Mate has bought a VW Bora but he’s got white smoke coming out of the exhaust when he starts it but also when it’s being driven, causes???

ta

Check the oil level!

Could be overfilled….

Diesels tend to be a bit smoky. When I put my foot down in my tdi Fabia I get a bit of a puff out of the back (no sniggering).

My limited knowledge tells me white smoke = water, although someone will probably be along to correct me in a mo

Oil doesnt burn white does it?

I thought white smoke was a sign of water getting through, ie head gasket etc

beat me to it bikemonkey

White smoke is more likely to be oil burning – main cause is the turbo oil seal.
White steam would be water (hold something cold behind the exhaust when the engines warm & check for condensation)
Black smoke is unburnt fuel & could be a blocked airfilter.

headgasket gone, or the watertrap in the diesel filter needs bleeding

is it excessive – if not could just be steam

if it is a bluey tinge could point to glow plugs to be replaced.

As turni[ says – white smoke is actually steam – head gasget – check the oil the filla cap, if it’s emulsified (gone white and gooey) then more than probably the head gasket – about 300=400 notes at a garage – about 50 notes if you do it yourself – pretty easy job if your handy.

oh or a cracked block! then your screwed.

Bought from a dealer or privately?

Started up can just mean condensation in a stainless steel exhaust. Whilst driving- damp cold day?

Get a compression test done (any high st garage can do) on your coolant system.

Did he buy the car from a dealer? How long ago did he buy the car?

thanks guys, i’ll pass these on, he did say it seemed to be smoke as appose to steam but he’ll check, i remember that filler cap test so i’ll get him to check that.

ta

I’ve just had this on a petrol Polo, so might not be the same thing at all, but – it’s some seals have gone and are letting oil in to the exhaust. Garage said it’ll be £400 (seals cost FA, but the engine needs taking apart to get to them), or I could try putting some “no smoke” stuff in with the oil. It thickens it up and stops it going past the seals. Did it yesterday, didn’t seem to make much difference the first trip but since then I haven’t seen any more smoke. Winner.

would you believe he bought it from an auction so i’m not too optomistic for him but apparently he did get some sort of warranty?

Oil doesnt burn white does it?

I can do yes. I once overfilled with oil on an old Polo. It looked like the smoke trail of one of the Red Arrows! It’s oil forcing itself up past the piston rings in my case.

Burning oil (As from a worn engine) is not normally as bad, but more costly to fix. TBH now I’ve read it again it looks more like burning oil, which can have a bluey tinge, and you can SMELL it if you follow behind, too. (Black smoke is excess fuel)

Look at the exhaust… If it looks suspiciously clean (i.e. clean metal) it could be the head gasket sucking in water, but normally that would result in the car being harder to start and a big chuggy when cold/low revs.

It could be throwing more fuel in than need be and just throwing the unburnt stuff out the back. If it is running rich, then check the air filter to see if it’s not full of shit.

However, I _would_ check to see if there’s foam in the oil or a lot of gunk in the water. If there is, best bend over and prepare for a mechanic administered shafting. Unless your mate fancies doing the strip/skim/reassemble himself.

as above white is steam can be condensation in the axhaust system Short journeys wet cold weather dont help that one. Then your in to the realm of head gaskets cracked blocks and heads. Wont always get the old mayo in the oil syptom.
If its a blue tinge its oil being burnt think head gasket piston rings or turbo oil seals. Black smoke is over fueling blocked air filter dead turbo.

how many miles? unless its overfilled its unlikely to be oil coming past the pistons unless your 100,000’s of miles in. Unless its a borked piston ring? Is it down on power?

Oil seals, as snaps said the turbo one is the most likely and usualy first to go.

been running it on veg oil? bacteria that thrive on the stuff turn the loverly disel into a white sticky emulsion.

start with the cheepest/easiest , check oil to eliminate HG, then water trap, etc etc

The bluey tinge was what i was getting at peter.

I am in noway mechanically minded but you can usually tell the difference. A mechanic will be able to spot it a mile away in a few mintues

if it starts billowing out stop immediatly, i had this happen years ago and it resulted in a nailed cylinder head and lots more expensive parts to correct.

It’s in the process of choosing a new Pope.

p.s. if its oil, which i always thought was blueish tinged, then you can smell it. diesel overburn is black.

surprised no-one has mentioned petrol… you get a dense white smoke if you put petrol accidentally in (even a small amount can do it). Mate’s punto put plumes of the stuff out after he put petrol in. smells funny too.

Yes yes, steam is white, oil smoke is blue, and overfuelling is black, but proper white smoke on a diesel is raw diesel vapour: ie: unburned fuel (smoking off in the exhaust). No/low compression on one or more cylinders? Bad injector dribbling not squirting? Somethings up.

Right sharpish- check the Auction guarantee ASAP. It may be a day or day(s) long so probably past to reject/return?

If has, get the coolant pressure test done- cost? Probably 20quid.

apparently he did get some sort of warranty?

10 miles or 10 MPH whatever comes first.

If it’s White smoke on startup for five minutes of less, it’s condensation in exhaust. Normal.

If WHITE smoke persists, it’s more than likely a head gasket. Check water level.

It it’s off-White, smelly and persists for a while then it’s burning oil. Check oil level.

On a general note, ring round the local council- ask to be put through to their taxi licences office (Ive done this- with 3), be very politely, deferring etc and ask them if you could check a reg if its been previously registered as a taxi. Just thinking about clocking and cambelt-change issues as well.

Look for a ‘Mayonaise’ like residue on the inside of the oil filler cap. If there’s some there you’ll have a head gasket issue. The white smoke from the head gasket problem can be smelly (oil) too.

Ive been to a few auctions where cars have a whisp of smoke at the back then one Vitita came in and it was like a scene from the fog, que everyone coughing and someone on the PA shouting get it out, just get it out! 😆

I thought white smoke meant a new Pope had been elected 😉

Steam is easily distinguishable from oil smoke (either blue or white oil smoke, oil burned looks blue, oil evapourated looks white – generally a failed exhaust-side oil seal on a turbo will look like a whitey-blue like mine when the exhaust fabricator decided to rag it down their road and will increase a) under boost and b) when idling for 5 minutes or so).

Check for mayo.
Check for oil levels.
Check for blocked breather hoses.
Then start to worry about turbo problems.

Let us know how you get on. Another option- take to two seperate garages and cross-reference. Probably £100 total for diagnosis (possible informal) then you know what your dealing with AND not making things worse by driving the car still

white smoke can also be unburned fuel smog, can be due to cold start, idling, low load or misfiring of individual cylinders

http://www.wynns.be/faq.aspx?nav=1&p=55&l=EN&n=1

http://www.wynns.be/product.aspx?nav=&g=0&s=24&b=71867&p=71867&l=EN

Its worth a try!