Car Smoking But Not Overheating – Causes and Solutions

Car smoking but not overheating is normal if it occurs occasionally. For instance, a car blowing white smoke during the cold season is normal. However, when the smoke is thick and frequent, there’s cause for alarm.

In this article, we’ll discuss the common reasons why cars smoke even when the engine isn’t overheating and how to fix the problem.

What Causes Car Smoking But Not Overheating?

The causes of a car smoking but not overheating is because of condensation during the cold season, a cracked gasket, or water in the exhaust system. Other causes are oil spillage, hot wires, damaged filler cap, faulty fuel injector, broken fuel pressure regulator and faulty carburetor.

A clogged inlet manifold, an off-ignition timing and a dirty air filter could all cause cars to smoke without overheating. Note that the smoke can come in white, blue, or black color, with each color indicating the source of the problem.

For example, white-colored smoke indicates a cracked engine block or damaged radiator hose. On the other hand, blue smoke shows that the damaged piston rings or malfunctioning PCV valve.

Black smoke could mean the air filter is dirty, the fuel pressure regulator is bad or the fuel injector is dysfunctional. However, we’ll only discuss the reasons behind smoking cars and find a solution to them. In our subsequent articles, we’ll delve deeper into discovering all the colors of smoke coming from exhaust pipes or engines and their meanings.

• Condensation During the Cold Season

When you notice white exhaust smoke coming from the exhaust during cold weather, chances are that it is just condensation, and you have nothing to worry about. Condensation occurs when the hot gasses from your car’s exhaust pipe meet the cold air outside, causing white smoke. The smoke is usually scentless and comes in small amounts.

However, it doesn’t last and should clear out in about 30 seconds. If the smoke is thicker and does last, it is a sign of a deeper problem. Thus, you should do further checks, with the help of your mechanic, to determine the cause.

• A Cracked Head Gasket/Leaking Coolant/Water

When you see white smoke from engine but not overheating and perceive a sweet scent from the smoke, the head gasket could be broken, allowing the coolant leak into the engine. The leaky coolant may have found its way to the combustion chamber and mixed up with the fuel to burn.

The head gasket is a seal that prevents liquids such as engine oils and coolants from mixing up with the fuel. Thus, these liquids enter the combustion chamber when it cracks and blends with the fuel.

The result is the smoke that you see emanating from the tailpipe. The smoke will likely be black or gray if the liquid is engine oil. However, a cloud of white or blue smoke with an attractive scent indicates the presence of a coolant in the exhaust gasses.

• Oil Spilling from Another Component of the Engine

As we discovered in the previous paragraph, a damaged gasket could allow oil into the combustion chamber. But sometimes oil can spill onto sensitive parts of the engine and cause it to smoke. Oil can spill when you’re not carefully filling the crankcase. If the oil spills on the wrong place or component, it’ll burn off when the engine is hot and give off an oily odor.

The best practice is always to wipe off the oil that spills on any part of the engine. Refusal to do that may cause the breakdown of the parts submerged in the oil.

• Hot Electrical Wires or Starter Motor

Another reason for smoking but not overheating is hot wires, usually characterized by a pungent smell. Locating the exact wire causing the smoking can be difficult, especially if any of the alternator’s copper wires is the culprit. However, the strong scent of a burnt alternator is unmissable and will throw up the check engine and low voltage lights.

Another culprit that could cause smoking is a worn starter cable or a loose wire in the starter system. A worn or loose starter cable could result in short-circuiting or electrical arcing, which heats up the starter motor and releases smoke.

• Smoke Coming from the Oil Filler Cap

This phenomenon usually occurs in older engines, where the cap produces faint smoke. The faint smoke emanates from burnt fuel or oil inside the engine, which occurs when oil leaks into the combustion chamber.

The oil ensures that the engine’s moving parts work well without locking or seizing, while the seals prevent the oil from getting into the wrong places. However, the moving parts of the engine and the seals wear over time. Thus, the oil leaks into certain engine parts and causes smoke from the cap. The smoke may smell like fuel or oil, depending on the liquid burnt in the engine.

• A Damaged Fuel Injector Supplying Excess Fuel

The fuel injector supplies petrol or diesel as a mist to the combustion chamber for burning. A damaged fuel injector might spray excess fuel into the combustion chamber, especially when its nozzle is stuck open. The excess fuel will cause a thick smoke in the combustion chamber, as the fuel doesn’t burn well. The smoke usually exits the vehicle from the exhaust pipe and thick volumes.

• Damaged Fuel Pressure Regulator Supplying Excess Pressure

A fuel pressure regulator controls and maintains the pressure of fuel supplied to the injectors. Thus, a bad regulator allows high fuel pressure, which results in engine misfiring. When the engine misfires, it produces thick dark smoke, which becomes visible through the tailpipe. However, if the pressure is low, the vehicle performs poorly and loses acceleration.

