White smoke coming from the exhaust. - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

hansthegerman · 10-01-2013, 12:01 AM

Hi all. I've noticed recently that on occasion I get some white smoke coming from the exhaust. It looks a lot like cold start smoke, except it happens when it isn't exactly cold. For example, got it tonight driving from my buddies when it's 56 degrees outside. I also got it driving back from Massachusetts the other day... 3 hours into my drive while sitting in traffic. It wasn't particularly cold then either, about 55-65 degrees. This doesn't seem normal, any ideas or am I just being paranoid?

KONVERTER · 10-01-2013, 12:50 AM

how many miles on it?

hansthegerman · 10-01-2013, 08:20 AM

15,500

ML · 10-01-2013, 09:53 AM

sure its not condensation? Correct me if I'm wrong but at least in my experiences white smoke was oil being burned/head gasket.

Draco-REX · 10-01-2013, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ML

sure its not condensation? Correct me if I'm wrong but at least in my experiences white smoke was oil being burned/head gasket.

White smoke is burning coolant, blue smoke is burning oil.

stugray · 10-01-2013, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

White smoke is burning coolant, blue smoke is burning oil.

I was going to suggest a blown head gasket.

Check your oil for any signs of coolant & get it to the dealer ASAP.
Blown head gaskets can ruin a lot of other engine componenets.
Even if you fix the gasket issue, you might do harm to other parts of the engine.

King Tut · 10-01-2013, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hansthegerman

am I just being paranoid?

Yes.

stugray · 10-01-2013, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hansthegerman

or am I just being paranoid?

NO! have it checked. I have NEVER seen my car blow ANY smoke Black, blue, white, or otherwise.

hansthegerman · 10-01-2013, 11:09 AM

Just flushed the oil yesterday. Oil was dark, definitely not milky. At the stealership now. I had oil leaking somewhere. Skid plate was covered in oil. Well see what they say...

Edit. First time I saw the smoke was after driving for 3 hours from Massachusetts while sitting in traffic on the hutchinson. Thats why I was alarmed. Didnt think I should be blowing smoke after driv8ng it for 3 hours. It was around 9pm abd oat was about 65 degrees.

lickitysplit · 10-01-2013, 11:45 AM

If there is an oil leak and it is burning on the exhaust I'm pretty sure it would produce a white smoke trail out the back(underneath). Also I read that if you have a manual there is a plate on the block that sometimes leaks(covered since we dont have an Auto).

hansthegerman · 10-01-2013, 01:58 PM

So i just got back from the dealer. Said the oil leak was the crush washer which I find hard to believe since I just changed my oil and replaced the crush washer yesterday, and it did leak before I replaced the crush washer too. Didn't really comment on the smoke, said it depends on the conditions the car is in and it is possible that it is normal. They said I have the 5 year 60 thousand mile warranty so if anything does happen, it'll be covered by that. I'm kind of worried that nothing got fixed but at least now I've got some paperwork from the dealership so if things do go awry, I'll at least I have paperwork regarding the issue...

Jason@DSG · 10-01-2013, 04:58 PM

It's always ideal to check at a stealership when things are under warranty. You're covered in the event something happens.

How were you driving when this happened? Sometimes small exhaust events can occur when the ECU is changing fuel trims, etc.

I blew my head gasket on my car....let me tell you, it's not just a puff of smoke, its:

coming out of your exhaust

hansthegerman · 10-01-2013, 08:04 PM

I was sitting in traffic idling. But. It went from doing 70-80 on the highway, to a dead stop. only a few minutes after stopping i saw the smoke. I saw it for a good 10-15 seconds and then it went away. Saw the same thing last night driving from my buddies house, but in fairness. His house is around the corner, car could have not warmed up yet.

This was definitely not something extremely alarming. It literally looked exactly like the smoke you get on a cold morning. Same density and everything. The conditions the car was in just didn't seem right for the smoke to appear to me. That's why I was concerned.

lickitysplit · 10-01-2013, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hansthegerman

So i just got back from the dealer. Said the oil leak was the crush washer which I find hard to believe since I just changed my oil and replaced the crush washer yesterday, and it did leak before I replaced the crush washer too. Didn't really comment on the smoke, said it depends on the conditions the car is in and it is possible that it is normal. They said I have the 5 year 60 thousand mile warranty so if anything does happen, it'll be covered by that. I'm kind of worried that nothing got fixed but at least now I've got some paperwork from the dealership so if things do go awry, I'll at least I have paperwork regarding the issue...

