Only noticed tonight after starting the car and going around to take a quick look at the hole in my muffler ( no wonder it sounds so loud!) that there was a bit of fluid (no idea what kind) building up on the lower lip of the exhaust tip and dripping onto the ground. Now, I'm no mechanic - but that can't be good. Any help before putting her in for a major tune would be mucho appreciated!
Yeah if you look at the muffler tip after you start and the car is now heating up on a morning usually you will find some small beads of liquid(water) to show that there is condensation along with a fine misty white gas coming out then it should go away after a few minutes of driving. If it continues or looks blue then you have problems.
that is normal but it can be bad like what these other guys have said about you might have a blown head gasket, but its is unlikely, the water gets there many ways like the moisture in the air at night when it is parked and the work of the cat-converter.
The engine puts out a number of gases out through the exhaust like CO2, O2, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and so on, the cat breaks down some of these gases to make them more friendlier for the earth, for one example it will brake down the hydrocarbons with the oxygen (O2) which then make H2O or water.
You won't need to worry too much about stuff leaking from the engine because when it gets to the downpipe the heat just burns it up and you will be able to distinguish the type of liquid that's been burnt by the colour of the smoke if there's any.
Nacho wrote:You won't need to worry too much about stuff leaking from the engine because when it gets to the downpipe the heat just burns it up and you will be able to distinguish the type of liquid that's been burnt by the colour of the smoke if there's any.
true...white smoke and black smoke...white smoke is oil right? then I would be a bit worried...O rings leaking etc..black is just unburnt fuel when u hammer it from the lights ... the amount you get will depend on how well you car is tuned you will notice older cars do this a lot...like the old wogboys and their VK commies!
I'm pretty sure burnt oil is blue, can't remember what white smoke is. And yes unburnt fuel is black smoke. And green smoke is from laughing gas.........