Have your vehicle towed to Oriskany Garage Tire & Auto Service right away if it has suddenly started to release a ton of exhaust. When your tailpipe turns into a smokestack, this is an indication that there is a significant fluid leak in the engine. Unfortunately, if you continue to drive your automobile, you could start an engine fire or damage the engine beyond repair. This is why we recommend that you have the vehicle towed. The color of the exhaust reflects the fluid that is leaking in the engine. Let’s talk more about this below.
Black
Where there is black smoke there is fire, and your engine is hemorrhaging fuel if there is black smoke coming out of the tailpipe. When the engine leaks fuel, you are at an extremely high risk of an engine fire. It’s better to pull over and cut the engine. The leaking fuel can be coming out of the fuel system, such as out of cracked fuel injectors or a faulty fuel pump. Nevertheless, you do not want to take chances by continuing to drive your vehicle when fuel is being burned in the engine.
Blue
Blue exhaust can also look gray, and this is a sign that you have blown the head gasket. The head gasket is the seal that prevents the motor oil from leaking into the combustion chamber. If the gasket cracks, the motor oil can mix with coolant, leak into the cylinders, and be burned away by the engine’s combustion. Consequently, you will have more motor oil in the cylinder block that you will have circulating through the engine. As such, you run the risk of seriously damaging the engine if you continue to drive your automobile. Never operate a vehicle without plenty of oil in the engine.
White
Finally, the blown head gasket can also cause your vehicle to release a ton of white exhaust. This is the color of the exhaust that is created when the engine is burning away coolant. In addition to the exhaust, your engine is also going to overheat. As with driving the engine without any motor oil, driving the engine when it is overheating can damage it severely. In fact, you could crack the cylinder block.
Oriskany Garage Tire & Auto Service in Utica, NY, is here to help. Give our shop a call today so we can schedule a service appointment for your automobile if it is releasing excess exhaust.