Figured as much, oil was dripping on hot stuff and burning.

10-01-2013, 12:01 AM	#1
hansthegerman Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Drives: Scion FRS Location: Florida, Massachusetts, New York Posts: 38 Thanks: 1 Thanked 14 Times in 3 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	White smoke coming from the exhaust. Hi all. I've noticed recently that on occasion I get some white smoke coming from the exhaust. It looks a lot like cold start smoke, except it happens when it isn't exactly cold. For example, got it tonight driving from my buddies when it's 56 degrees outside. I also got it driving back from Massachusetts the other day... 3 hours into my drive while sitting in traffic. It wasn't particularly cold then either, about 55-65 degrees. This doesn't seem normal, any ideas or am I just being paranoid?

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10-01-2013, 12:50 AM	#2
KONVERTER Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Drives: BRZ Location: LA Posts: 225 Thanks: 1 Thanked 69 Times in 44 Posts Mentioned: 4 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	how many miles on it?

10-01-2013, 08:20 AM	#3
hansthegerman Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Drives: Scion FRS Location: Florida, Massachusetts, New York Posts: 38 Thanks: 1 Thanked 14 Times in 3 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	15,500

10-01-2013, 11:09 AM	#9
hansthegerman Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Drives: Scion FRS Location: Florida, Massachusetts, New York Posts: 38 Thanks: 1 Thanked 14 Times in 3 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Just flushed the oil yesterday. Oil was dark, definitely not milky. At the stealership now. I had oil leaking somewhere. Skid plate was covered in oil. Well see what they say... Edit. First time I saw the smoke was after driving for 3 hours from Massachusetts while sitting in traffic on the hutchinson. Thats why I was alarmed. Didnt think I should be blowing smoke after driv8ng it for 3 hours. It was around 9pm abd oat was about 65 degrees.

10-01-2013, 11:45 AM	#10
lickitysplit Don't care Join Date: Aug 2013 Drives: 2013 Whiteout FRS Location: Texas Posts: 233 Thanks: 3 Thanked 62 Times in 48 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	If there is an oil leak and it is burning on the exhaust I'm pretty sure it would produce a white smoke trail out the back(underneath). Also I read that if you have a manual there is a plate on the block that sometimes leaks(covered since we dont have an Auto).

10-01-2013, 01:58 PM	#11
hansthegerman Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Drives: Scion FRS Location: Florida, Massachusetts, New York Posts: 38 Thanks: 1 Thanked 14 Times in 3 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	So i just got back from the dealer. Said the oil leak was the crush washer which I find hard to believe since I just changed my oil and replaced the crush washer yesterday, and it did leak before I replaced the crush washer too. Didn't really comment on the smoke, said it depends on the conditions the car is in and it is possible that it is normal. They said I have the 5 year 60 thousand mile warranty so if anything does happen, it'll be covered by that. I'm kind of worried that nothing got fixed but at least now I've got some paperwork from the dealership so if things do go awry, I'll at least I have paperwork regarding the issue...

10-01-2013, 04:58 PM	#12
Jason@DSG Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Drives: 1997 Eagle Talon TSi AWD Location: US/Canada Posts: 2,146 Thanks: 589 Thanked 431 Times in 266 Posts Mentioned: 42 Post(s) Tagged: 1 Thread(s)	It's always ideal to check at a stealership when things are under warranty. You're covered in the event something happens. How were you driving when this happened? Sometimes small exhaust events can occur when the ECU is changing fuel trims, etc. I blew my head gasket on my car....let me tell you, it's not just a puff of smoke, its: coming out of your exhaust

10-01-2013, 08:04 PM	#13
hansthegerman Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Drives: Scion FRS Location: Florida, Massachusetts, New York Posts: 38 Thanks: 1 Thanked 14 Times in 3 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	I was sitting in traffic idling. But. It went from doing 70-80 on the highway, to a dead stop. only a few minutes after stopping i saw the smoke. I saw it for a good 10-15 seconds and then it went away. Saw the same thing last night driving from my buddies house, but in fairness. His house is around the corner, car could have not warmed up yet. This was definitely not something extremely alarming. It literally looked exactly like the smoke you get on a cold morning. Same density and everything. The conditions the car was in just didn't seem right for the smoke to appear to me. That's why I was concerned.

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