Detecting engine damage from the smoke color

Today's cars generally do not emit thick smoke from the exhaust (especially for the gasoline engine type). The increasingly stringent emission regulations make car manufacturers continue to update the performance of their car engines so that the levels of emissions, smoke, and exhaust gases are reduced.

So, if your car still emits smoke even though it is a brand new car, it is clear that something is wrong with your engine. The problem of engine abnormalities (damage) actually can also be detected from the smoke color coming out of your car's exhaust.

Detecting engine damage from the smoke color

At least four colors of smoke can appear when an engine malfunction occurs, including white smoke, blue smoke, gray smoke, and black smoke. This article will share information about detecting engine damage from the color of smoke that appears in the exhaust. Whatever it is, see the complete information below.

I. White smoke

White smoke coming out of a car exhaust can indicate two things, a normal engine, and an abnormal engine. Therefore, you need to ensure these three conditions:

The smoke that comes out is thin and looks faint (not thick)
There is water vapor that drips out with the smoke
Occurs only in the morning or when the temperature is cold

Suppose the white smoke coming out of your car's exhaust looks thin and only occurs in the morning (especially when the temperature is cold). In that case, this condition is a normal condition that commonly occurs in car engines.

The reason is condensed steam in the exhaust will be carried out with the exhaust gases. After the car engine's temperature is hot, the thin white smoke will gradually disappear by itself and no longer appear.

If the white smoke coming out of your car's exhaust looks thick and continuous (whether when the engine is cold, when the engine is hot, or when the engine is accelerating), then this indicates an engine failure.

Usually, the cause of this thick white smoke results from engine oil entering the combustion chamber and burning when the engine performs combustion steps. Therefore, in addition to thick smoke, we also often smell the burning oil from the thick white smoke that comes out.

Here are some examples of the causes of thick white smoke coming out of a car exhaust:

Damage to the oil ring, piston ring, or scratches on the engine cylinder wall.
The valve steam seal has an oil leak due to the stern or defective valve seal.

This condition is usually accompanied by insufficient engine oil after a certain distance (for example, only 600 mils, the oil has decreased several quantities).

II. Blue smoke

Another color of car smoke that also often appears is blue smoke. Sometimes this color looks like the light white color but bluish. In addition, when this smoke appears, it is accompanied by the smell of burning oil or an odor that resembles burning oil.

From our experience, this bluish-colored smoke is also often indicated by the engine shaking when idling (the idling is unstable). Generally, the smoke gradually disappears after accelerating but will appear again when idling.

The causes of this bluish smoke are quite a lot and need careful examination, but including the following causes of bluish smoke:

There is oil seepage in the valve seals but small amounts.
Oil seeps from the cylinder head gasket
Oil seeps from the turbocharger
There is a leak of brake fluid entering through the brake booster and vacuum hose to the engine. (usually accompanied by problems with the brakes being pressed hard).

III. Gray smoke

Gray smoke is also often found coming out of car exhausts. The gray smoke that emerges from the exhaust is generally the result of the blow-by gas cycle being interrupted. Usually, this gray smoke appears because the PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) valve is jammed in a fully open condition.

The fully open PCV valve will continue to drain the remaining excess blow-by gas that occurs in the engine back into the intake manifold. Without regulation of the air entering the intake with this PCV, the combustion results are no longer perfect, which can cause gray smoke to appear in the exhaust.

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IV. Black smoke

Dense black smoke is the color of smoke that can emerge from your car's exhaust even if your car is gasoline-fueled. The appearance of black smoke from a gasoline engine is a sign that the combustion results in your car engine are not perfect. The most noticeable characteristics are the car's fuel consumption becomes more extravagant than its normal condition.

The causes of incomplete combustion that can cause black smoke are many. Careful inspection is the key to finding the root cause of this black smoke. Here are some reasons for black smoke that we have encountered:

Clogged and dirty air filter
The spark plug is weak, so the ignition fire is weak
The spark plug wire is leaking
Engine ignition timing shifting up or down (engine with distributor model)
Weak ignition coil
Engine compression has dropped and weakened from its standard value
Injectors leak
Air Flow Sensor problem
And others

For today's cars, the smoke from the car exhaust (except white smoke tips in the morning) is a sign of damage to the car engine. When the smoke appears, immediately schedule an inspection and repair to avoid further damage that can increase the cost of repairing the engine