its normal

 

because the engine needs to breath too. so it gets it air from the outside

 

i have seen 3 or three of these threads in the last few days.

in a combustion reaction, you have a fuel (complex hydrocarbon) you have air, and an ignition source (spark plug). when you ignite the fuel you produce heat, carbon dioxide (carbon monoxide, Nox's as well because its not a complete reaction) and water. This water is apparant when the dew point is lower, but can also be seen at other times, more so when you have just started the car or let it idle for a while.

As chef said earlier, the coolant and oil systems are closed. So a good way to see if you have an issue is to check the levels and see if they decrease, or mix...

just seeing white smoke out your exhaust pipe doesnt mean you have blown your headgasket. Do the basics first, and if your still have your concerns, do a compression and leak down test!

good luck

 

yeah my smoke/exhaust fumes smell like fuel. i'll check out the radiator cap, etc., but how do i know if i need a new head gasket or if the block or head is cracked? any areas to look at specifically?

 

IF you have headgasket failure, the temp will rise , less power/torq , oil and coolant will mix

 

Do any of these possible problems explain why my MPG has dropped down significantly? I used to get 200-240 per tank, but right now i'm on pace for 140. 35 miles after a 1/4 tank.

also, the exhaust fumes(visible)/smoke coming out of my stock exhaust is pretty visible even just sitting there at a drive-thru. it's actually enough to hit my bumper and beyond. at start-up it smells like i'm running a test pipe.

 

I'm bringing this thread back from the dead because I have just noticed that my car has white smoke coming out of the exhaust. I recently followed my brother while he was driving my car (I was driving his truck) and noticed white puffs of smoke.

I run a test pipe and was thinking this could be the culprit as my car does not overheat and has not lost any power or extreme mpg reduction. I have also tracked the car 5 times within the last three months and have not had any problems.

How do you know if you have a headgasket failure??

 

HELP!!!! Thanks in advance.

 

My last car was letting out little plumes of white smoke during shifts and at start up, turned out to be valve seals. A leakdown test should be able to tell you if that is the problem and you might as well do a compression test too just to check the block

 

Thanks for the help.