If you're dealing with white smoke from exhaust when accelerating, then you have one of these 10 common causes:
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- Cause #1: external oil leak
- Cause #2: internal oil leak
- Cause #3: broken cylinder head
- Cause #4: burnt off concentration
- Cause #5: external coolant leak
- Cause #6: internal coolant leak
- Cause #7: error in the engine control units
- Cause #8: damaged fuel injector
- Cause #9: problems with the transmission fluid
- Cause #10: cracked engine block
With advanced technology, vehicles are getting cleaner regarding how much pollution they transfer to the atmosphere. Even more, manufacturers are now adding certain systems to prevent any obvious exhaust colors of the vehicle at any time.
Sometimes you might notice that your exhaust has an obvious color, especially if you start your vehicle after a cold morning. However, this should not be a common situation. Otherwise, it might indicate an internal issue.
As a driver, you should keep close attention to your vehicle’s behavior. Whenever you notice that the exhaust color is obvious, it could indicate an internal issue that you must take immediate action to resolve.
This article walks you through the 10 most common causes when you deal with white smoke from exhaust when accelerating. Let's read on for more details and resolve the issue!
White smoke from exhaust when accelerating: 10 causes
Typically, when your vehicle exhaust has a color that you can identify, there might be an internal issue in your car. However, this car might appear in certain situations, which helps your mechanic narrow down the potential culprits.
One of the very common situations that you might encounter as a driver is when you notice white smoke from exhaust when accelerating. This particular situation is related to a long list of potential culprits that we can summarize in the following ten causes:
· Cause #1: external oil leak
The first and most common reason for white smoke from the exhaust when accelerating is when you have an external oil leak.
Your vehicle needs oil to operate and to prevent internal friction that could cause your engine to overheat. As the vehicle ages, you'll notice that it will not hold the oil because of weak seals or any other potential problem inside your car.
When these seals crack, they allow oil to leak outside the vehicle. You'll then notice dripping fluids underneath the car or probably a puddle of oil sitting underneath your vehicle.
If that's what you're dealing with, you have to take care of the problem immediately because, in some scenarios, if the oil leak is very severe, it might damage your vehicle in no time!
· Cause #2: internal oil leak
Sometimes dealing with an oil leak might be obscure to the normal driver. In other words, there might be some internal oil leak that you are not noticing in the form of fluid dripping underneath the car.
This is a very critical and tricky situation for the regular driver because it can be hard to tell whether there is a leak. In that case, you'll start noticing other symptoms that could bring your attention to internal problems and indicate that your vehicle is suffering from a certain oil leak internally.
For example, your oil level will complain and say that your vehicle doesn't have enough oil. Or you might notice that your vehicle temperature will increase significantly without any clear reason.
If these symptoms sound very familiar, you must immediately stop driving your car and consult your mechanic. Dealing with internal leaks can be extremely dangerous and might lead to damaging your vehicle in a very short time.
· Cause #3: broken cylinder head
If it's not a crack in your vehicle, there could be a major problem inside the engine itself. For example, the engine cylinders are not designed to last forever, and you might deal with a situation where one of those cylinders gets cracked.
In that case, you will notice white smoke from exhaust when accelerating. Therefore, you have to take the situation carefully and consult your mechanic. Ignoring the problem leads to more complications, and the more you delay it, the harder it is to get this vehicle fixed.
· Cause #4: burnt off concentration
Another common situation for the white smoke out of your exhaust is when you have burnt condensation. In other words, it doesn't have to be a major critical problem inside your vehicle causing the issue.
For example, have you ever started your car in the early cold morning and realized that white smoke was coming out of the tailpipe? This is the situation we're referring to. It is not very concerning, and it's not a big deal.
However, this does not mean that you should ignore the problem because if it's an ongoing issue that you're noticing not only on cold days, it's related to another issue that you must investigate immediately.
· Cause #5: external coolant leak
In addition to the oil leak, sometimes you might deal with a coolant leak. The coolant is this fluid responsible for cooling down the engine whenever it overheats.
Your vehicle must run with a certain amount of coolant, and if this coolant drops, it leads to significant engine overheating that could kill the engine in no time!
Coolant can leak through any weak seal, and sometimes it can be tricky to tell where the crack is. However, you might be lucky to see some dripping fluid underneath the vehicle. Once you familiarize yourself with this fluid, you can confirm whether it's coolant or something else.
