white smoke from exhaust?

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Aug 22, 2004
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ok idiot question here ...I run my 82 FJ60 , runs ok , no knocks or anything loud and obnoxious ...But a fair ammount of white/grey smoke comes out of the tailpipe ....Am I burning oil or what? I plan on making it a seasonal IM machine nad useing it for an offroad build up but not sure what all smog stuff to take out. The chiltons is sorta vague , ...SOme help here please I'm in Alaska and so far not alot of FJ people have stepped foward to help
 
white smoke = antifreeze/water

if only during initial startup, then it goes away...most likely just condensation in the exhaust system. If you drive short distances and the exhaust doesn't get opportunity to heat fully, you'll have a pretty short life span on your muffler/pipes.

If it occurs constantly, then it's a bigger issue....head gasket is possible. Pull the radiator cap when you first start the rig, let it warm up, and watch for constant tiny air bubbles. Also, check the rad fluid, any oil in there is a bad sign.
 
Black smoke= burning oil
White smoke= coolant/water in the exhaust or leaking into the combustion chamber (big problem)

Do you have a trusted mechanic nearby you can take it to for a full diagnosis?
 
I've never had black smoke for oil, when it's black, it's carbon burnoff or unburnt HCs.

If it's smoking full time, and it's white, take a whiff of it. If it's sweet smelling, it's antifreeze and you'll need to look for a blown head gasket or a crack somewhere in the head/block. If you've run it hot, that's about the only reason you'd have a crack. Head gasket is a usual suspect, though. (if it needs to be replaced, use OEM - non-OEM gaskets are notoriously bad)

If it's not sweet smelling, and the smoke is white to blue-grey, and smells like oil, sounds like it could be your rings. This is only if it's burning full time and never stops. If it's oil smoke at start up only, it would be bad valve seals or guides. If it's burning for a little while and stopping and it seems random, it might be from overfilling the oil pan. I've done this and the motor will burn off excess oil on it's own. Do a wet/dry compression test and you can get some good answers there (and if you don't know what to look for, do a search on the web for info or come back here and ask) - check your oil consumption, of course.

Another short/easy test, if it's a ring issue or you think it's oil burning, you can pull the plugs and there should be weird oil/crap build up on the plug...looks like sludge.
 
my rig has started puffing out white smoke when i start it, but what is weird is when i start it no smoke comes our right away. if i let it sit there and idle, then it is blowing smoke.
it idles at about 600 rpm. once i start driving it the smoke stops.

i haven't noticed any excess oil consumption.

should i even worry since it seems to stop once the exhaust warms up?
 

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