[saket77]

You will encounter white smoke at cold engine start ups and during the rainy season. That is very normal. If the exhaust is clear/ colorless when the engine has attained the operating temperature, there's is nothing to worry about.

If your car is stuck in mud, try placing the floor (rubber) mats under the tire with the drive. That often helps at the cost of cleaning the mats thoroughly later!

Regards,
Saket

[TheG2]

Originally Posted by SAJEESH

I did not sense a burning smell. I could see the white smoke coming from exhaust region ( behind the car) , nothing from the bonnet area.

In that case nothing to worry Sajeesh. Ignore and enjoy your ride. The mileage will envy many.

[dhanushs]

The white smoke is water-vapor. Created by water splashing on the hot exhaust.

You have a brand new Maruthi, and have absolutely no reason to worry.

[rajeev k]

Nothing to worry as the issue was a momentary one and probably due to the season. White smoke is common, if you observe, in cold or rainy season.
But, a word of advice is that, revving the engine so hard is not recommended.
In such situation best method is to place wooden planks below the wheels, which would help in getting out of the slushy mess.

[SAJEESH]

Hi All,

I checked the coolant level today and started the car in the morning ( cold start ). We can see some white smoke in the beginning of the video. After this, there is no smoke. I wanted to show you all this video for further feedback. Also appreciate if you could let me know if the coolant level is ok ? ( sorry for the unclear picture taken from my mobile phone).

Below is the youtube link for your reference:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcmlaqKiiNA

Warm Regards,

Sajeesh

[Jaggu]

Very difficult to tell if it was just some condensation of vapor or it was oil, such small puffs can be also due to minor valve leaks. Oil seeps during overnight parking and gives a small puff at start up.

[SAJEESH]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Nothing to worry as the issue was a momentary one and probably due to the season. White smoke is common, if you observe, in cold or rainy season.
But, a word of advice is that, revving the engine so hard is not recommended.
In such situation best method is to place wooden planks below the wheels, which would help in getting out of the slushy mess.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Very difficult to tell if it was just some condensation of vapor or it was oil, such small puffs can be also due to minor valve leaks. Oil seeps during overnight parking and gives a small puff at start up.

Hi Jaggu,

Does condensation occur only during cold/ chilly mornings or rains?. It has not rained in my area for about a month now and the temperature was normal in the morning today. Also, since the car is new with just 5700 kms on the odo...can valve leakage be a possibility?... i did not face any heating issues on the last high speed run on the highway on my 270 km round about trip last week...

Warm Regards,

Sajeesh

[rajeev k]

Oil can seep through valve stem into cylinders and even the mild seepage can accumulate overnight which would emit blue smoke during cold starts.
Check if water is present in the oil and also inspect the coolant for oil traces.
The video is inconclusive but to me, it appears ok.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by SAJEESH

Hi Jaggu,

Does condensation occur only during cold/ chilly mornings or rains?. It has not rained in my area for about a month now and the temperature was normal in the morning today. Also, since the car is new with just 5700 kms on the odo...can valve leakage be a possibility?... i did not face any heating issues on the last high speed run on the highway on my 270 km round about trip last week...

Warm Regards,

Sajeesh

Very difficult to confirm from video, but you can check the pipe tip.

Is there any visible wetness? If so try to run finger when pipe is NOT hot and see if there is any oil residue. Also do check oil and coolant for any visible traces of any kind of contamination.

[SAJEESH]

Hi Jaggu,

I checked the exhaust pipe tip today evening. I found some black soot deposits and there was no visible wetness. Not sure if the black soot was oil residue..

Warm Regards,

Sajeesh

[SAJEESH]

Hi all,

Today I am happy as i got a convincing answer from my SA( Service Advisor). I had taken my car for wash and also told the service advisor about how my car got stuck in mud and I saw white smoke on high revving. Also told him about seeing white smoke during cold start-up in the morning.

Below was his explanation:

Why there was smoke on high revving in the morning?

SA:On a cold engine, unburnt fuel is forced out of the exhaust pipe due to high revving as there will be pressure on the engine.Hence there was a white smoke.

Why there is white smoke in the morning at cold start? Is this due to blown head gasket or coolant seeping into the combustion chamber?

SA:No. Some times in the morning there will be white smoke which is not a concern. There are some customers who rev the engine during a cold start. However, once the engine is warm and on the move, there should not be any white smoke. There is a concern ONLY if white smoke persists when the car is running.

So, there is no issue with the engine?

SA: There are no issues.

Today morning there was no smoke and also I checked the coolant level which seemed to be fine.

I also told SA to have a check on coolant, engine oil and other fluids.

Taking all this into consideration, I have concluded that the white smoke is just condensation ( though it is summer now ) and there is nothing to be worried about .

Thank you all for your valuable comments.

Warm Regards,

Sajeesh

[saket77]

Originally Posted by SAJEESH

Taking all this into consideration, I have concluded that the white smoke is just condensation ( though it is summer now ) and there is nothing to be worried about .

Not only condensation. While the engine is put to a cold start, it runs at a rich gasoline mode - just like how you used 'choke' in older cars and bikes to get the engine running in winter mornings. The only thing here is that the ECU puts on this choke every time the engine has not reached the operating temperature. Now since the engine is running in a rich fuel mode, a lot of fuel remains unburnt resulting in incomplete combustion. This is the cause of white smoke that you see from the exhaust in the morning. The alarm bells should only ring when you see white smoke even after engine reaching its operating temperature. Blue/ black smoke at any moment is a reason to worry though.