car are generally a convenient way to get us from A to B , but unfortunately , they ’re also no stranger to go wrong from time to fourth dimension . Sometimes it ’s difficult to distinguish what the job is , but there can be clues to look out for . One of these is ashen smoke coming from the exhaust – but what does it mean ?

Time matters

The first step to decrypt white exhaust smoke is taking note of how long it lasts . If it only pops up for a short while after starting up and the weather also bump to be wet , what you ’re probably seeing isevaporationas the result of the railroad car warming up .

However , if white-hot smoke continues to come out of the fumes , this is more often than not a foretoken that coolant is leak into the car ’s engine . That ’s not cracking news , as coolant helps to stop your engine fromoverheatingand eventually , compact up .

And if coolant is leak out , that can be indicative of a cock-a-hoop issue ; it ’s important to receive out what ’s cause the making water in guinea pig that could make other problems . It ’s like one big , inconvenient , and potentially quite expensive , puzzle .

Blown gasket

Coolant leaking can sometimes be the result of a go bad or “ blown”head gasket . Found between the piston chamber head at the top of the locomotive engine and the blockage , this is the part of a car that stops coolant and oil colour from blend together .

The question gasket can get damage due to overheating , or sometimes due to sudden amounts of high pressure . This break the seal between oil and coolant and abracadabra – you ’ve got bloodless smoke .

Cracked cylinder head or block

Remember those other parts of the engine we mentioned , thecylinder headand the blocking ( the main part of the engine ) ? Well , those are important in keeping coolant out of the locomotive engine too . Even if there ’s not a job with the gasket , the cylinder brain is sealed in place with it , so if it ’s cracked or deformed in anyway , that can also lead to leakage issues .

Similarly , the principal engine block withstand all of the major part of an engine together , so if there ’s wrong to it , coolant may be able to get away from somewhere and run riot .

All that being said , this data is just an index number of what the issuecouldbe . There are many dissimilar possibilities ; blabbermouthed radiator caps or damaged radiator hoses can also create problems . It ’s best to get an prescribed diagnosis from a professional to get a cable car go both smoothly and safely once again .

All “ explainer ” articles are confirmed byfact checkersto be correct at time of publishing . textual matter , images , and liaison may be edited , removed , or added toat a later date to keep entropy current .