What could white smoke coming from exhaust mean?

What could white smoke coming from exhaust mean?

Many times, this thick smoke is due to the likes of a blown head gasket, damaged cylinder, or a cracked engine block, which is causing coolant to burn. Thick white exhaust smoke usually indicates a coolant leak, which could cause overheating and put your engine at a serious risk of damage.

What causes white smoke and rough idle?

A misfiring engine or rough idle might point to a failure of the head gasket between two cylinders, as compression is leaking from one cylinder to another. The most common sign of a blown head gasket is exhaust smoke. White smoke indicates that your car is burning coolant that is leaking into the cylinders.

Why is my Lexus smoking?

Loss of compression in the engine will contribute to most of the major causes of smoke coming from either the tailpipe or the engine itself. Whether it is a failed radiator cap, a blown head gasket, oil leak or an improperly tuned engine, you should be able to troubleshoot the problem fairly easily.

What does it mean when your car has white smoke coming from the exhaust?

White smoke. Some white exhaust smoke is normal, especially when you first start the car. Condensation can turn to vapor, providing what looks like white exhaust. But excessive white smoke likely means coolant is leaking into the engine combustion chambers.

Why does the exhaust smell like burnt oil?

The exhaust will also have a burned oil smell. If the white smoke is coolant, your car is definitely having a crack in the cylinder head or a leaky head gasket, along with a sweet smell. In this situation, you can pressure test the cooling system if the coolant is low or the engine has been overheating.

What causes white smoke coming from the tailpipe?

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 does it mean when your car has blue smoke coming from the tailpipe?

Blue-gray or gray-white smoke. Blue-gray or gray-white smoke usually means the engine is burning oil. If you have a turbocharged engine, a faulty turbo seal could be causing this, but if you have a more common engine, it’s likely one or more of the following problems: