brianch

So I JUST picked up my 08 TL-S 6MT a week ago. I noticed today that on a cold start it spits white smoke for a few seconds then stops. Also at stop lights I rev up to 2k-3k sometimes and check in the side mirror to see if there is white smoke and on the occasional time there is. I went to smell the fumes of the exhaust after giving it a few revs. White smoke or not it smells like very potent ACID. Kind of like what it is like when you sniff a bottle of vinegar or battery acid. My head still hurts from that single sniff. I told a friend to smell as well just to make sure I wasn't going crazy and he also said it smells like vinegar/acid.

So.. What do I have? Blown head gasket? Car is running lean or rich?

Please help... I'm in a state of panic.

dzionny_dzionassi

it is running to lean. Did you changed your air filter? If not that might help. Try to remove your air filter and start your car. just dont drive with out filter > Your fuel filter might be clogged.

dzionny_dzionassi

did you put any fuel system cleaner in your tank?

brianch

No fuel system cleaner. Not that i know of.. Unless the dealer put it in. I've already used pretty much all the fuel that the dealer provided and have filled up a tank already though. The air filter is brand new. Just replaced when I bought the car. When it's idling it doesn't smell like acid. It's only when we rev the car up and the fumes that roast out afterwards smell like acid/vinegar. The fumes are usually white as well. I'm trying to figure out if it's the coolant but my coolant level doesn't seem to be droping. There is no oddity to the engine oil or from the radiator cap. No bubbles or milky fluid. But why is there white smoke from a cold start and when I rev the car up... I'll see if it continues next week. No overheating or anything either. How else can I tell if I'm running lean?

YeuEmMaiMai

white smoke typically = headgasket. does the problem go away when the engine heats up? Did you get a warranty with the car? It IS NOT NORMAL for an engine to spew white smoke

dzionny_dzionassi

he smells acid, so it is not headgasket. Friend of mine had same problem, it was fuel filter, but he had bmw. ACID will damage cats.

ez12a

the acid smell could just be a byproduct of burning coolant going through the catalytic converters. White smoke usually means coolant.

Check your reservoir level when cold. Check your oil to see if it's milky looking.

Some steam at start up is normal. So is some steam even when it's warmed up on a cold day. Could be the cats are just bad and causing the smell. Maybe a video would help to see just how much smoke is being emitted.

brianch

No other sign that there is coolant getting into the system. I drove the car insanely hard to see if I could get the coolant level to go lower. It's been the same for a week so i can't really figure out what it is.. Maybe it's normal.. Could be the fuel filter. Car doesnt run like crap from what I know. And there are no overheating issues even on a very hot day. No milkyness in coolant or engine oil. Going to assume it's just condensation? It's not a ton of white smoke but you can see puffs come out than stop. Only when you give it gas though. When it idles there isn't any smoke. Anyways I might just be paranoid. I'll get a compression check sometime soon to confirm if there are any cracks or if the gasket is gone.

YeuEmMaiMai

open the rad cap and look in

TVL65

But NOT when the engine is hot!!

Tnevelz

thoiboi

OP posted in 2012 and hasn't been here since 2015..


It's safe to say that he's dead

Midnight Mystery

Super bump!