The parts cannon gets expensive pretty fast, and a diagnostic fee is usually only around $100-200.
2003 Ford Explorer periodically emits thick grayish/white smoke with an odor. On start up water drip from tail pipe. Coolant level is full, oil is full. No leaking or staining on the motor or under the car on the ground. At a loss, any ideas?
What does it smell like?
hi, i have chevy camaro 2010 3.6L the engine was rebuilt and everything was new we took only the shell , so far when i drive the car i smell burned oil and then when i stop at the traffic lights havey some comes out of the exhaust , and some times driving for long time still smell the oil then stop in parking lots idling for 20 min then havey some again 3 to 4 time raving the car then drive the havey smoke gos away driving no smoke but still smelling the oil , what will be your thoughts please advise, i appreciate your email if you can, thank you .
Sounds like you might have a slight oil leak somewhere, but that really could be anywhere. See if you’re leaking oil from the valve cover onto the exhaust manifold. If you can’t find anything, they make UV dyes you can put into the oil to help you trace the source of leaks. Good luck on your search.
I have 2017 infinity qx60 with 52000 miles. Once in a while on first startup noticed white smoke in exhaust pipe. Changed the pcv valves.no oil leak or coolant leaks. Mechanic suggested more frequent oil change. Will it help. Thanks
Shan
I don’t know. You could always try a used oil analysis if you’re worried about your oil change intervals. They test your oil to tell you what metals are in your oil, how your engine health is, and how long your oil change interval should be.