Puff of white smoke from engine when starting.

[pipedream]

So as the subject states-

I've noticed that when I start my car, there is this whiff / puff of white smoke that emanates from my engine. It's very slight and very whispy, not continueous, just like a.... puff, as i said, when starting the car.

At least, i believe it comes from the engine bay.

Oil or something leaking? Do these symptoms sound related to anything?

Car seems to run fine other wise.

[THAWA]

White = coolant.

[Manarius]

Headgasket I thinks...white smoke is typical when the headgasket is broke...

[benebob]

If it does it shortly and that's it (no power loss, overheating in traffic, etc) I'd say you might have a cracked head which allows coolant to leak down when she cools. No biggie, my XT6 has done that since I got it 50k ago and hasn't gotten much worse over that time.

[pipedream]

Is getting the head gasket fixed an expensive ordeal?

[benebob]

Is getting the head gasket fixed an expensive ordeal?

Like I said unless it is overheating I doubt its your head gasket. More than likely a cracked head. YES, both aren't cheap. Probably about $1000 all said and done (that's providing your head is fixable).

[THAWA]

It's probably NOT a cracked head. Cracking heads was a thing of EA engines. With an EJ engine you're going to blow a headgasket before you crack a head. That's not to say he has actually blown a headgasket. First confirm exactly where the smoke is coming from. Then you can diagnose it better, rather than just throwing parts at the car.

[benebob]

It's probably NOT a cracked head. Cracking heads was a thing of EA engines. With an EJ engine you're going to blow a headgasket before you crack a head. That's not to say he has actually blown a headgasket. First confirm exactly where the smoke is coming from. Then you can diagnose it better, rather than just throwing parts at the car.


Hmmm??? Not sure where that is coming from. I know of plenty of EJs that suffer the same fate (not a single one had a head gasket go either). It has just taken 'em time to get there (just as it did with the 82).

[THAWA]

Cracked heads? I assume you've seen these cracks. What heads were they, and where were they cracking?

[pnyklr]

could it be valve seals?

[benebob]

Cracked heads? I assume you've seen these cracks. What heads were they, and where were they cracking?


I could show you 10 tomorrow (one of which is on our race trailer) but really you still won't accept it happens and that from the symptoms he stated I'm probably right it just isn't worth my time.

[huck369]

could it be valve seals?


That was my first thought too...

[THAWA]

I could show you 10 tomorrow (one of which is on our race trailer) but really you still won't accept it happens and that from the symptoms he stated I'm probably right it just isn't worth my time.

I will and do accept it, just haven't heard much of it happening. I have no reason not to believe you. Anyway, where were the heads cracking, and what heads?

[pipedream]

That was my first thought too...

Someone who witnessed the puff of mysterious white smoke, mentioned something about valve seals as well....

From re-examination, it looks like the smoke is indeed coming from my tail pipes though, and NOT the engine.

So this just means there was some unburnt gas or something that as burnt up as i turned the ignition on from flooring it all around town the previous night...?

[THAWA]

It's most likely not fuel, fuel is black when burnt, coolant is white. If the smoke is actually white, then as has been said you've got coolant in your combustion chamber.

Also wouldn't valve seals cause oil leakage? so the smoke would be blue right?

[Manarius]

Oil burns nice and white :p

If it were valve covers, it would be in the engine bay area, not out the pipes. And it would be white smoke, and it wouldn't puff. You'd get a nice odor near the front of the car.

[THAWA]

Oil does not burn nice and white. ATF burns whiter than Oil, and that's not very white either. Coolant is the whitest burning fluid in your car.

Oil has a darker grayish/blusish tint to it.

[huck369]

I've had several cars with bad valve seals, and they would blow a light colored smoke out the tail pipe when started, after setting a while.

These are the seals on the valve stems, not the valve covers, so they let the oil seap down the valve stem into the combustion chamber, then upon starting, it burns off the oil that had leaked in over time, once that build up of oil burns off, it runs clean (this is to clarify, why valves seals will smoke out the Tailpipe).

I'm not saying that it couldn't be coolent, but if it had a bad head gasket, or a cracked head, it would get Worse when the motor gets hot....

[pipedream]

I've had several cars with bad valve seals, and they would blow a light colored smoke out the tail pipe when started, after setting a while.

These are the seals on the valve stems, not the valve covers, so they let the oil seap down the valve stem into the combustion chamber, then upon starting, it burns off the oil that had leaked in over time, once that build up of oil burns off, it runs clean (this is to clarify, why valves seals will smoke out the Tailpipe).

I'm not saying that it couldn't be coolent, but if it had a bad head gasket, or a cracked head, it would get Worse when the motor gets hot....

This explanation sounds close to what my friend said when he witnessed the puff of smoke. It just happens once when startin the car, *sometimes*, it seems like, its very slight, and the car doens't smoke at all while it's running.

I do have a nasty smell after accelerating, like rotten eggs, but I think I've got a fried cat which is causing that. I don't know if the fried cat has anything to do with this mysterious "puff" of white smoke that i get.

I love saying puff.

How concerned should I actually be about this, if it is the valve stems?

[huck369]

How concerned should I actually be about this, if it is the valve stems?


If it's the valve seals, it'll run pretty much forever like that, but it will burn a little oil, and could eventually foul the plugs, they can be replaced in the car, but the valve covers, and cam carriers have to come off, plus a couple special tool would be needed.., so it is a pretty in-depth undertaking if you're not a mechanic...but can be done.

[dcarrb]

Y'all lost me. Pipedream, you originally said the puff of smoke was coming from the engine bay, right? Valve seals leaking oil into the combustion chamber would cause a little smoke from the tailpipe.

Not that I have any ideas, but is this from a cold start? From whereabouts in the engine bay?

dcb

[huck369]

Y'all lost me. Pipedream, you originally said the puff of smoke was coming from the engine bay, right? Valve seals leaking oil into the combustion chamber would cause a little smoke from the tailpipe.

Not that I have any ideas, but is this from a cold start? From whereabouts in the engine bay?

dcb


Just re-read the original post...
And Valve stem seals will NOT cause smoke in the engine compartment, but can cause it to puff out a little smoke through the tail-pipe when starting the car..

I can't think of anything that will cause a puff of smoke from the engine compartment when starting a COLD car, other than an exhaust leak, and then your motor would have to be burninmg oil to smoke then... :rolleyes: ....Ya got me...

[THAWA]

You guys get confused too easily :)

[dcarrb]

You guys get confused too easily :)
In my case, it's a perpetual state.
dcb