*edited*

[bigCountry]

i dont know y but today i was cruisin and i noticed a smell but i didnt pay attention to it until i pulled into a mcdonnalds and looked in my rear view mirror and saw smoke i steped out of my car looked to c were it was coming from and my car is smoking from my exhaulst pipes white or gray smoke it doesnt do it constantly


edit by navyblue2000: This is your ONE warning. Post up a title like that again and you're done

[ July 31, 2005, 11:45 AM: Message edited by: navyblue2000 ]

[3.4 slow to go]

nice title.

sig indicates that it isn't a cat. where on the exhaust pipes is it coming from: the tips, engine compartment, inbetween, what?

[xX315Xx]

I know this has been mentioned in one of your previous posts...punctuation...your posts make my head hurt. Is there any check engine light, or just the smoke? Some vehicle info might help as well.

[bigCountry]

Im sorry I failed english, the smoke is coming from the tail pipes but its not constintly, just every once in a while. And yes I do have a ses light but thats besause of no cat.

[96RS Alex]

You stated you have an SES light therefore you must find an AutoZone and have them scan for the code, it's free. From there you may have to purchase a Haynes Manual after they tell you what the problem might be and then you consult the book to tackle & fix it. Can you describe the color & kind of smell of the smoke? Maybe it's some kind of mouse that made a dash into your exhaust pipe and called it a day.

[z28novak]

could be bad valves, thats what happends

[bigCountry]

its not smoking now

[ThatsMeGC]

Just because it magicly stopped smoking doesn't mean the problem is fixed.

[3.4 slow to go]

keepan eye on your cooant level.

[bigCountry]

it wouldnt smoke bad u couldnt even notice it unles u stair at the exhaulst tips and it would like sometimes put a little cloud of smoke out

[Gallstaff]

Reading your posts is like trying to run through quick sand. Slow, tiring, and difficult.

Maybe the problem you're describing is simply a cold start up? I know that if I haven't run my car for a while, after cruising for a bit of time, I'll get a little bit of smoke too. I don't think it's anything to really worry about unless it's constant smoke but then again, are you getting any codes?

[Gallstaff]

Sorry for double posting but now I'M actually having this problem. I'm not throwing a service engine light and I do have a cat. So basically what he said - sometimes white smoke will come out of my tailpipes and you can smell gasoline, like the car is running rich. Actually I can smell the gasoline almost every time I start my car. The smoke is white and it's not very thick, but you can definately see it.

Any ideas other than a bad valve. I've searched the board and there are a million different theroies. Some say it's oil burning, coolant, bad gaskets etc. I even read that it's perfectly fine and I shouldn't worry about it.

I'm just kind of confused as to what to think here.

[ August 04, 2005, 02:25 PM: Message edited by: Gallstaff ]

[fenderman]

One of the first things I would do is have a compression check run on the engine. Unless you have the rare occurence of fluid seeping through a crack in one of the exhaust manifold ports, the fluid is being pushed out of the exhaust by the piston through the exhaust valve. A compression check not only lets you know if you have a leak but what cylinder the leak is coming from.
If you don't own a compression gauge and would like to do this at home, another way to check is to pull the spark plugs and look at them. Any fluid that is escaping will deposit itself on the spark plug as well. I haven't seen one fouled by coolant yet but oil is noticable. Of course if you are introducing any foreign fluids into the combustion chamber you should notice a change in engine performance.

Also keep in mind that your car under no circumstances creates any fluid. Check your fluid levels and if you start to notice a significant drop in any one of them you can suspect a leak that needs to be taken care of.

[Gallstaff]

how is it even possible that fluids are being pushed fluid out? Even if I blew a gasket, wouldn't the only other way for that to happen is if I had a crack in the piston?

I don't really understand what you're saying would be happening, sorry.

[fenderman]

Originally posted by Gallstaff:
how is it even possible that fluids are being pushed fluid out?

Wow.... took me awhile to figure out what you were asking exactly. What do you mean how can fluid be pushed out? The same way exhaust gases are pushed out... by the piston through the exhaust valve. Exhaust gas doesn't just flow by magic.... the piston pushes it out through the exhaust valve. So why is it so inconceivable to think that the piston would force contaminants out as well? If you have a blown head gasket, bad rings or bad valve seals that allow fluid to enter the combustion chamber they will be pushed out along with the exhaust gas. Another way to get contamination is through the intake. If you introduce water into either the air or the fuel it will exit with the exhaust gases. If you have an extreme case of water, coolant or oil entering the combustion chamber you will not only notice a lot of smoke but poor engine performance. A cracked piston that is broken to the point of allowing fluid to seep through it would probably be pretty noticable and would generate more symptoms than just a slightly smoking exhaust.

Even if I blew a gasket, wouldn't the only other way for that to happen is if I had a crack in the piston?

If you don't understand how fluids can be pushed out then why are you suggesting ways that it can happen?