Once you confirm it's a coolant leak, you must immediately talk to your mechanic. Sometimes your mechanic might even advise you not to continue driving this car and to tow it to the nearest repair shop.
· Cause #6: internal coolant leak
Unfortunately, a coolant leak is only sometimes obvious. In other words, it could be happening internally, and your vehicle might lose coolant without you noticing.
The good thing is that as a good driver, you will notice some additional symptoms to help you look at the coolant and confirm whether there is an equivalent internal leaking. For example, if you notice some white smoke from the exhaust when accelerating, this could indicate an internal coolant leak.
It should be addressed when there is a leak, internally or externally. In other words, you must act immediately and show your mechanic where the problem is. Your mechanic can use certain tools and equipment to determine where exactly the coolant leak is happening. Once that is determined, the next step is to fix the problem to prevent further damages that could cost you thousands of dollars on repair.
· Cause #7: error in the engine control units
Some more complicated situations make it hard to tell why you notice white smoke from the exhaust when accelerating.
For example, suppose there is an error in your engine control units. In that case, the vehicle might stop communicating properly. In certain situations, it might start burning more fuel and causing some internal issues that will be reflected in white smoke from exhaust when accelerating.
In this situation, the only solution for you is to consult the mechanic and have him perform a detailed system inspection. Sometimes this might require a simple software upgrade, but also it could indicate that you have a major problem with the engine control units.
· Cause #8: damaged fuel injector
The fuel injectors are very small components involved in the combustion process. These injectors are responsible for injecting fuel whenever the vehicle is ready to create the combustion process and generate the energy inside the engine.
Since the fuel injectors are not designed to last forever, there will be a point in time when you have to replace them. One of the common symptoms that indicate major damage in your fuel injector is when you notice white smoke from the exhaust when accelerating.
Your mechanic can use certain tools to confirm where the problem is coming from, and once he knows it's a fuel injector issue, he will advise you to replace the faulty components with nuance. Obviously, as a driver, you get an implement these recommended repairs as soon as possible because the more you wait, the more complicated the problem gets.
· Cause #9: problems with the transmission fluid
Did you know that if you notice white smoke from exhaust when accelerating, the problem is not always related to the engine? Sometimes if you have an issue with the transmission fluids, it might be reflected in the color of your exhaust.
That's why if you're a mechanic who did not find any problem in the previously mentioned eight causes, the next step is to look at the transmission fluid and confirm its increased condition. If your transmission fluid is dirty or requires a flush, you must do it immediately to avoid further complications that could also impact the engine.
· Cause #10: cracked engine block
Finally, a cracked engine block might easily lead to white smoke from exhaust when accelerating. This is a very critical situation, and it could indicate a significant problem in your engine that requires a complete replacement.
Unfortunately, replacing the engine means thousands of dollars in repair, which is why many people give up on their vehicles just because of a severely cracked engine block.
That's why you never want to underestimate the critical meaning of white smoke from exhaust when accelerating!
How to fix problems with white smoke from exhaust when accelerating?
As you might notice, there is a long list of potential culprits behind white smoke from exhaust when accelerating. Therefore, the expected repairs and fixes will depend heavily on what you're dealing with and what's causing the problem.
For example, if your issue has to do with an oil or coolant leak, whether internal or external, your mechanic needs to identify the leak's location and fix the crack as soon as possible.
On the other hand, if the problem has to do with a severe crack and your engine block, you need to discuss with your mechanic potential repair options. For example, your mechanic might recommend fixing this crack, but in some instances, he might recommend replacing the engine, which can be extremely expensive.
That's why we always recommend that you evaluate the situation carefully and confirm whether it's worth fixing your vehicle. If repair costs are very high, then selling your vehicle is a great solution.
Remember that not everyone would be interested in buying a vehicle with major problems, especially engine-related ones. However, cash cars buyer is one of the limited companies that will accept your vehicle no matter its size or condition!
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White smoke from exhaust when accelerating: Final thoughts
The exhaust smoke should not have a very obvious color, especially in modern vehicles. However, if you start noticing some white smoke from the exhaust when accelerating, you might be dealing with a major internal problem.
This article summarized the 10 most common causes of white smoke from exhaust when accelerating. These causes could include issues with oil or coolant leaks, but they also might mean significant damage to the engine block itself.
It is important for you as a driver to resolve the issue as soon as possible. If you notice that repair costs are piling up and approaching 75% or more of the value of your vehicle, experts recommend selling this vehicle rather than wasting your time and money trying to fix it.
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