White Smoke From Exhaust – These Are The 3 Main Causes?

White exhaust smoke is a signal that something is probably wrong with your car. It’s normal for your car to produce some white smoke when its cold for a short while after starting the car. Known as condensation burn off. But if the white smoke is continuous, you have an engine problem. Here are the 3 main causes of white smoke from your exhaust:

1. Coolant / Oil Leak

When coolant mixes with your engine oil a white smoke is produced and expelled through your exhaust system. The common causes of a coolant leak include, a cracked cylinder head – where the coolant leaks out and contaminates the engine oil, or a damaged coolant reservoir. An oil leak from either the piston rings or valve seals results in oil mixing with fuel in the combustion chamber and will also produce white exhaust smoke.

Leaking oil or coolant means that your engine is not being lubricated and cooled properly. This will result in engine components wearing out and even your engine seizing up. You need to have you car looked at by a mechanic ASAP!

2. Bad Fuel Injector

A faulty fuel injector means that you won’t have the right amount of fuel in the combustion chamber. Hence, the incomplete combustion is expelled as white smoke from your exhaust. Fuel injectors can be quite costly to replace, but properly working fuel injectors save you on fuel and can save you from an even more expensive engine repair.

3. ECU Error

Your Engine Control Unit (ECU) is responsible for the correct timing of the fuel injectors. As with having a faulty fuel injector, incomplete combustion due to incorrect timing results in a white smoke coming out your exhaust. You will need to fix or reprogram the ECU to restore the correct the timing of the fuel pump injector.

Tip: Sometimes unplugging your car battery for a few minutes will reset the computer automatically fix the issue.

So if you car only produces white exhaust smoke for a about 30 seconds to a minute after starting, it’s probably condensation burn off and you need not worry. But if the it is more regular, you need to have you car looked at before causing any serious damage.

If you are still unsure, book an inspection today we will send a specialist mechanic to you. We understand that your car plays an important part of your daily life, transporting you and your loved ones. Michanic is dedicated to providing the most convenient services for our customers, so if you have any other questions or concerns regarding your car, feel free to talk to our customer service team via email at [email protected], or by phone on 087 803 9000.

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