White smoke
 

So whenever I start my car I get a nice white smoke that comes out of the exhaust Just curious why it does that.
does not smell like coolant is coming out more like gas is it just because its running rich or something else?

Umm, is it hard to start? Mine does that... but for quite a while, like 10min or so untill it warms up. My smoke is pretty damn heavy, and since I have a coolant leak, I'm pretty shure it's a seal since there is never any puddles under the car or anything.

The way it was explained to me is that the leaking coolant seal leaks coolant into your combustion chamber, and on start-up there is white smoke. Then, as the engine warms up, the seal expands and the leak stops... this supposedly gets worse and worse as time goes by.


NOTE: My engine has 144,000 miles on it, was poorly maintenanced by the PO, has a gas smell in the oil (with like 300miles on an oil change) coolant leak, oil in coolant, does not start when engine is hot, has a terrible idle, and the clutch is slipping. I also think that the fuel filter is WAY overdue for a change.

wow see there is not coolant smell in my exhaust so I don't think its that now it could be failing but i really dont know

Coolant is going to smell sweet.

Gas / oil is going to smell totally different.

Check the spark plugs to see how everything is burning if you can't tell the difference between burning oil or too much fuel...


-Ted

Is it just a bit at startup or does it continually smoke?

Another thing to check...

1. After the engine is warmed up and the white smoke has stopped, find a long downhill slope
2. put the car in a gear lower than normal so that the engine will brake the car slightly as you come down the hill
3. at the bottom of the hill, press the gas pedal while looking out the rear mirror (if you have any trouble with looking out the windsheild at the same time you are looking in the rear-view, then get someone else in the car to look for you)

Try this a few times, and if on acceleration from the coasting you see a cloud of white smoke, this probably means you are due soon for an engine rebuild. I always saw this condition within a few thousand miles of my engine popping.

I'm with max777 right now.

take a pic or video.

DO you have an NA or turbo?

Sorry it took so long to get a video here it is
its an N/A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CEC3I_XBTk

video freezes.

Video works fine for me, there's just nothing to see.

OP, try some better lighting. Your exhaust is in the shadows.

Dude, thats NOTHING! Yuo should have seen how MY exhaust belched out!

IT was like a dome pipe for 10 min, with solid smoke pouring out for the first 2 min, and then lessening up a bit, but still smoking untill the car got fully warm.

well tomorrow morning I'll try to do another vid. I mean it doesn't smoke forever but that video is after it's been drivin throughout the day. it has a coolant smell at first for like a second when it starts up then its just a real rich smell

do a vid when the car is cold for more shock value.

Gah, you should have seen when my turbo was bad. It was about 613x worse.

Yeah but its an na. My buddy blew a head gasket in his supra and it just blew smoke everywhere it was wild. so here is a new video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUx-9k1mnQw