where is the smoke coming from in my car?

Question

I seen smoke come from my muffler and wonder is it the muffler or engine and why what does it all mean if I need to get it repaired correctly?

Answer 1

Is it briefly after start up or is it persistent even when the engine is hot? If only after start up - water condensation in exhaust - no problem. If persistent, more serious.

Is it more white than gray or black? If so, it is probably water - could mean a coolant leak into the combustion chamber or exhaust. More heavy gray/black than white. Probably oil leaking into combustion chamber or getting sucked into intake from PCV system. Either could mean engine repair - wide range of costs - hundreds to thousands.

Are you using/losing a lot of oil or coolant? Do you have to add either frequently? Older engines get "loose" and seals wear out and gaskets fail. Sometimes trouble can be moderate and slow to get worse.

If relatively light and infrequent or not persistent - you can probably live with it for a while - years perhaps.

Take it to a mechanic you trust.

P.S. MUFFLERS DO NOT GENERATE SMOKE (except maybe when new as paint burns off). Do not replace a muffler due to smoking problem.

Answer 2

Can't tell without more specific information. Is the smoke coming from under the car or through the tailpipe? What color is the smoke, white, blue, or black? Different colors are indicative of different problems - or no problems in some cases.

What year and type of car and how many miles are on it? All the questions are important if you want an accurate response.

Answer 3

you need a new muffler and it'll run ya about 100 bucks at mienekie, depending on what kind of car it is, or whether or not its your muffler and not your catalytic converter, which would probably be about double that.

Answer 4

its probably the engine.what color is it?white is anti-freeze,from a bad head gasket,blue is oil burning,and black is running too rich,getting too much gas.check the cat,if its black.it could be bad,and the 02 sensor could be bad.

Answer 5

you need to determine the color ,,white ,,head gasket
,,blue,, burning oil,,
,,black,,fuel mixture incorrect