My smokey exhaust....?

Question

Thanks to all those who answered my last question. For those of you who didn't i have thick, cloudy white smoke belching out when te engine is idling. Just been to look under the bonnet and the coolant level is fine, it hasn't needed topping up since the MOT. There is however, oil on the engine around the oil filler cap. Does this mean it is not so likely to be the head gasket?
I'm going to ring the garage tomorrow but would apreciate someone putting my mind at rest tonight. It's the wrong time of year for expensive repairs!!!

It's a 97 Hyundai so it is fairly old. Appreciate the answers so far but could you please be less technical if possible - i am only a woman after all!

There is no creamy mayo type gunk, and yes Mark B i only do short journeys - hope you are right on this one!

Answer 1

you have probably had many ans with the usual probs
thick white smoke when idling could be from the coolant but you say not using any so maybe not head gasket and more likely to be at engine speed above idle
A simple test for HG is to fill the coolant to the top of the neck of rad or expansion tank. run engine and watch for bubbles coming to surface. If you get plenty of air from coolant and coolant remains at same level then suspect HG if level falls then it is just air being released and no prob
you dont give much details of vehicle as to age or type so will take a stab in the dark and say check the brake fluid level. Although this is a rare prob the brake fluid can be drawn from a leaking seal in the master cylinder through the brake servo into the inlet manifold and then into the engine at idle (high vacuum) and be burnt in the engine resulting in thick white smoke
usually it reduces when engines revs are higher due to the decrease in vacuum in the inlet manifold.
you may see fluid running down trhe servo where the master cyl bolts on.

Answer 2

The telltale signs of head gasket failure is creamy substance on the bottom of the dipstick, creamy substance on the oil filler cap and after the engine has been running excess pressure in the coolant system when you remove the water reservoir cap. The smoke from a head gasket normally has a bluish tinge to it and smells of the burning anti freeze.

White smoke if none of these are present is more likely to be condensation inside the exhaust getting blown out. I'm betting you do a lot of short journeys? A good run out will help alleviate the problem. The oil on the top of the block is more likely to be rocker cover gasket related. Cheap as chips and a doddle to repair.

Answer 3

Cloudy white smoke from the exhaust usually means head gasket problems. Oil around the filler cap, apart from spillage, is due to the engine "breathing" which is caused by excessive pressure in the crankcase. This could be simply a blocked breather pipe or, worst case, excessive cylinder wear. A compression test may throw some light on the problem.

Answer 4

This looks like oil getting into the exhaust. I had this problem with my Volvo 760 turbo. The seals went on the turbo and oil was being pumped into the hot exhaust producing a white smelly cloud from the exhaust, even at idle. It would seem you have a gasket problem, you'll need a good mechanic to check it out, hope it's not as bad as it seems.

Answer 5

well in some cases when it blows white smoke its usally the head gasket ,but then again you could have a bad cyclinder ring which will blow smoke to .in the gasket case check you oil and make sure its normal and not full of bubbles case the coolent could be leaking into the oil area .hey if you make a mistake putting desiel in the gasoilne tank thatl do it to you have to check .now if its only in the morning it happens when its freshely started it could be the choke stuck open ,all depends on the year of the car .

Answer 6

it might just appear to be smoking ,it could just be steam due to the hot exhaust gasses coming in to contact with cold air ?