An exhaust system plays a crucial role to your vehicle’s performance, safety, and environmental impact. But with so many parts and the pressure of optimal performance, it is bound to struggle from time to time. This means that it may emit smoke from the exhaust pipes, which is a bad sign for any vehicle owner.
Luckily, the color of the smoke is a way your exhaust system is communicating to you to identify what’s wrong. One of the more common smokes emitted from the exhaust is white smoke, and there are simple ways to identify the causes and fix them.
Exhaust Emissions
Before diving right into what your exhaust’s white smoke is telling you, it’s good to first recap how the exhaust system works and what exactly the emissions are. Rather than having the direct, harmful fumes that your engine initially produces out into the world, your exhaust system works to funnel those fumes through a system to reduce any harmful emissions and reduce noise. The primary parts in this process are the manifold, catalytic converter, and muffler.
Why Is White Smoke Emitting from My Exhaust?
When all of the exhaust system parts are running smoothly, you shouldn’t see any exhaust or smoke leaving your tailpipe. But there can be a few factors to the white smoke leaving the exhaust pipes. One thing to keep in mind is that the smoke may quickly disappear, which is due to the buildup of condensation instead of a more serious problem. So, if you see white smoke, ensure it wasn’t a quick flutter or thick smoke that makes you worry.
A cracked cylinder head. The cylinder has a piston and two valves that generate power to your vehicle, and if a cylinder head gets a crack it can be a serious problem and the cause of the white smoke. Engine overheating is likely what causes the crack. Unfortunately, the only way to fix a cracked cylinder head is to replace it. For more discussion about cylinder heads, don’t hesitate to contact the team at Performance Muffler.
Bad fuel injector. The fuel injector helps restrict the passage of fuel to the combustion chamber, and it requires a great deal of precision. So, a small change or variation can throw it off. If a fuel injector fails, it means it’s time for a replacement, and this is the only way to fix it. But it’s not as costly as a cylinder head. Plus, it is good to replace the set of fuel injectors basically every 2 years, so you can view this as more “routine” than a “drastic repair.”
Oil in the combustion chamber. While air and fuel should be the only thing in the combustion chamber, oil can unfortunately find its way inside. The most probable cause of this is a leak from the piston rings or valve seals. Sadly, the only way to fix this too is by replacing a piston ring, but you can help to preserve them with high-mileage motor oil after surpassing 100,000 miles.
Trust Your Engine with Experts
Any major problem or change to your engine needs to be handled with the utmost skill and delicacy, which means that you might need to be willing to pay for a professional to solve your problem. But trust that it’s all worthwhile to keep your vehicle running better and safely for longer. Whether you have an exhaust leak, trouble with your muffler, or a bad catalytic converter, we are your go-to team of experts to handle any exhaust issue.
About Performance Muffler
Performance Muffler are the garage experts who “get it,” which means we’re here to offer you exceptional results at a price that won’t break your bank. We’ve been a team of real car lovers in the Phoenix area since 2007. Visit our website or contact us to find out why we’re proud to be the best.