Exhaust Smoke Colors
We all love our cars and at times, they get faulty. They may not talk but just like humans, they display some symptoms which may give lead to the exact problem. By looking at the color and at times ‘texture’ of your car’s exhaust smoke, you can tell whether your car is fine or needs some Tender Love and Care. Walk with me as I take you through some exhaust smoke colors and what they signify. Comments, corrections, and additions are welcome.
1. Light or Thin White Exhaust Smoke
When you see this, please do not panic. This is normal as light or thin white exhaust smoke is basically water vapor. Light or thin white exhaust appears mainly in the morning and at times, you may even spot droplets of water from the exhaust. Another period when you may spot this is when it is cold.
Let me take you back to primary school science. There is a term known as condensation. I will not dwell much on it but it is what happens before it rains. In relation to motor vehicles, condensation naturally collects in the exhaust system. Please note that this disappears gradually as your vehicle warms up.
2. Blue/Gray Exhaust Smoke
Blue smoke in a two-stroke engine is normal. These were engines used in some power saws and older models of motorcycles where fuel is mixed with two-stroke oil. I will discuss this maybe in my next article. If you see blue or grey exhaust smoke, be alarmed. Why? Blue means you are burning oil. In essence, oil is leaking and finding its way into the combustion chamber. The combustion chamber is only designed to have air and fuel (air-fuel mixture). Oil in the combustion chamber could mean any of these problems or a combination:
- leaking valve seals
- excessive clearance around valve guides or
- “blow-by” caused by worn piston rings or cylinder walls.
When there is blue smoke at acceleration, the problem is most likely with the piston rings. If it’s during deceleration, the blue smoke likely indicates that the cylinder head valve guides are damaged. If not checked, this may lead to a rough start & idling, poor acceleration, or poor handling.
3. Dark Black Exhaust Smoke
This one is not so much of a problem but still needs to be checked. There is something known as an air-fuel mixture. As it suggests it is a mixture of air and fuel and these two are designed to mix in a certain ratio. If the fuel is more than the recommended ratio, that is a rich mixture. Where the air is more than the required ratio, that is a lean mixture.
Black smoke is an indication that your air-fuel mixture is running rich meaning there is more fuel that is getting into the combustion chamber. Remember that in petrol engines, there are spark plugs that introduce a spark into the combustion chamber to the air-fuel mixture. The spark ignites this mixture and so for optimal performance, the air-fuel mixture has to be right.
The main causes of a rich mixture include leaking injectors which supply more fuel than is required or clogged air filter which ultimately reduces the amount of air. There could also be improper ignition timing which means that the engine is getting the right amounts of everything but at the wrong time. This is mainly caused by a faulty sensor or bad fuel pressure switch over-pressurizing the fuel system.
4. Persistent, Milky White/Gray Exhaust Smoke
Remember the first type of smoke we talked about was Light or Thin White Exhaust Smoke which is normal. However, a continual stream of thick white/gray colored exhaust smoke is not normal, and more often than not indicates to a leaking head gasket.
Heavy white smoke may also indicate that your engine is burning coolant. By coolant sipping into the combustion chamber, it now points to an imminent overheating challenge. We all know that this eventually causes engine damage where you may be forced to get a new engine, right?
This smoke color may also be trying to show you other faults such as a blown head gasket, a damaged cylinder head (overhaul), or a cracked engine block (engine replacement).
Disclaimer: www.spaceyamagari.com advises that this article is not a foolproof indicator of the exact problem that your car may have but it just gives you an idea of the possible culprits. For a proper and accurate diagnosis, please get a qualified professional to diagnose the car and get to know the exact problem. Thank you
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Young Lawyer with a passion for vehicles.
Upcoming Motor Journalist.
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Nissan Patrol Y 62 is the goal.
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karimi@spaceyamagari.com
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