Car Smoke Out

#1 02-28-2003, 12:13 PM

So i have been noticing that when I start my car up after a night of sitting that smoke is coming out of the exhaust. This does not happen when it has been running recently, but only after a period of sitting. What could this be? Kinda freaks me out. Also, what octane gas are we supposed to use.

svxcess · #2 02-28-2003, 12:33 PM

If it does it for only a second or two it's probably a tiny bit of oil seeping past the valve guides and into the combustion chamber. Usually happens when the car has been sitting overnight. Not a really big problem, just normal wear it seems. How many miles on your 94?

Subaru says the SVX was designed to run on Premium Unleaded, 91 octane and above.

#3 03-01-2003, 12:46 PM

60 or 70 K, dont really remember

Mr. Pockets · #4 03-02-2003, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jwherm
60 or 70 K, dont really remember

If you can manage it, try to smell the smoke. Mine does the same thing in the winter, and the smoke coming from my car smells like gas. The explanation I got was that, in cold weather, the car sometimes over-compensates with too much fuel on start-up. Nothing to be worried about, I was told.

#5 03-02-2003, 07:23 PM

That is good. I was freakin out. It does smell like gas.

Tim · #6 03-02-2003, 08:08 PM

What if it smells sorta sweet? Mine smells like a sweet gas.

Mr. Pockets · #7 03-03-2003, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jwherm
That is good. I was freakin out. It does smell like gas.

In that case, based on my experience, I would recommend against freaking out.

No, really, if you start to notice a color to the exhaust any other time, or if the color starts to stick around for longer, then you can get concerned.

Mr. Pockets · #8 03-03-2003, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TE1221
What if it smells sorta sweet? Mine smells like a sweet gas.

Then I might be worried about coolant leaking into the combustion chamber via a head gasket. Have you checked your coolant reservoir? Is it contaminated with oil at all? Are you losing coolant?

Tim · #9 03-03-2003, 03:36 PM

I'm dripping a tiny bit of coolant out of the front somewhere, but I've yet to pinpoint it. And I've checked the reservoir in the oil and its clean. The color was fine and I didnt see any green coolant mixed with it. I just had the oil change and my brother said the oil was fine. I've also checked the radiator and theres nothing mixing with it. It seems to always have a little bit of white smoke since I took the car over that was there when it was cold, but when it was warm out it went away.

Mr. Pockets · #10 03-03-2003, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by TE1221
I'm dripping a tiny bit of coolant out of the front somewhere, but I've yet to pinpoint it. And I've checked the reservoir in the oil and its clean. The color was fine and I didnt see any green coolant mixed with it. I just had the oil change and my brother said the oil was fine. I've also checked the radiator and theres nothing mixing with it. It seems to always have a little bit of white smoke since I took the car over that was there when it was cold, but when it was warm out it went away.

'White smoke' in cold weather may not be 'smoke' at all. If it disappears right away, then it's steam. Condensation freezes in the exhaust system in cold weather, causing steam to blow out the tailpipe while it melts and evaporates. If it really is smoke, it's gonna leave a cloud behind...like smoke. That's a little more serious.

Tim · #11 03-03-2003, 05:12 PM

Hmm, maybe the smell im smelling is normal? My friend, (SlipGx33 on the network,) just bought his legacy and it smells the same way but he passed inspection and just had the car worked on by a mechanic and it was checked out as well.

I can make a small cloud in the morning if i hit i accelerate past 2500 RPM, then it leaves a cloud on the ground that disappates. I guess thats steam too?

I've noticed a lot of older cars, mine included, seem to have a constant steam/white smoke that emits when its cold out no matter how long the engines been running for. Is that normal or does that indicate a leak?

Mr. Pockets · #12 03-04-2003, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TE1221
Hmm, maybe the smell im smelling is normal? My friend, (SlipGx33 on the network,) just bought his legacy and it smells the same way but he passed inspection and just had the car worked on by a mechanic and it was checked out as well.

I can make a small cloud in the morning if i hit i accelerate past 2500 RPM, then it leaves a cloud on the ground that disappates. I guess thats steam too?

I've noticed a lot of older cars, mine included, seem to have a constant steam/white smoke that emits when its cold out no matter how long the engines been running for. Is that normal or does that indicate a leak?

If it's just steam, then it's normal. I haven't seen a car yet that doesn't blow steam out of the tailpipe in cold weather.

#13 03-11-2003, 11:20 PM

Bad news. On a trip to pick up one of my friends cars, he noticed that my car was puffin out smoke during hard acceleration/shifting. I think that it is the rings now but I am praying that it isnt. If it is though, how much would something like this cost to fix? I hear it is really expensive. Danggg.

Mr. Pockets · #14 03-13-2003, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jwherm
Bad news. On a trip to pick up one of my friends cars, he noticed that my car was puffin out smoke during hard acceleration/shifting. I think that it is the rings now but I am praying that it isnt. If it is though, how much would something like this cost to fix? I hear it is really expensive. Danggg.

Did your friend happen to notice what color the smoke was?

cbx-man · #15 03-13-2003, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jwherm
Bad news. On a trip to pick up one of my friends cars, he noticed that my car was puffin out smoke during hard acceleration/shifting. I think that it is the rings now but I am praying that it isnt. If it is though, how much would something like this cost to fix? I hear it is really expensive. Danggg.

First of all our cars are starting to get a little old here, so a certain amount of wear and tear is to be expected. A little puff of blue smoke on a cold start-up is a TINY bit of oil probably seeping past the valve guides. No big deal. Grey smoke during hard acceleration is the engine just running rich ( like a big carb on an old V-8) to prevent detonation and is normal. No big deal. On cold days the white smoke is steam / water vapor. It will not hang in the air much for more than a 5 second life-span after exiting the tail pipe (that's why it rarely extends 5 feet past the vehicle). No big deal. If the cloud doesn't dissipate into the air after 10 seconds it is probably oil smoke.

If a blue haze follows you everywhere you go and you can see it in the mirror, then you have a problem.