What color is the exhaust smoke from a blown head gasket?

One of the telltale symptoms of a blown head gasket is white smoke from the exhaust. It's important that the smoke is white because blue or black smoke can indicate a rich running engine or an engine that is burning oil.

What color is head gasket smoke?

The most common sign of a blown head gasket is exhaust smoke. White smoke indicates that your car is burning coolant that is leaking into the cylinders. A similar problem is indicated by blue exhaust smoke, though this is a sign of oil leaking from the gasket.

Does white smoke from the exhaust always mean blown head gasket?

White smoke from your exhaust almost always indicates a blown head gasket, and just like there is coolant mixed with your engine oil, there will also be engine oil mixed with your coolant.

Does blue smoke mean head gasket?

Blue exhaust smoke is a common symptom of head gasket failure. With over 6 million bottles sold, K-Seal provides a permanent head gasket & coolant repair.

What color should exhaust smoke be?

It is considered normal when the exhaust coming from your vehicle is light or thin white. This type of smoke is usually just water vapor. You will notice it when you first start your vehicle, especially on cold days. The reason for this form of exhaust is that condensation collects naturally in the exhaust system.

Learn 3 Symptoms of Blown Head Gasket

What color is coolant smoke?

White/Gray Exhaust: White exhaust smoke is an indication that coolant is burning in the combustion chamber.

Why is white smoke coming out of my exhaust but not overheating?

Oil Spillage and Leakage – If oil spills on the engine, it can burn and send up smoke without there being any overheating. The smoke will be blue or gray. Leaking Coolant – If you see white smoke under the hood, it's most likely burning coolant that has come into contact with the hot components beneath your hood.

What does grey smoke mean?

Blue or Grey Smoke

If the smoke from the exhaust pipe is either grey or bluish-tinged, it generally means that your engine is burning oil inside the combustion chamber. Burning oil could be due to a number of causes, from leaky valve seals to bad piston rings.

What causes thick white smoke from exhaust?

If your exhaust system is producing a thick, white smoke – you may have a problem. Many times, this thick smoke is due to the likes of a blown head gasket, damaged cylinder, or a cracked engine block, which is causing coolant to burn.

How do I know if my Headgasket is cracked or blown?

How do I know if I blew a head gasket?

There is an easy way to find out if your engine's head gasket has blown. Simply check under the oil filler cap. If the gasket is not damaged, the inside of the oil cap will be mostly dry. If you discover a milky brownish-yellow substance that is similar to the thickness of a milkshake, you probably have a gasket leak.

Will a blown head gasket cause black smoke?

One of the telltale symptoms of a blown head gasket is white smoke from the exhaust. It's important that the smoke is white because blue or black smoke can indicate a rich running engine or an engine that is burning oil.

What does dark exhaust smoke mean?

Billowing black smoke is generally a sign that the fuel-air ratio in your engine is too rich. This means that the fuel injectors are either adding too much fuel or that the intake valves aren't letting enough air in. This could be caused by a leaking fuel injector, a faulty fuel pressure regulator, or a bad air filter.

What does bluish white smoke mean?

Blue smoke can often look like grey smoke at first. But if you notice a distinctive bluish tint, it may signal that the engine is burning lots of oil. This could be due to worn engine components like piston rings, valve seals, or PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) valves.

Can leaking intake gasket cause white smoke?

Additionally, the smoke is also known to leave behind an oily smell. Aside from that, a vehicle burns coolant when the car's cylinder head or gasket is cracked and starts leaking. This usually is bad news as the leak gets mixed with the engine oil therefore it contaminates it which results in white smoke.

Can a blown head gasket cause blue smoke?

Blue Exhaust smoke & White Material in Your Oil

If your car looks like a rocket ship with blue smoke streaming out of your exhaust, chances are this is a head gasket problem. Oil is probably leaking into the cylinders and burning there.

What do the different colors of smoke mean?

The color of the smoke depends on the material that is burning. Natural materials such as unfinished wood will change to tan or brown colored smoke, whereas plastics and painted surfaces appear to be grey in color. However, black smoke can appear grey when it is mixed with moisture from other heated materials.

What indicates a greyish exhaust smoke of the main engine?

Blue/gray exhaust smoke means there's likely an oil leak and your engine is burning oil. Time to have a qualified technician check things out. The leak could be caused by several issues like leaking valve seals, damaged piston rings, or worn cylinder walls.

Is white smoke from exhaust normal?

White smoke can be nothing to be concerned about if it's thin, like vapor. This is probably the result of normal condensation buildup inside the exhaust system. This kind of smoke disappears quickly. However, thicker smoke is a big problem and can be caused by the engine burning coolant.

How do you fix GREY smoke from exhaust?

To fix blue or gray smoke: The easy way is to add a bottle of Motor Honey Oil Treatment to your motor oil with each oil change. It's specially designed to reduce oil burning and stop smoky exhausts. The hard way is an engine overhaul, which is about a hundred times more expensive and a thousand times more work.

How do you diagnose white smoke from exhaust?

What Causes Coolant Or Water To Enter The Combustion Chamber? Thick white smoke coming out of the exhaust typically indicates a blown head gasket, a crack in the head, or a crack in the engine block. Cracks and bad gaskets allow the fluid to travel to places it shouldn't be. If it travels, then the problems begin.

Why is my car smoking but not overheating?

The most common answer to, “Why is my car smoking but not overheating?” is that there's a type of fluid that's landed on the engine. This can be motor oil, fuel, transmission fluid, coolant, or even condensation. It can cause your engine to smoke because it's burning off that fluid from the engine.

What does it mean when smoke is white?

White smoke can often mean material is off-gassing moisture and water vapor, meaning the fire is just starting to consume material. White smoke can also indicate light and flashy fuels such as grass or twigs. Thick, black smoke indicates heavy fuels that are not being fully consumed.

Can you smell a blown 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.