smoke from exhaust...
smoke from exhaust...vid.. A while back i had what appeared to be white smoke comeout of my tail pipes, when i rev my the car (high RPM).well yesterday i noticed the smoke came back again...it looked white to me i couldnt really tell. i left the car running for a good 3 minutes, and the smoke kept coming out. i took it out for a drive and didnt notice it while i was driving it. It did rain for a good 2 hrs prior to this, dont know if it has anything to do with it. I have also installed the headers and ory, almost 2 months ago. i had noticed some smoke prior to this but it wasnt as much as today. checked the oil, looked fine, coolant was abit low though. im affraid it might be something serious....i do have to add a bit of oil every now and then but not a big significant amount. I searched on here before posting, which leads me to believe that it is a serious matter. I have not had the car tuned , back i dont have the black smoke (for fuuel burning) i do hvae the gas smell. would the tune help?? should i not drive the car ??? aso the car has 54,7XX miles on it, 01. where could i get a comp. test done ??and how much will it run???
Last edited by z28_n_tx; Jul 26, 2006 at 06:06 PM.
If it is white and has a gas smell, you could be running a little too lean. It could also be coolant related. I would tend to believe it may be a lean condition since tuning is involved. Any reputable shop should be able to do a comp test for you and cost will vary depending on what the labor rate is, some might charge a flat fee(unlikely). Good Luck, I hope you get it straightened out.
Last edited by SS1875; Jul 24, 2006 at 08:07 AM.
if you want, you can also pull your spark plugs and check to see that way also. if the electrodes are coroded then its a headgasket problem and your burning coolant. and if the electrode is a white burnt color then your running too lean.
TECH Addict
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,660
Likes: 14
From: England
I think this must be an American thing 
First off, is it:
a)SMOKE
or
b)Water Vapour/condensation
They are very very very different and will have different causes as to why they are there.
Most cars will produce quite a bit of water vapour, espcially if its damp and/or cold out. You will see many of the cars on www.ls1sounds.com blow white water vapour out the exhausts (generally worse at idle).
This is perfectly normal, as the intake air contains some water particles as well as hydorgen and oxygen. Water is also a by product of CATS but it will still be present regardless. My 1977 TR7 looks like a steam train for about 5-10 mins when I start it up in winter if its been parked outside.
Cylinder head gasket or a burst water jacket could cause more water vapour but you'd generally notice the water in the header tank reduce. Plus there would generally be other signs of trouble if this was the cause.
White smoke would be very rare, as it is normally attributed to bearing failure on a turbocharger and is the remains of theceramic material from the bearing buring up. Blue smoke is usually an indication of buring oil but this doesn't usually dissapear for bit then return.
The only time I've witnessed white smoke is after a total engine failure when essentially the engine decided to self destruct dumping half it's innerds on the road behind me.
Smoke and water vapour are fairly easy to tell apart. Any chance you could get a vid of it? Might make it easier to diagnose without actually seeing the car.
First off, is it:
a)SMOKE
or
b)Water Vapour/condensation
They are very very very different and will have different causes as to why they are there.
Most cars will produce quite a bit of water vapour, espcially if its damp and/or cold out. You will see many of the cars on www.ls1sounds.com blow white water vapour out the exhausts (generally worse at idle).
This is perfectly normal, as the intake air contains some water particles as well as hydorgen and oxygen. Water is also a by product of CATS but it will still be present regardless. My 1977 TR7 looks like a steam train for about 5-10 mins when I start it up in winter if its been parked outside.
Cylinder head gasket or a burst water jacket could cause more water vapour but you'd generally notice the water in the header tank reduce. Plus there would generally be other signs of trouble if this was the cause.
White smoke would be very rare, as it is normally attributed to bearing failure on a turbocharger and is the remains of theceramic material from the bearing buring up. Blue smoke is usually an indication of buring oil but this doesn't usually dissapear for bit then return.
The only time I've witnessed white smoke is after a total engine failure when essentially the engine decided to self destruct dumping half it's innerds on the road behind me.
Smoke and water vapour are fairly easy to tell apart. Any chance you could get a vid of it? Might make it easier to diagnose without actually seeing the car.
Originally Posted by SS1875
If it is white and has a gas smell, you could be running a little too lean. It could also be coolant related. I would tend to believe it may be a lean condition since tuning is involved. Any reputable shop should be able to do a comp test for you and cost will vary depending on what the labor rate is, some might charge a flat fee(unlikely). Good Luck, I hope you get it straightened out.
as far as it being smoke or vapor, well i believe its smoke. Yesterday after i first started the car it was smoking pretty bad for atleast 3 minutes untill i shut it off. i had a buddy look at it today, ofcourse it wasnt smoking as bad as yesterday but you could see it, he said it was condensation. he says i baby my car too much and that i need to drive it hard every now and then. Forgot to mention that when i started it this morning i hardly saw any smoke come out, it wouldnt go past the spoiler before it disappear, unlike yesterday were it went a good 6 from the pipes before it disappear. if there is something wrong wouldnt the SES come on?? im sorta freakingout, should i not drive it??
i will try to get a vid later on tonight.....
i tired getting a vid yesterday but i didnt have acces to a digital cam until today, and ofcourse it has not done it as oftoday. it did it for a bit yesterday but not as bad as sunday. I had a buddy follow me last night to see how much and if any would come out while i dorve it,he said it was very minimal. at on point it didnt do it at first untill i rev up the engine a bit. like metioned before it doesnt do it all the time. Im begining to think that i need a tune, i whill be getting one as soon as i have the money.
