I just got a 6MT and noticed when I started her up and put the car in "reverse" and see a good amount of smoke coming out of the tailpipes. Is this pretty normal as I don't recall seeing any smoke when I had my auto TL-S.

FYI the car has 58k and it was in the high 70's with high humidity and it did thunderstorm a few hours before if that helps.

BTW do you all think 58k is a lot of miles for an '07 and any major things I should replace at or around 60k? TIA.

 

That seems kind of odd. Maybe bad gas
I don't think 58k is too much for an 07.

 

Did it stop once it was fully hot, after driving it?

It's probably normal depending on atmospheric conditions.

Assuming it's vapor coming out of the tailpipes, it can only be from burning coolant or running rich as the byproduct after it goes through the converter is water.

If it was running rich, chances are you would have a CEL. If it is engine coolant, you would be low on water in the overflow tank.

 

Thanks IHC. You made me feel better and after searching I am hoping it was just moisture and maybe just condensation. Yes, I did stop by 711 and didn't notice on my backup camera again. Thanks again IHC!

 

After the converters heat up you'll see no smoke even if it is an oil burner. One should be able to detect whether normal vapor that we see in colder conditions, or has some continuity to indicate a problem. Probably normal vapor, but time will tell, just keep an eye on the fluids.

 

Thanks Turbo. Also, is it normal to hear slight valve ticking when turning off your car? Anything I should do to prevent this noise as I only fill up with 93 Premium.

 

Not sure what you mean when you say when you turn off your car? The TL valve train is pretty noisy when running. Silent when off. no valves moving. I assume your not talking about the noises a hot engine makes sometimes on shutdown as it cools? random tinks and pops?

 

^Yeah, random ticks I hear very slightly. Never heard this in my auto TL-S so thought it was a little concerning.

 

Most cars make noises as everything is cooling. It's not valvetrain obviously but many times exhaust parts and such contracting. You should hear a turbo car after it's shut down too soon after being run hard.

You can still have vapor after the converters are fully hot, water is a byproduct of the process. There have been a handful of times where my car still has vapor after a 45 minute trip to work. Just certain conditions that produce it. As long as it's not doing it all the time and you're not losing any fluids, it's nothing to worry about. At worse it could be a sign that you have an 02 sensor on it's way out but even that is a stretch. You would notice a mpg hit if it's rich enough to produce steam all the time.

 

^^IHC-I was searching about oil weight and saw a thread in which you recommend Redline 5w20 to reduce valve noise.

I was wondering if this will help or maybe try 5w30 using Mobil 1 to see if it will help?

 

Guess I should have explained further as I was speaking of a mechanical problem, but Matt is correct, in cold weather the warm water vapor contacts the cold air, and presto, you have droplets that can be seen, prefectly normal.