What is the problem when you have white smoke coming from the tailpipe after the car has warmed up and you have been driving it for a while?
If you notice white smoke coming from your tailpipe constantly, even on warm days, that could be caused by an engine that’s consuming coolant. Since coolant is at least partially water, it’ll create a similar white smoke as it evaporates in the engine and exits the tailpipe.
What causes white smoke coming from the tailpipe of a car?
All it takes is a little bit of coolant to leak out and get mixed in with the engine oil. Once that happens, the oil will become contaminated. The first sign of having contaminated oil is white exhaust smoke coming out of the tailpipe. As this continues, the white smoke will begin to have a sweet odor smell that won’t go away.
What causes white smoke coming from the hood?
Open the hood and check for any noticeable coolant leaks. Remember that the coolant gets over 90c hot and you should be very careful when checking this. If your car is overheating, it will push out coolant from the coolant reservoir which will get in contact with hot parts and condense and producing white smoke.
When to worry about white smoke coming from your engine?
The takeaway is that you only have to worry about white exhaust smoke when it is thick, smells sweet, or doesn’t clear up in less than 2 minutes after starting your engine. If your vehicle keeps producing white smoke after the stated period, you’ll need to troubleshoot and fix the problem as soon as possible.
What to do if you have white smoke coming from your exhaust?
Then, open the coolant reservoir to see if low levels of coolant are the cause for white exhaust smoke. You can take a look into the coolant chamber or alternately, you can put a stick into the reservoir. When you take out the stick, look at where the stick is wet and that’s the amount of coolant that is left in your car.