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Why is my car blowing white smoke if it’s not overheating?
On my drive home from work I noticed there was white smoke blowing out of my car. I checked the temperature gauge and it didn’t seem like it was overheating, but what else could cause white smoke to blow out of my car?
Abbey Orzech · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Oh no! It’s not a good feeling when you notice your car is smoking. There are a few different reasons why your car could be blowing out white smoke but not overheating:
- Condensation: If you’redriving on a cold dayand your car hasn’t been running for a while, the smoke could just be due to condensation and will stop eventually.
- Oil leak: If its your engine blowing out smoke, it could be from oil that has leaked into your engine combustion chamber from faulty piston rings. These would need to be replaced to fix the issue.
- Failed head gasket: If it’s a failed head gasket, your car is likely overheating, even if your temperature gague doesn’t show it. A head gasket failing could be the result of too much heat in the engine that doesn’t allow other engine components to do their job. Antifreeze could then leak into the combustion chamber and cause the white smoke.
- Water in exhaust system: Faulty turbos could be allowing water to leak into the exhaust system and produce white smoke.
If you do notice white smoke coming out of your vehicle and you don’t suspect it’s because of condensation, it is a good idea to take your car to a
mechanic to have it inspected
. You don’t want to ignore or prolong the problem that could cause more severe damage down the line. And to make sure your vehicle is covered in the event of other kinds of damage (say, vandalism or a hurricane), its a good idea to use
Jerry
to find the best insurance coverage
for your budget. Jerry is an
insurance comparison app
that shops for low prices with dozens of different insurance companies for free. You will get quotes in seconds, can make changes at any time, and if you ever have any questions, agents are just a text away!View full answer
- Gregory R.
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