Why Is Exhaust Flowing Out of My Tailpipe?

You’ve seen steam coming out of your tailpipe on an icy morning or after dark, but you should never see a large amount of exhaust flowing out of your tailpipe. Excess engine exhaust is a sign that there is something wrong with the engine and this problem could be dangerous to both you and your car, truck, utility vehicle, or van. Even if you drive a diesel, Righteous Auto Care advises that you should not see too much exhaust coming out of the tailpipe. Let’s talk about the different colors of engine exhaust and what they mean so you have a better idea of what’s wrong with your automobile.

If you see a ton of black exhaust flowing out of your tailpipe, your engine is burning fuel. In severe cases, you might even see sparks or fire coming out of the tailpipe. You don’t need us to tell you that this is a very dangerous problem. Your engine has to burn a lot of fuel in order for black exhaust to pour out of the tailpipe, so it’s safe to say that your engine has a serious diesel fuel or gasoline leak inside of it. This is also dangerous from the perspective of an engine fire.

Blue exhaust is a sign that you need to replace your automobile’s engine. What has most likely happened is that the engine gasket has cracked and motor oil is leaking into the combustion chamber’s cylinders. What is creating the blue exhaust is that the oil is being burned along with the air and fuel that is found in the combustion chamber. Unfortunately, to repair this problem, it takes extensive work or, as we said above, a complete engine replacement.

You may see white smoke coming out from underneath your hood along with white exhaust flowing out of your tailpipe if you have blown your engine’s head gasket. When coolant is burned, it creates white smoke and exhaust. In addition to the smoke and exhaust problem, your engine will also overheat, and if it gets too hot, which it can do very quickly, you may end up cracking your engine block. This is severe engine damage that usually requires an engine replacement.

Righteous Auto Care in Racine WI , would be happy to inspect your automobile to find out why you have too much exhaust flowing out of the tailpipe. Call us today to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. The sooner we find and fix the problem the less damage to your automobile.