White Smoke From Tail Pipe/Exhaust

It often means that you are burning antifreeze. You asked if it needs antifreeze, have you noticed any leaking out of the reservoir tank while you are running it? Sometimes when the head gasket goes it will produce a passage for the antifreeze to pass from the capillaries into the combustion chamber. It is easy to check if you have an air compressor. Remove one of the rear sparkplugs and the radiator cap. Fill the radiator and then push some air into the sparkplug hole (get a good seal in case a valve is open). Repeat with all the cylinders and watch for air bubbles coming up into the radiator. If bubbles come up or fluid is pumped out, the head gasket is blown and must be replaced. It is more likely to happen at the back of the engine because it is farthest away from the fan and therefore gets less cooling. Also check your oil for discoloration. If it is a brownish color it could mean your oil and antifreeze are mixing and has the potential to damage your bearings

Find the nearest cliff and push this piece of **** vehicle over the side. I have a 2004 Suzuki Forenza and the head gasket has blown FOUR times!

Hi Bibio,

As a rule:

• Black Smoke = Unburnt Fuel, incomplete combustion, bad mix
• Blue Smoke = Burning Oil
• White Smoke = Water Vapor, Water getting where it shouldn't be.

White smoke is common in cold weather when you first start your vehicle. It's from condensation. But it should stop as the engine warms up. If it doesn't, the moisture is from another source.

Th oil light and low coolant were likely the first symptoms of a blown head gasket which got worse. It wasn't something you did and there was nothing you could have done to prevent it at that point either.

Your engine running cooler for a time may have been a false reading. Some sensors need to be in contact with the coolant to read the temperature correctly. If the coolant is too low, the gauge reads cool when it's really too hot.

Symptoms:

• Coolant levels low. As the coolant is burned off, you'll notice white smoke and the levels are lower
• Oil in the coolant. If oil is present in the radiator, it's coming from the engine. Another indicator of a failed head gasket. Only a confirmation though, lack of oil does not rule out the possibility.
• Water in the oil. If you recently changed the oil. It should be clear and clean. Pull the oil dipstick. Is the oil still clear and clean? Or is it milky and frothy, like it was whipped? If so coolant is getting into the oil. Again, an indicator, not a confirmation of a blown head gasket. Lack of blue smoke says that oil contamination is unlikely.
• Lack of power. Just before the smoke screen, was there a sudden loss of power?
  

The quickest, easiest and (most importantly) cheapest confirmation of this is to run a compression test on each cylinder.

The test should show high and fairly close compression (100psi or more) on all cylinders. If any of them are significantly lower, something is allowing the gasses to escape. Since valve problems are usually accompanied by horrendous noises and piston ring failures would produce blue smoke, that leaves the head gasket.

If you feel comfortable doing it yourself, testers are available at any auto parts store for under $30.00. If you don't, any shop can do it in under half an hour.

All this is to pin point the problem. Then you know what you are dealing with. The solution is to replace the head gasket. Although labor intensive, the parts at least will be relatively inexpensive.

Comment me back with your findings.
Mike

Josh has awakened the 2009 giant, (where there smoke there is fire? or what??????)
white smoke syndrome.
1: water is normal in cold weather, gas burns to water and makes natural steam. as seen on all cars in the winter, LOOK.
watch other cars, on very cold day.

2: antifreeze (AF) burns white , it's 1/2 water and glycol. so burns with a nasty sweet toxic (it is) smell. sniff sniff, omg that is AF.

3: white smoke called OIL burning, (say a bad piston ring or valve stem damage or its seal)
#3 oil smoke takes a very long time to dissipate and smells like burned oil, sniff sniff omg its oil. can be oil and AF, if head warped.

#2 is a blown head gasket. or freeze (ice) damaged engines
water in the coolant lacking antifreeze the ICE expands
(physics101) and when it does, things crack, blocks /heads and more.
#2 is also cause by overheating and engine, and warping the head.
most head rebuilds are done wrong and repeat, have proof and why. ask

why not do a compression test if you think #2 is it
you see steam, think that.
watch moms tea pot, see that steam watch out it behaves
now watch your tail pipe end. see, steam.?

my guess is you mechanic is not a real ? just smog jocky?
find a real mechanic, go to an ASE shop
and 1hr later an answer, good.

ok now , answering for new head job.
you get a new head, and then see it still smokes
but is from the hood not the tail
all engine work this big, can cause lots of smoke
let me tell you how its normal. (you are too soon to post this)\
1: the cat converter full of oil and AF, does that. tail end.
so drive car 100 miles and it will clean out, I promise.
if not, take it back not post here, its there job, let them worry it.

2: the work causes oil to drip on to the exhaust manifolds
and will smoke THERE, not tail end.
if you've never done a head job before, how would you know?
many good shops hand you a paper that says the same words
drive it till the smoke ends.
20 to 100 miles
I have even cleared horry of the DTC P0421, errors, lazy cat. error.
after this job, running car fast for 1hr or more.
drive it then scan it to see if there are issues. remaining
end HIJACKKED post.


JOSH who replaced the head gasket.
you? did?
Josh the first steps are not replace it.
they are checking for warpage. of the head and block deck.
is this engine and open deck block? (i hate them)
is it.
most DIY head jobs fail.
almost 90%
that is because the person doing it skips key steps! a fact !
what are they. (lots) ill name just 3.
1: check for warping per the SM service manual using the .001"warp max per foot of head. so 2 foot is .001"
or the books limits. and the engine block deck.
2: then get the head pressure tested at your machine shop
after all it my have freeze damage or cracks unseen by you.
3: using wire brushes or sharp tools to scrap the head,
do not do that to any aluminum machined surfaces.
I uses spray on gasket remover then use plastic putty knife.
and do zero damage to those surfaces.
if this is hard for you, get the head work on in a real machine shop.
they know what to do, even do a .001" shave on it.
if warped, they heat it first to DE warp a head. (and mill/shave job)
if not , it just repeats over and over.

this is no stove bolt 6 Chevy, all iron.

id push it off a cliff, like others said.

why own a car that is a
Daewoo Lacetti
with a suzuki J20 engine inside.
the J20s are ok if you take care of it but once warped
or overheated, will take hard work and cash to fix RIGHT>

why does Suzuki think they can sell Daewoo here
when Daewoo already failed, here.
what a joke that is. now both failed. joke 2.

Hi Mike, I have the same issue, white smoke. I just replaced the head gasket, I noticed the coolant has been draining. I just put a bunch in and now it didn't drain. Hope the white smoke goes away, not sure why its doing that.