Exhaust System: What is your Muffler telling you?
To get an idea of what's going on inside your vehicle’s engine, pay attention to the quality of the exhaust system. As the engine burns fuel and creates exhaust, lots of different things are happening. Unfortunately, things like burning oil, evaporating coolant and leaving unburned fuel in the exhaust, aren't supposed to happen. It could just be a worn-out muffler, but it’s hard to know without an inspection.
To understand what’s happening in your vehicle’s exhaust system, notice the color and smell of the emissions from the muffler:
- White Smoke or Water Vapor: If it’s cold outside, you may see white smoke come from the muffler when you start your car. However, if it doesn’t disappear after the car warms up, it could be caused by a crack in the coolant pipe that's causing coolant to leak into the combustion chamber. Or, there may be a crack in the cylinder head or the exhaust port facility. This is a serious problem and usually requires extensive work.
- Blue or Gray Smoke: If you see gray or blue smoke come from the muffler when you start your car, it may or may not disappear after the car warms up, but it is just less noticeable. Grey smoke usually indicates that some oil has gotten into the combustion chamber or on the cylinder head, indicating an oil leak. This is usually easy to find but can be expensive to fix. The best-case scenario, however, is that your vehicle simply needs an oil change.
- Black Smoke: Black smoke may come from the muffler when you start your car and it may or may not disappear after the car warms up. You may notice the engine running rough or misfiring. Black smoke often signifies the most serious problems and may indicate that your engine is burning oil. Sometimes this means you have a blocked air filter, or your injection system is malfunctioning.
If your muffler is indicating any of the exhaust system problems above, it would be wise to have it checked out by a certified auto mechanic as soon as possible. A little prevention now can save a more costly repair down the road.
Need an inspection of your vehicle’s exhaust system? Contact our ASE-Certified Technicians at Gary’s Quality Automotive by calling (308) 381-2295 or go on-line at https://www.garysautoinc.com/ for more information. Our auto shop proudly serves vehicle owners in Grand Island, NE, Wood River, NE, and Doniphan, NE.
To get an idea of what's going on inside your vehicle’s engine, pay attention to the quality of the exhaust system. As the engine burns fuel and creates exhaust, lots of different things are happening. Unfortunately, things like burning oil, evaporating coolant and leaving unburned fuel in the exhaust, aren't supposed to happen. It could just be a worn-out muffler, but it’s hard to know without an inspection.
To understand what’s happening in your vehicle’s exhaust system, notice the color and smell of the emissions from the muffler:
- White Smoke or Water Vapor: If it’s cold outside, you may see white smoke come from the muffler when you start your car. However, if it doesn’t disappear after the car warms up, it could be caused by a crack in the coolant pipe that's causing coolant to leak into the combustion chamber. Or, there may be a crack in the cylinder head or the exhaust port facility. This is a serious problem and usually requires extensive work.
- Blue or Gray Smoke: If you see gray or blue smoke come from the muffler when you start your car, it may or may not disappear after the car warms up, but it is just less noticeable. Grey smoke usually indicates that some oil has gotten into the combustion chamber or on the cylinder head, indicating an oil leak. This is usually easy to find but can be expensive to fix. The best-case scenario, however, is that your vehicle simply needs an oil change.
- Black Smoke: Black smoke may come from the muffler when you start your car and it may or may not disappear after the car warms up. You may notice the engine running rough or misfiring. Black smoke often signifies the most serious problems and may indicate that your engine is burning oil. Sometimes this means you have a blocked air filter, or your injection system is malfunctioning.
If your muffler is indicating any of the exhaust system problems above, it would be wise to have it checked out by a certified auto mechanic as soon as possible. A little prevention now can save a more costly repair down the road.
Need an inspection of your vehicle’s exhaust system? Contact our ASE-Certified Technicians at Gary’s Quality Automotive by calling (308) 381-2295 or go on-line at https://www.garysautoinc.com/ for more information. Our auto shop proudly serves vehicle owners in Grand Island, NE, Wood River, NE, and Doniphan, NE.
