Apart from the warning lights on the vehicle itself, passing the regulatory inspections and any unforeseen event that may arise, such as a light bulb, a breakage, etc. We must also monitor possible noises that arise due to wear, for this it is advisable to open the windows from time to time and listen to the vehicle, and see if the engine noise has changed, if there is any whistling or noise out of place, etc. If so, we must take it to the workshop so that the mechanics can check what is causing it.
A very important indicator to know the state of our vehicle is the color of the smoke that comes out of the exhaust pipe, this warns us that something is not right with the engine and if we do not pay attention, the breakage can worsen. The consequences of not giving importance to the fumes coming out of the exhaust pipe are a complicated and therefore expensive breakage and the car stopping at the worst possible moment.
The usual thing is that if the vehicle is in good condition the smoke is colorless, although on certain occasions you can see up to three different colors; white, blue and black. Technicians identify possible faults that a car may have depending on the color, density and length of time the smoke remains.
If the smoke is white, it is odorless, light and lasts very little and we only see it as soon as the vehicle is started, in certain weather situations such as winter or autumn; with a high percentage of humidity in the environment. We can say that there is no type of breakdown, since it is simply water vapor that is produced by condensation. However, when the white smoke is dense and continues to come out of the exhaust throughout the entire time the vehicle is driving… There we could say that it could be a clear symptom of a breakdown.
When the smoke coming out of a car’s exhaust is blue; It is mainly due to oil being burned, which in turn is caused by an internal leak in the vehicle’s lubrication system. In this case, the breakdown can be very serious and its repair very expensive, since the vehicle can run out of oil, an undesirable event, since it would imply a complete breakdown of the engine.
When the smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe is black or dark gray, the possible malfunctions may vary depending on the type of fuel in the vehicle. If our car is gasoline-powered, the origin of this smoke may be because the vehicle is burning too much fuel. On the other hand, if our vehicle is diesel, the black smoke that comes out of it will escape; It may simply be due to a buildup of soot in the exhaust system. To remedy it and see if it could be due to something else… It is best to drive for several minutes with a gear lower than the usual 6th gear, we will go down to 5th gear, for example, which will also imply a higher rev range than normal. With this action the smoke should stop coming out black.
However, if the black smoke persists (after performing the previous action) in our diesel car. It can be due to various factors, with possible problems in the injectors, electronics, turbo and even the particulate filter.
We cannot say that the car does not warn us when it has a problem, we just have to be attentive to the symptoms it shows, and in the case of smoke, we will see it in the rearview mirror, when opening the trunk, because it will be stained and sticky; or it will be dirtier than the rest of the vehicle; if what it releases is oil. In this case we must be alert and ask a friend from outside to confirm if there is more smoke than usual and what color it is. Our pocket will thank us and we will avoid risky situations if it fails us on the road.
