Your vehicle’s exhaust can be a telltale sign that something is wrong or all is well. We here at Righter’s Auto Repair hope it’s the latter. Nonetheless, if you notice excessive or black, blue, or white exhaust coming from your tailpipe, you might have to address any of the following problems. Don’t worry, we are here to help, and we can find the source of your vehicle’s exhaust problem and fix it.
Clear = No Problem
If you can’t see your vehicle’s exhaust, you should be a-okay. Your vehicle releases exhaust all the time, but if your car, truck, or SUV is running as it should be, you shouldn’t be able to see the exhaust, unless it’s a cold morning and you can see the condensation. If you smell strange things, such as gas, sulfur, or rotten eggs, however, you might have a problem brewing in the exhaust system.
Black = Fuel Problem
If you drive a diesel vehicle, you might see some black exhaust coming from the tailpipe, but you shouldn’t see a lot, especially if your vehicle is newer rather than older. Black exhaust escaping from the tailpipe, especially a lot of it, signals a fuel problem. Your engine is burning too much fuel, whether because the fuel pump is releasing too much of it or the carburetor is set too rich.
Blue = Oil Problem
If the exhaust escaping from your tailpipe has a bluish tint to it, you’ve got an oil problem and that problem is likely a leak. Somewhere in your car, truck, or SUV’s engine, oil is leaking oil and burning. The burning oil creates blue exhaust. This is dangerous, as is black exhaust. The oil and gasoline can ignite if they get too hot and leaking oil can also damage your engine to point of total failure.
White = Head Gasket Problem
If the above sounds bad, we hate to say it but this is worse. If you see a ton of white exhaust coming out of your vehicle’s tailpipe, you probably have a cracked head gasket. The white exhaust is caused by burning engine coolant that is shooting out of the head gasket’s crack and onto hot engine parts. A cracked head gasket with also cause your engine to overheat because of the lost coolant.
Righter’s Auto Repair in Grand Ledge, MI, can help. If you believe your vehicle is releasing unnecessary exhaust, call us at 517-220-0712 to set up an appointment for a vehicle inspection. We’ll find the exhaust problem and fix it. Call us today!
