What does white smoke mean?
White Smoke – Could indicate that coolant has penetrated the combustion chamber. White smoke could indicate the head gasket is leaking, the cylinder head is cracked, or the engine block is cracked. Coolant smoke will often present itself before the vehicle overheats and often has a sweet smell.
What causes a car to have white smoke coming from the exhaust?
When the car’s cylinders head or gasket is either damaged or cracked, even a small crack, coolant starts to leak out of it and gets mixed with engine oil. This mixing results in contamination of engine oil, and ultimately results in white exhaust smoke with a sweet odor.
Why does my exhaust have a sweet smell?
Internal coolant leakage is another cause of white exhaust smoke. In the introduction to this section we mentioned that when the coolant leaks into the combustion chamber, the white smoke produced has a sweet smell.
Why does my head gasket keep blowing out?
Even so, a quality head gasket can still yield to extreme rises in temperature or pressure caused by engine performance issues. This guide examines the reasons behind the main causes that can lead to head gasket failure.
When to find the source of a blown head gasket?
Whenever you notice the engine beginning to overheat, diagnose the problem as soon as possible and make the necessary repairs. Pop the hood often and check coolant and engine oil levels. If coolant or oil levels drop often, find the source of the leak and make the necessary repairs.
Why do I have white smoke coming from my head gasket?
A faulty head gasket most often results in large clouds of sweet smelling white smoke coming from the exhaust. This is caused by antifreeze leaking past the gasket and into the cylinders, where it is turned to steam as part of the combustion process.
What should I do if I have white smoke coming from my exhaust?
In order to fix it, drivers have to remove the intake manifold and examine the intake gasket. If there is any leak or rust, you know where to repair. If it is fine, we move to step number 2. Remember to only perform this step when the intake gasket is working fine. After that, we will come to the head gasket.
Why does my car have a white smoke smell?
If the white smoke is coolant, your car is definitely having a crack in the cylinder head or a leaky head gasket, along with a sweet smell. In this situation, you can pressure test the cooling system if the coolant is low or the engine has been overheating. If it does not, your vehicle is mostly having a leaking gasket.
What causes a blow to the head gasket?
However, there are some practical things you can do to reduce your chances of a blown head gasket. First, the most common cause of a blown head gasket is overheating.