by dracodoc, October 14, 2004
Last week I left my key in car with engine still running. I walked home to get the backup key, when I was back, I found there is a lot of white smoke came from the exhaust pipe.
It was a cold raining day, and the engine had idled about 10 minutes.
Is it normal?
Sounds like condensation to me. Unless the car is using coolant (leaky head gasket, cracked water jacket) nothing to worry about.
if you were burning coolant you would smell it.
It's probably nothing to worry about. A simple compression check or cooling system pressure check would reveal a serious problem, if one exists. If it sounds and runs normal without overheating don't give it a second thought.
Thanks all.
The temperature is OK, I didn't observe any overheat. Of course, the weather is rather cold now, maybe that's another reason for not overheat.
The coolant is low now, so I will let the dealer have a cooling system pressure check when replacing coolant.
I wouldn't worry about this...yet. It sounds like you are just seeing condensation. Water is a byproduct of combustion, particularly on cars equipped with catalytic converter. This "white smoke" you are seeing is actually just steam. If you have a leaking head gasket or something you would also be smelling burning antifreeze, which creates a sweet, sickly smell. If it goes away when the car warms up and it smells normal, then no worries. Regards, Aaron
Welsome t othe world of chemistry and thermodynamics.
Gasoline + Oxygen products heat energy + water + carbon dioxide
Ther eis always water vapor in your exhaust. However depending on the outside temperature, pressure and humidity, the water vapor may or may not immediately condense.
