CAR FIX in Maryville, Tennessee recommends that you pull over right away if you see a ton of smoke behind your vehicle. This can be a sign that you have an engine fire. It can also be a sign that you have excessive amounts of exhaust flowing out of the tailpipe. When this happens, your engine has a serious fluid leak that could leave it damaged beyond repair. Rather than driving your automobile, call for a tow truck to bring your car, truck, or utility vehicle to our shop. We are going to explain below what the different colors of exhaust mean and how driving your automobile will affect your engine.
Black
As we mentioned above, the smoke could be a sign of an engine fire, especially if it is black. Black vehicle exhaust means that the engine is burning too much fuel. Unfortunately, the engine is hemorrhaging fuel from somewhere. Even if the fuel has not turned into an engine fire yet, it could if you keep driving your automobile. It’s better to call for a tow truck and leave your engine off. You do not want to operate your vehicle if it is leaking enough fuel to cause black smoke to cover out of the tailpipe.
Blue
The reason why it’s a bad idea to operate the automobile if it is releasing blue smoke is that the engine is burning oil. Unfortunately, as with the fuel leak discussed above, in order for blue smoke to be produced, the engine has to be hemorrhaging the oil. The most common problem that will cause blue exhaust smoke to flow out of the tailpipe is a cracked engine gasket. This will cause the motor oil to leak into the cylinder block. When this happens, the spark plugs ignite the oil alongside the air and fuel that is found in each cylinder. This depletes the oil that is circulating in your engine. You may already know this but an engine without motor oil can be destroyed in less than 30 minutes.
White
Finally, your engine is going to overheat if you see a ton of white smoke behind your automobile. This is a sign that there is a coolant hemorrhage in the engine. Usually, what causes this is a blown head gasket. Once the gasket cracks, the pressurized coolant is sprayed all over the hot engine where it is burned. The loss of coolant in the engine will increase the engine’s temperature significantly. As such, cut the engine and have your vehicle towed to our shop.
CAR FIX in Maryville, TN, is here to help, so call us to set up a service appointment if your automobile is releasing excess exhaust.