TECH Addict
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,660
Likes: 14
From: England
Originally Posted by z28_n_tx
it looks white to me and it does smell like gas, but im running no cats. I thought i would be running rich if anything after LT install.
as far as it being smoke or vapor, well i believe its smoke. Yesterday after i first started the car it was smoking pretty bad for atleast 3 minutes untill i shut it off. i had a buddy look at it today, ofcourse it wasnt smoking as bad as yesterday but you could see it, he said it was condensation. he says i baby my car too much and that i need to drive it hard every now and then. Forgot to mention that when i started it this morning i hardly saw any smoke come out, it wouldnt go past the spoiler before it disappear, unlike yesterday were it went a good 6 from the pipes before it disappear. if there is something wrong wouldnt the SES come on?? im sorta freakingout, should i not drive it??
i will try to get a vid later on tonight.....
as far as it being smoke or vapor, well i believe its smoke. Yesterday after i first started the car it was smoking pretty bad for atleast 3 minutes untill i shut it off. i had a buddy look at it today, ofcourse it wasnt smoking as bad as yesterday but you could see it, he said it was condensation. he says i baby my car too much and that i need to drive it hard every now and then. Forgot to mention that when i started it this morning i hardly saw any smoke come out, it wouldnt go past the spoiler before it disappear, unlike yesterday were it went a good 6 from the pipes before it disappear. if there is something wrong wouldnt the SES come on?? im sorta freakingout, should i not drive it??
i will try to get a vid later on tonight.....
If it was smoking it would be consistant. Water vapour will vary on many factors, humidity, temp, how the car was driven, etc.
Here's a pic of my car ticking over. You can see some steam/vapour this is perfectly normal.
Sometimes it's more evident some times it isn't, this is also normal.
Smoke, would not dissapate the same as steam, it would also have a different texture.
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well here's a vid..http://s25.photobucket.com/albums/c9...t=000_0036.flv
what do you think???? is not as bad as it was on sunday.
what do you think???? is not as bad as it was on sunday.
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like mentioned before, car doesnt over heat, oil level has stayed the same the last few days as well as the coolant. I friend had suggested that it couls be the valve guide seals....or do i simply need a tune..
like mentioned before, car doesnt over heat, oil level has stayed the same the last few days as well as the coolant. I friend had suggested that it couls be the valve guide seals....or do i simply need a tune..
TECH Addict
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,660
Likes: 14
From: England
To me it just looks like water vapour. In person it may be different however I feel pretty confident.
It you leave the car ticking over for 5-10 mins you'll probably get a layer of condensation on the top of the spoiler and the rear bumper. It'll be more evident in evening as temps outside are lower. On a silver car it may be hard to see.
However make sure the bumper is dry and put some car polish on, don't wipe it off. Leave the car ticking over. Polish reacts with water and will won't dry to a powder. So if it's water vapour the polish will react.
If it doesn't react then it just means there wasn't enough water vapour at the time.
Having seen the vid I really doubt it's smoke, it just doesn't look or behave how smoke would from the car. It's also the wrong colour.
If it was smoke then there's probably little you could about it anyhow without expensive internal work (piston rings, valve seats) but I honestly don't believe this is the case.
Just dirve the car and enjoy it
It you leave the car ticking over for 5-10 mins you'll probably get a layer of condensation on the top of the spoiler and the rear bumper. It'll be more evident in evening as temps outside are lower. On a silver car it may be hard to see.
However make sure the bumper is dry and put some car polish on, don't wipe it off. Leave the car ticking over. Polish reacts with water and will won't dry to a powder. So if it's water vapour the polish will react.
If it doesn't react then it just means there wasn't enough water vapour at the time.
Having seen the vid I really doubt it's smoke, it just doesn't look or behave how smoke would from the car. It's also the wrong colour.
If it was smoke then there's probably little you could about it anyhow without expensive internal work (piston rings, valve seats) but I honestly don't believe this is the case.
Just dirve the car and enjoy it
After reading this thread, I feel a whole lot better. A friend followed my 2000 Z28 to a park last Saturday and he said it was smoking " a little". But i have no oil consumption, no oil soaked plugs, and the water in the radiator stays a constant level......so I'm going to close the book and attribute it to water vapor 
.....maybe its a Texas thing 
.....maybe its a Texas thing 
Tech Resident
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,117
Likes: 3
From: Philly
clearly water vapor. think about science for a minute - smoke is heavier than air due to the heavy elements in it (carbon for one) and it will generally fall along the ground. that smoke is rising quickly, meaning it's water boiling away.
if you want piece of mind, seafoam your car.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-maintenance-repairs/534376-how-seafoam-your-car.html
cures all ailments.
if you want piece of mind, seafoam your car.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-maintenance-repairs/534376-how-seafoam-your-car.html
cures all ailments.
