white smoke but very minimal
08-26-2014, 06:43 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: oklahoma
Posts: 3
white smoke but very minimal
I'm hoping someone here can help me. 03 gt , quite a lot of white smoke when I first take off. Doesn't smoke at all until it's at operating temperature. Has the smell of oil but sometimes it varies. Times you smell oil, sometimes raw fuel and other times just smells like exhaust. But my question is, I have been told it smokes because I have no cats. I don't believe that's the reason because my truck has no cats and it's an 84 and it doesn't smoke. Someone also suggested valve seats but I know if those are bad usually it'll only smoke at startup then quit. Only mods done to car are bbk CAI, Xpipe and flows. Supposedly the car was tuned before I got it. By who I don't know. I'm not even sure it is tuned. Anyways, I haven't takin it to a shop because I'm not fully ready to hear that it needs rings. And no I have not pulled my plugs to see if there is oil in the combustion chamber. Also it's not a head or head gasket . There is no coolant in my oil. My oil is Crystal clear oil. Thanks to any and everyone for advice.
08-26-2014, 08:18 PM
#2
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: ohio
Posts: 3,628
White smoke is either condensation or coolant. Just because your oil don't show signs of coolant in it doesn't mean your head gasket is ok. A small head gasket leak isn't enough to send coolant into the oil because it gets burned off in the form of a vapor. As the head gasket gets worse and worse the amount of coolant entering the chamber over whelms the combustion and starts seeping past the rings.
Watch your coolant level and if it starts to gradually get low you have a head gasket leak. I would at least have it tested for the presence of hydrocarbons in the coolant.
Oil is blue, fuel is black.
Watch your coolant level and if it starts to gradually get low you have a head gasket leak. I would at least have it tested for the presence of hydrocarbons in the coolant.
Oil is blue, fuel is black.
08-26-2014, 09:45 PM
#3
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: oklahoma
Posts: 3
White smoke is either condensation or coolant. Just because your oil don't show signs of coolant in it doesn't mean your head gasket is ok. A small head gasket leak isn't enough to send coolant into the oil because it gets burned off in the form of a vapor. As the head gasket gets worse and worse the amount of coolant entering the chamber over whelms the combustion and starts seeping past the rings.
Watch your coolant level and if it starts to gradually get low you have a head gasket leak. I would at least have it tested for the presence of hydrocarbons in the coolant.
Oil is blue, fuel is black.
Watch your coolant level and if it starts to gradually get low you have a head gasket leak. I would at least have it tested for the presence of hydrocarbons in the coolant.
Oil is blue, fuel is black.
08-27-2014, 06:35 AM
#4
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: ohio
Posts: 3,628
Im not saying its the head gasket for sure, Im just saying that just because there is no coolant in the oil doesn't mean its for sure not...
With out seeing for my self the smoke you are describing I can only guess.... Rule of thumb is that coolant is white, oil is blue , fuel is black.
I suspect that you are mistaking the smoke for white, generally a head gasket failure is unmistakable in the exhaust as it will look like a lot of steam coming out of the pipes, and it will almost always have a misfire associated with it.
Oil burning will be similar in color with the exception of it will have a blue or grey color to it.
Run you car up to operating temp, with coolant reservoir cap off. Look for bubbles coming up in the coolant, this is almost a sure sign of head gasket failure.
It could very well be oil, but that doesn't mean its rings or valve stems, it could simply be that your PCV is sticking open and sucking oil up into the intake.
A good way to tell if your burning oil past the rings is to smell your oil, if it smells really strong of fuel that is an indication of a lot of blow by, and your oil will be pulled into the cylinder on the down stroke.
Pull the PCV valve out and give it a good shake, you should hear it rattle , if not it is most likely either stuck open or stuck closed. In either case it can cause you to burn oil.
With out seeing for my self the smoke you are describing I can only guess.... Rule of thumb is that coolant is white, oil is blue , fuel is black.
I suspect that you are mistaking the smoke for white, generally a head gasket failure is unmistakable in the exhaust as it will look like a lot of steam coming out of the pipes, and it will almost always have a misfire associated with it.
Oil burning will be similar in color with the exception of it will have a blue or grey color to it.
Run you car up to operating temp, with coolant reservoir cap off. Look for bubbles coming up in the coolant, this is almost a sure sign of head gasket failure.
It could very well be oil, but that doesn't mean its rings or valve stems, it could simply be that your PCV is sticking open and sucking oil up into the intake.
A good way to tell if your burning oil past the rings is to smell your oil, if it smells really strong of fuel that is an indication of a lot of blow by, and your oil will be pulled into the cylinder on the down stroke.
Pull the PCV valve out and give it a good shake, you should hear it rattle , if not it is most likely either stuck open or stuck closed. In either case it can cause you to burn oil.
08-28-2014, 07:53 PM
#5
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: oklahoma
Posts: 3
Im not saying its the head gasket for sure, Im just saying that just because there is no coolant in the oil doesn't mean its for sure not...
With out seeing for my self the smoke you are describing I can only guess.... Rule of thumb is that coolant is white, oil is blue , fuel is black.
I suspect that you are mistaking the smoke for white, generally a head gasket failure is unmistakable in the exhaust as it will look like a lot of steam coming out of the pipes, and it will almost always have a misfire associated with it.
Oil burning will be similar in color with the exception of it will have a blue or grey color to it.
Run you car up to operating temp, with coolant reservoir cap off. Look for bubbles coming up in the coolant, this is almost a sure sign of head gasket failure.
It could very well be oil, but that doesn't mean its rings or valve stems, it could simply be that your PCV is sticking open and sucking oil up into the intake.
A good way to tell if your burning oil past the rings is to smell your oil, if it smells really strong of fuel that is an indication of a lot of blow by, and your oil will be pulled into the cylinder on the down stroke.
Pull the PCV valve out and give it a good shake, you should hear it rattle , if not it is most likely either stuck open or stuck closed. In either case it can cause you to burn oil.
With out seeing for my self the smoke you are describing I can only guess.... Rule of thumb is that coolant is white, oil is blue , fuel is black.
I suspect that you are mistaking the smoke for white, generally a head gasket failure is unmistakable in the exhaust as it will look like a lot of steam coming out of the pipes, and it will almost always have a misfire associated with it.
Oil burning will be similar in color with the exception of it will have a blue or grey color to it.
Run you car up to operating temp, with coolant reservoir cap off. Look for bubbles coming up in the coolant, this is almost a sure sign of head gasket failure.
It could very well be oil, but that doesn't mean its rings or valve stems, it could simply be that your PCV is sticking open and sucking oil up into the intake.
A good way to tell if your burning oil past the rings is to smell your oil, if it smells really strong of fuel that is an indication of a lot of blow by, and your oil will be pulled into the cylinder on the down stroke.
Pull the PCV valve out and give it a good shake, you should hear it rattle , if not it is most likely either stuck open or stuck closed. In either case it can cause you to burn oil.
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