white smoke - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Irene · 07-15-2005, 11:01 AM

Hello everybody!
As I was driving my Corolla 97 on the freeway this morning, there was white smoke behind it for about 15 sec or so. Never happened before... What could it be?
THANKS!

lifeisviewtiful · 07-15-2005, 12:07 PM

maye be burning oil

Irene · 07-15-2005, 12:08 PM

Wouldn't the smoke be black and not white if it were oil?

lifeisviewtiful · 07-15-2005, 12:11 PM

irene you're right.

Irene · 07-15-2005, 12:32 PM

If it is water vapor and not oil, I am curious how it gets into the exhaust system...

corolla_racer · 07-15-2005, 12:32 PM

White smoke=Coolent burning
black=oil

Irene · 07-15-2005, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by corolla_racer

White smoke=Coolent burning
black=oil

But the coolant level is fine - I am not losing any.

hachi_slow · 07-15-2005, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Irene

Hello everybody!
As I was driving my Corolla 97 on the freeway this morning, there was white smoke behind it for about 15 sec or so. Never happened before... What could it be?
THANKS!

Could just be condensation in your exhaust pipe after sitting overnight. If you're that worried, do a compression check to see if it's your hg or anything else.

Irene · 07-15-2005, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hachi_slow

Could just be condensation in your exhaust pipe after sitting overnight. If you're that worried, do a compression check to see if it's your hg or anything else.

Head gasket? Where is it in Corolla 97?

karazy · 07-15-2005, 01:17 PM

Oh oh. It 's in the same place as every engine. It's the gasket between the head and the engine block.

How much smoke are we talking about?

Irene · 07-15-2005, 01:20 PM

Damsel in distress thanks all of you who've contributed so far

Irene · 07-15-2005, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by karazy

Oh oh. It 's in the same place as every engine. It's the gasket between the head and the engine block.

How much smoke are we talking about?

It did it once today on the freeway, when I was already at a steady speed, but only for about 15-20 sec. Scared the bejesus out of me. I'll watch it to see if it keeps happening.

Jester8759 · 07-15-2005, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by corolla_racer

White smoke=Coolent burning
black=oil

I thought burning oil was a blue smoke?

karazy · 07-15-2005, 03:20 PM

It definitely sounds like a HG problem. A short burn like that, would not be noticeable in the coolant level. The fact that it started and stopped, while highway driving is a bit strange. It is possible that the leak sealed itself, temporarily. I would check the oil and coolant for signs of cross contamination. It wouldn't hurt to pull the spark plugs, to see if any of them appear to be wet or cleaner than the others. The next start, after a prolonged sit, should let you know if a leak still exists. The white smoke plume will be there at start up.

If there are no signs found, it wouldn't hurt to add a can of stop leak, just to be safe.

stubborn1 · 07-15-2005, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Irene

Damsel in distress thanks all of you who've contributed so far

Someone already mentioned checking for signs of a bad head gasket, but I thought I would add what to look for.

Pull your oil dipstick out and look for greyish milky type deposit right above the line of the oil. Foam of any type on the dipstick is also a bad sign.

Take off your oil fill cap and look underneath the cap for the same types of deposits mentioned above.