i get smoke when starting the engine after its been sitting for a few days. its white, and not sweet smelling so it isnt coolant. whats causing the smoke, the oil injectors or what? is it expensive to fix, and is it doing any damage? please god dont say rebuild.

 

Yeah I would love to know if white smoke can also be burning all or is it a strict rule that blue smoke = oil and white smoke = coolant (aaaaaaaaaahhhhh)

 

i thought it was the other way around...

 

ok i just did a search (duh) and i have come to the conclusion that it is most likely steam, and if it isnt than im losing a coolant seal, which sounds bad. the reason ive come to this conclusion is that i wash my car quite a bit and its been raining a **** load here, so water getting in the tail pipes or whatever wouldnt surprise me. when it does smoke, which is not every time i start, it its only for like 5 secs, then it goes away and the car runs great. am i right?

 

how much smoke can you see... cuz its not really cold enough right now to see steam from the drivers seat while starting the car... although i know when i start mine when its below zero i get lots of steam

 

So does white smoke definately mean coolant burning or can it be oil???
any gurus out there who know?
I read an article on a site which sais as I said before blue smoke=oil, white smoke=coolant
The article said the coolant could be cause of a water seal or a turbo manifold leak
Any guys out there experienced this prob with a manifold leak???

 

Yes, oil is blue smoke, and usually persists for some time (while it burns off).
Are you are losing coolant? That is the best way to determine if the white smoke is condensation or not. If you are having to top up your coolant radiator Overflow Bottle on a regular basis I would say you are losing the green stuff somewhere!
Put a clean piece of cardboard box beneath the car next time you park overnight. You will at least find out where all the drips are coming from.
Dave

 

hmm ill check my coolant level. as for it not being cold weather, i dont think you read my post correctly. i diagnosed the problem to be water from rain, car washing etc.

 

I know, i mean ive never been able to see any noticable steam when the car is wet when its as hot as it has been this summer... or maybe i just dont pay enough attention

prolly your best bet would be to go and smell the smoke... if its coolant it will smell kinda sweet

btw, where in jersey are you?

 

im reppin south jerz

 

the plot thickens. i just went out and let it run for like 2-3 mins. i pop the hood to check the coolant, and i notice a hose dripping coolant. well ****. i dont know the name for the hose. it appears to be a pretty big hole thats been there for a a while beacause theres a chunk of like dried up crusty antifreeze coming out of it. i put a paper towel under it, and smelled it. i dunno what coolant smells like but it smelled like ****. kind of a sweet smelling **** though, so i guess it is coolant, its green too. hopefully this picture will help.

 

How long does the white smoke stick around? If it goes away pretty quickly, you've probably got condensation. If it burns a while or stops after the car has been warmed up, it could be a water jacket seal thats sealing when the engine gets hot.

I don't think you have anything to worry about tho.

 

bump

 

yeah, coolant smells like sweet smelling ****... id replace that hose or fix the leak or what not... but i doubt that a leak there would be making smoke out the exaust... unless it was somehow leaking into the throttle body... but i dont see how it would do that easily

 

bump. does anyone know what that hose is called? i was gonna order a new one from mazdatrix. is it easy to install?

 

Go to any auto parts store and get some 3/8 coolant line. Much cheaper.. only like 30 cents a foot.

 

ok, is that what the particular hose is though? 3/8 coolant line? i wrapped some electric tape around it for the mean time....ghetto.