For the last couple of months my car has been throwing white smoke from the exhaust. I'm trying to see if anyone can help me find the source of the problem.

The car warms up fine with no smoke at all. Once I get going it blows a bunch of white smoke for a couple of seconds then goes away. I only does it when the car has been sitting for a while (engine off). I checked the water reservoir and there are no signs of consumption or oil.

My current engine mods are cat back, up pipe, down pipe (just installed, it did it before too), and Accessport.

Any ideas what it might be?

 

bring it to a meet so we can see

when the car has been sitting for a while and is cold

take teh cap off the radiator and see if oil is in it.

is there blow by

and im not going to guess turbo seals again

 

I actually have a very similar problem - only mine is acompanied by a 3 cylder misfire. I haven't found anything yet. ;(

 

Bad head gasket. Check you coolant levels. Usually white smoke is from coolant.

 

The only tricky thing about that, is that my coolent levels never change.

 

Now it throws white smoke when idling. Not in the morning (cold) though. Like if I'm at a drive through I start smoking like crazy.

Sigma, I do have blow by.

 

 

i think its oil burning aka the blow by igniting

i am thinking its just because you dotn have cats

 

I guess I'll install a catch can (doesn't hurt). And it did it even though I had a cat in there.

 

If it is white and has a sweet smell it is coolant.

oil will have a burning smell to it.

Like the other guy said . head gasket.

hold a rag behind the exhaust so the exhaust will blow on it.

check the rag for coolant/water or oil.

the janitor

 

Thanks I'll try that. And it is a sweet smell.

 

he was right that means coolant and you have a bad head gasket or turbo

 

Yes, bad head gasket. Our 97 Legacy wagon had smoke just like that; two weeks later the head and cam gaskets failed and I came home to a big puddle of oil under the car. $2100 fix

 

How would one know the difference between a bad head gasket and a bad turbo? I have a very similar problem, so I am getting quite concearned.

 

i'm going to say bad seals on the turbo