• A Broken Carburetor Supplying Less Air/Fuel Mixture

A carburetor supplies air-fuel mixture to the engine to enable it to operate optimally. It does this by regulating airflow through its main bore, and the airflow draws in fuel to mix with the air. The mixture then makes its way into the engine’s intake valve. Therefore, when a carburetor is broken, it won’t supply enough fuel to the engine, resulting in thick smoke.

• A Blocked Inlet Manifold

The role of an inlet manifold is to allow air-fuel mixture into the engine cylinders. Thus when it is blocked, it’ll supply less of the mixture and allow only a small amount to get through. The small amount of air-fuel mixture will cause dark smoke, exiting through the exhaust system. You can fix this problem at home by cleaning the inlet manifold or sending it to a professional for help.

• When the Ignition Timing Is Off

After the air/fuel is supplied to the combustion chamber, the ignition comes on and burns the mixture to produce power. The ignition must come on at the right time to ensure that the mixture burns properly. Failure to ignite at the right time will result in an excess mixture in the chamber. The excess mixture burns later after ignition, causing black rings of smoke to come from the tailpipe.

How to Fix a Car That Is Smoking But Not Overheating

To fix a car that is smoking but not overheating, start by replacing the damaged parts causing the problem. Some parts may not require replacing; cleaning them will get them functioning again. Other causes, like condensation during the cold weather, will clear up on their own.

• Replacing a Cracked Cylinder Head Gasket

First, locate the blown head gasket between the engine block and the cylinder heads. Consult your car’s manual as to how to get to the head gasket. Once you locate it, remove the old one and clean the surfaces of both the cylinder head and engine. Ensure you clean every debris with an industrial cleaning solution to make the surfaces as smooth as possible.

Next, check the surface to ensure they are even, and then carefully install the new head gasket. Screw the bolts and nuts into place but don’t over-tighten them, or they may cause a crack in and lead to a head gasket failure.

• Fixing a Car Starter Motor

To replace the car’s starter motor, first, disconnect the negative terminal of the battery. The next step is to locate the starter solenoid and remove the wiring and positive battery cable. Remove the bolts holding the starter in place before taking out the starter. Connect the heat shield and other attachments to the new starter and place it in the position of the old one.

Place the bolts and nuts in their respective holes and tighten them to secure the starter motor. Remember to connect the solenoid and the positive battery cable. Also, reconnect the negative terminal of the battery and start the vehicle.

• Cleaning a Blocked Intake Manifold Without Removing It

Open the hood of your car and remove the air intake hose so you can work on the throttle body. Next, spray throttle body cleaner on the throttle body butterfly valve and allow it to sit for about 2 minutes. Wipe the cleaner with a cloth and take note of where the throttle body rests on the intake manifold. Next, open the throttle body valve and apply the cleaner to the valve at its resting position.

Remove the resulting grime with a toothbrush and wipe off the residue with a cloth. Now, turn on the car engine and spray some cleaner inside with the throttle body closed. Remember to spray the cleaner intermittently to avoid engine stalling.

All the other parts mentioned in this article, such as a broken carburetor, an engine ignition, a faulty fuel pressure regulator and damaged fuel injectors, should be replaced by professionals. Attempting to replace them yourself without the requisite proficiency could cause more harm to the vehicle’s engine.

Frequently Asked Questions

– Why Is the Car Smoking But Doesn’t Illuminate Check Engine Light?

When a car is smoking but doesn’t illuminate the check engine light, it’s because there’s no problem with the car. The smoking may be related to the weather or something harmless. You’ll need to check the vehicle because the check engine light could be malfunctioning even though something’s wrong.

Conclusion

So far, we’ve discovered why your car will smoke but not overheat and a few ways to fix the issue.

Here is a summary of the most important points raised in this article:

• Condensation can cause your car to smoke from your exhaust pipe without the car overheating when the hot air from the tailpipe meets the cold air outside.
• A cracked head gasket can cause the coolant to leak into the combustion chamber, producing oily and sweet-smelling smoke from the exhaust pipe.
• A broken engine ignition, fuel pressure regulator and fuel injector could cause excess air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber, resulting in thick, black smoke from the tailpipe.
• A blocked inlet manifold might restrict the volume of air entering the engine, causing smoking because the amount of fuel is higher than the air in the air-fuel mixture.
• A faulty starter motor or frayed wires could generate white smoke from under hood due to short-circuiting or electrical arcing, causing loss of power.

Solving the issue of a car emitting smoke but not overheating requires replacing most of the damaged parts except the inlet manifold, which you can clean with a throttle body spray. The process of replacing some of the parts, like the fuel pressure regulator, fuel injector and carburetor, is a complicated process that requires the help of a mechanic.