I'm pumping out some serious white exhaust these past few days. I did a full tune up and ever since then, it's been like this. Any ideas?

 

Just to clear things up, I did use a FRAM pcv valve. Is this likely to be the source? From what I've read, that is the only thing I can think of since it has not overheated, and It wasn't happening prior to the tune up.

 

Any thoughts would be great!

 

Thanks,

Kevin

white smoke is water/coolant!

yeah, i just read more and learned that. problem is, i just checked my coolant, and yes it needed to be topped off, but i check it monthly, and it is at the exact same level that it is usually at.

 

A bit more clarification, however. It does it bad when it first starts up (always done that), and by the time it is at running temp, it does it intermittantly and very lightly. Any thoughts?

white smoke is water/coolant!

Sounds like there is a small crack in the head that, when it gets hot, closes up and leaks less.

If you are going to take off your head (not yours, the engines! ) you should just have a close look at the gasket to see if it looks to be leaking. Other wise I'm pertty sure you will need to take the head off you can do that while the engine is in the car BTW.

yikes. this is quickly going from bad to worse.

 

I'm completely new at engine work, and to tell ya the truth, I don't even know where to look. I'd like to learn however.

I have the chilton book, and that can probably be some help, but does anyone know of a walkthrough (for dummies, newbies, etc.) that I can have a look at?

 

When I say newbie, I mean it. Is this on top, side, bottom? huh? wha?

 

Also, if I choose to not repair it (I'd like to, but if it is something that I simply can't do, I don't really have the money to get it fixed in a shop), what is the worst that could happen if i keep my coolant topped off? Will it progress? will it damage anything else?

 

If you are going to take off your head (not yours, the engines! ) you should just have a close look at the gasket to see if it looks to be leaking. Other wise I'm pertty sure you will need to take the head off you can do that while the engine is in the car BTW.

head gasket = bad juju

 

fix it, I can come help... (if needed) I'm not a mechanic but I know my way around head gaskets.

I have the same problem currently on my Legacy wagon. Same symptoms and happens mostly in first 5 minutes after starting; doesn't happen at all during the day, but only after starting first time in the morning. But I'm convinced it's the PCV since the problem started after I installed a new PCV on my car (genuine OEM also!). White smoke can be massive amounts of oil getting into the intake but you can smell it; oil smoke smells acrid, coolent smoke smells sweet; also, oil smoke feels greasy on your hand if you hold it in front of the exhaust.

Have you tried smelling the smoke? Oil smoke is usually blue-gray, and antifreeze white, but smell might give you a clearer picture. They don't smell at all like each other.

The smoke does sound like coolant, either getting into a cylinder or the exhaust. This could be a weeping head gasket, a cracked head or a bad exhaust bolt. If you haven't touched the exhaust, you can probably rule out the bolt.

 

The pressure in the cooling system is pushing coolant into the cylinder or the exhaust after the engine is shut off, Hence the big smoke when you first start up, then it clears. If you were to run till it clears, shut it off then restart it; no smoke, because the coolant hasn't had time to push in yet.

 

The same will happen if you take your rad cap off (very carefully) when you shut down for the night. No pressure means no coolant weep and no smoke in the morning.

 

You can remove the small rubber from your rad cap to solve your problem temporarily as this will eliminate the coolant pressure. Bear in mind that you do have a problem that you have to correct, even if you get rid of the symptoms. Your suby cannot be expected to be reliable until properly repaired.

Did you loosen the intake bolts when you did your tuneup? There's a coolant crossover there, and if the gasket was damaged, you could be leaking coolant in from the intake.

As it turns out, I figure that it's probably no big deal seeing as how every single car I see on the road has white coming out of the pipe these days because its so darn cold.

 

Hopefully it goes away as once it starts warming up this spring, if not, I'll know I have a problem!

I'd still be carefull. My parts car has a cracked head and does the same thing, hence PARTS CAR. The temp here in AK is like 9 and my soob will do the same but nothing serious.

As it turns out, I figure that it's probably no big deal seeing as how every single car I see on the road has white coming out of the pipe these days because its so darn cold.

 

Hopefully it goes away as once it starts warming up this spring, if not, I'll know I have a problem!

As it turns out, I figure that it's probably no big deal seeing as how every single car I see on the road has white coming out of the pipe these days because its so darn cold.

 

Hopefully it goes away as once it starts warming up this spring, if not, I'll know I have a problem!

 

 

edrach, nailed it. If the exhaust smells like normal exhaust, just kinda "wet"... not sweet like toasted marshmallows or like severe gas/exhaust smell (you can smell and feel "blow-by"... smell gas in the oil)... then not to worry.

 

This sounds silly, but try to go up a big hill every morning to get the water (condensation) out of your exhaust system. It think it helps... I swear by it from experiences from long gone by. I still practice it.