Olympia Auto Repair

What Does Colored Exhaust Smoke Indicate?

Engine problems can appear in several ways, like noises, vibrations, or colored smoke from the exhaust pipe. Color emission indicates something is wrong with the engine, especially a liquid leaking inside the engine. You can tell what's wrong by looking at the color of the smoke.

These are the three most common types of smoke that comes out of your car's exhaust when something is wrong with the engine.

Exhaust Smoke Is Black

Black smoke coming from your engine means that the amount of fuel in the air is too high. Either the fuel injectors put in too much fuel, or the intake valves don't let in enough air. There could be a dirty air filter, a fuel injector leaking, or a fuel pressure regulator that isn't working right. A rich engine can lead to serious problems. And your car is using too much gas to keep the engine running. You could also have a bad sensor or fuel pressure switch that is causing the fuel system to have too much pressure. If so, you might notice that the engine runs rough and that you're not getting very good gas mileage.

Exhaust Smoke Is White

But if the white emissions continue to billow, you've got a much bigger problem on your hands. Most of the time, coolant leaks into one or more of the combustion chambers. Whether this is caused by a cracked cylinder head, a cracked engine block, or a blown head gasket, your car's engine will likely need a lot of work.

Exhaust Smoke Is Blue

Blue smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe means that the engine is leaking oil. Less oil is getting to the parts of the engine that move, which is dangerous. Leaking causes those parts to wear out faster and need to be replaced sooner. You could end up with a stuck engine that needs to be replaced or rebuilt.

Pay attention to signs that something is wrong with your car, like a lot of colored smoke coming out of the exhaust. Whenever this happens to your car, you need an exhaust system repair. Bring your vehicle to Olympic Transmissions & Auto Care today!

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