This Is Why Your Car Blows Smoke From Exhaust. Fixing Tips

Many drivers have had this bad morning when they saw thick smoke coming out of exhaust pipe of their car. The first thing we start thinking about is a huge problem with engine. But sometimes the things aren't that bad.

Today we'll discuss the main reasons and situations when your vehicle may blow some smoke through the exhaust pipe. And we'll also look at how you can fix the situation.

Why does my car release thick white smoke?

White smoke is the most popular color of the smoke from exhaust pipe, so we'll start with it. And here you'll need to look at how thick it actually is. If it's excessively thick, the troubles may be quite serious. Thick white smoke is usually formed when the head gasket is blown, the cylinder block is cracked. It may also be any other trouble that caused antifreeze leaks inside the engine. The coolant starts burning and this causes thick white smoke.

But small amount of smoke may mean that there is just some water in the exhaust pipe and it started evaporating as the pipe became hot enough. It may be condensate water which is often formed in the pipe in autumn and spring when the temperature difference between day and night is quite high.

A little amount of white smoke from exhaust is not that bad. Sometimes it can be absolutely normal for a car. One can also see grey smoke in little amounts - it's quite normal for many cars. But watch the situation carefully. If the car starts blowing more and more smoke, better consult the service station specialists.

What can black smoke from exhaust mean when accelerating?

Black smoke is a usual thing for diesel engines. But gas cars can also release black smoke sometimes. In most cases, the issue will be with fuel system. The engine may burn too much fuel, and there are some reasons for that:

• clogged fuel filter;
• dirty injection system;
• errors in electronic systems and sensors;
• blocked manifold;
• bad fuel quality;
• long engine downtime;
• wrong fuel pump work.

The issue can be investigated with computer equipment. Sometimes you will just need to replace the filter or to clean fuel injection system.

In diesel cars black smoke may also appear when particulate filter needs replacement or there are issues with EGR system.

What does blue smoke from exhaust mean?

Blue smoke from exhaust pipe means that the oil burns along with the fuel in your engine. This may be the result of a leaking valve seal, a broken valve, a broken piston ring. Also, the issue may be with the dying engine that has too huge mileage to keep working.

When oil leaks into the combustion chamber, it starts burning because of high temperatures. This results in blue smoke, but it also causes low oil level and quicker engine wear.

Why is there smoke from exhaust when idle?

When the engine is idling, there shouldn't be much smoke blowing out from exhaust pipe. If you see the excessive amount of smoke, you should check its color and then read first paragraphs of this article to check what can be wrong.

Remember that in winter when cold the engine can release some smoke when idling because of temperature differences. Also, the smoke will be more visible when the humidity is quite high.

What causes smoke from exhaust when accelerating hard?

For many engines this will be a normal thing. But only if the car produces a certain puff of smoke when you press the acceleration pedal hard. The mixture of fuel becomes richer too fast, and this causes some smoke when accelerating hard.

During slower acceleration and when idling the car shouldn't show much smoke. Otherwise, you'll need to check the engine and find out the reason why it releases much smoke.

Why is there smoke from exhaust when starting the car?

If you start the engine every day and still see a lot of smoke when the car starts, there is some issue to pay attention to. If the vehicle is started after a long downtime, the engine may produce some smoke until it starts working in optimal RPM and the fuel mixture becomes normal. Also, in such cars, the fuel may be quite old, so you should burn it, buy fresh gas or diesel and then make any conclusions.

If the car blows off smoke when started only, it shouldn't be a big problem. But if the smoke keeps coming out of exhaust pipe after a long drive, there should be an issue with engine. Pay attention to smoke thickness and color to guess what's going on with the car.

Why is there smoke from exhaust when AC is on?

There shouldn't be any connection between the smoke from exhaust pipe and AC in your car. But still, the AC produces some condensate water and sometimes it can get on the pipe and vapor immediately because of the large temperature. In this case, the smoke or better say steam will come from external parts of the pipe, not from the inside.

Smoke from exhaust pipe when revving

When you rev up your engine to 3000 RPM and more, and you see some black or grey smoke coming out of the pipe, it usually means that the engine burns oil and it's going to be broken soon. Also, in such cases oil level will gradually get lower, so keep an eye on that.

If the smoke is white and it comes with drops of water, there are two options. First: there is water in the pipe and it evaporates fast - it's a good option. Second: engine burns coolant and needs repair - this option is much worse for the vehicle owner.