The reason why there is a ton of exhaust flowing out of your car, truck, or utility vehicle’s tailpipe is that you have fluid hemorrhaging out of the engine. University Auto Repair would be happy to determine where the fluid leak is so we can fix it. Unfortunately, fluid leaks that cause excess exhaust are severe. If you continue to drive your automobile, you run the risk of damaging the engine beyond repair. Let’s talk about the different exhaust colors below and what they mean in terms of the fluid leak in your engine.
Black Exhaust
If you see black exhaust flowing out of the tailpipe, your vehicle’s engine is losing too much diesel fuel or gasoline. You do not want to drive your automobile when it is leaking fuel. Continuing to drive the vehicle can cause an engine fire. In fact, in the case of black exhaust, you may also see sparks or flames coming out of the tailpipe. This might look cool on TV or in the movies, but it makes driving your automobile extremely dangerous. Don’t drive your vehicle if you have excess black exhaust pouring out of the tailpipe. Again, the engine is burning fuel.
Blue Exhaust
Oil is the culprit if you see blue or gray exhaust flowing out of the tailpipe. Unfortunately, this means that there is little to no motor oil in the engine where it needs to be. If you continue to drive your automobile with the severe oil leak, you will damage the engine beyond repair. In fact, if the oil has leaked out of the automobile almost completely, your engine could seize up and die within 30 minutes. It’s important that you don’t drive your automobile if it is leaking enough motor oil to create blue or gray exhaust.
White Exhaust
Finally, White exhaust means your engine is burning coolant. This could be spraying out of a cracked head gasket or another severe cooling system leak. Naturally, if you have a severe coolant leak in your engine, it will also overheat. Continuing to drive your car, truck, or utility vehicle with an overheating engine can damage it beyond repair, especially if you cracked the engine block. Aside from the white exhaust flowing out of your tailpipe, you may also see white smoke coming out from underneath the hood.
Have your vehicle towed to University Auto Repair in Flagstaff, AZ, if it is releasing excess exhaust. We will find the problem and fix it.
