Had problem with white smoke coming from tailpipe.addad diptaine to the tank and took van for a good spin.black smoke started coming from tailpipe. thought problem was solved,few days later coloured smokebellowed out and van stopped.got compression test done'2nd cylinder in was way down.will replacing this ring solve this problem.was told i may have to replace pistons.

Black smoke = rich mixture
Blue smoke = oil
White smoke = steam

You only see in the the winter. Gasoline contains water at molecular level and come out of the tailpipe as steam when it burns under combustion.

White smoke is coolant being burnt in the cylinder,
most likely from a failed head gasket

I would think a 1989 is too old to fix
Cost more than the car is worth

Any oil useage between oil changes every
say 3000 to 4500 miles is too much,engine is
worn

Sounds like you may have ruined the piston rings and this is allowing oil to seep in to the combustion chamber hence your smoke. Or if it overheated when you ran out of oil it is possible that you have a bad head gasket now. Check both your coolant and oil for signs, oil will have a white froth, or darkening of your coolant. Hope that helps you.

Smoke oil? For what your thinking that is oil? Smoke coming from the tailpipe is not good news, but does not necessarily mean the engine needs rebuilding. First, you need to determine what color of smoke is coming from the tailpipe
* White smoke is caused by water and or antifreeze entering the cylinder, and the engine trying to burn it with the fuel. The white smoke is steam. There are special gaskets (head gaskets are the primary gaskets) that keep the antifreeze from entering the cylinder area.
* Blue smoke is caused by engine oil entering the cylinder area and being burned along with the fuel air mixture. As with the white smoke, just a small drop of oil leaking into the cylinder can produce blue smoke out the tailpipe.
* Black smoke is caused by excess fuel that has entered the cylinder area and cannot be burned completely. Another term for excess fuel is "running rich." Poor fuel mileage is also a common complaint when black smoke comes out of the tailpipe. Black smoke out the tailpipe is the least cause for alarm.


If you confirm us that is oil smoke, check and keep in mind that the car has many seals, gaskets, and O-rings that are designed to keep the engine oil from entering the cylinder, and one of them has failed. If too much oil leaks into the cylinder and fouls the spark plug, it will cause a misfire (engine miss) in that cylinder, and the spark plug will have to be replaced or cleaned of the oil. Using thicker weight engine oil or an oil additive designed to reduce oil leaks might help reduce the amount of oil leaking into the cylinder.

Keep us updated.

I have an 01 Impala 3.8 engine. At first start-up white smoke is seen, smells like raw gas, and tail pipe is black as coal. Fuel milage isn't good either. Would the regulator be bad?

Black smoke indicates no air, check your air filter, if you have done that and it is ok, check the PCV valve. Thats about all that I can suggest. Hope that helps.

Blown head gasket for sure if its a petrol engine.

If its diesel then its overfuelling.

ask a question. White, blue, black? its most likely steam on this new of a car. nothing to worry about. if blue, its burning oil, blue on start up is leaky valve seals, black on startup is leaky injectors, real white smoke (tons will come out) not steam, is blown head gasket or cracked head/block

White smooke is usally water{blown head gasket} blac smoke is fuel very rich, And if you see a blueish smoke this is oil. You have a major problem.