Oil Smoke Test

From : abby normal

Q: is there any test that can be performed to verify oil smoke from the tail pipe besides just looking at it the climate is getting cold here and there is a lot of steam/smoke/something coming from the tailpipe. how can one test for certain if it is or is not oil other than visually take a glass of ice water and hold it in the exhaust stream. if you get a lot of condensation then its just that - water. if it doesnt condense then youre burning something else most likely oil though oil tends to have a bluish tint to it when burned. does it go away once the engines warmed up however if you smell it and it smells like anti-freeze thats a big problem. with the vehicle cold remove the radiator cap and start it up. look for bubbles coming up through the coolant. bubbles=blown head gasket. my guess it its just water vapor condensing in the cooler air. .

Replies:

From : abby normalroy

help our shop recently extended a mega cab. when the truck i running the flashers and blinkers do not work!!! however when th truck is not running they work fine !!!! keep in mind we touche nothing electrical and disconneted all power when welding. thank .

From : roy

pressure test on what compression tests wont show oil rings or valve stem seals into the combustion chamber. im not sure what to get a pressure test on exactly. i went back out and started the engine after we drove it from my daughters apartment to here about 15 minutes. there was nothing visible from the exhaust stream this time. on the way here it seemed like a lot though. if this is something new id get a pressure test done just to be safe. thanks for the test suggestion. that makes a lot of sense. i will try that this afternoon when i get some time to work on it. is there any test that can be performed to verify oil smoke from the tail pipe besides just looking at it the climate is getting cold here and there is a lot of steam/smoke/something coming from the tailpipe. how can one test for certain if it is or is not oil other than visually take a glass of ice water and hold it in the exhaust stream. if you get a lot of condensation then its just that - water. if it doesnt condense then youre burning something else most likely oil though oil tends to have a bluish tint to it when burned. does it go away once the engines warmed up however if you smell it and it smells like anti-freeze thats a big problem. with the vehicle cold remove the radiator cap and start it up. look for bubbles coming up through the coolant. bubbles=blown head gasket. my guess it its just water vapor condensing in the cooler air. .

From : abby normal

i went back out and started the engine after we drove it from my daughters apartment to here about 15 minutes. there was nothing visible from the exhaust stream this time. on the way here it seemed like a lot though. if this is something new id get a pressure test done just to be safe. thanks for the test suggestion. that makes a lot of sense. i will try that this afternoon when i get some time to work on it. is there any test that can be performed to verify oil smoke from the tail pipe besides just looking at it the climate is getting cold here and there is a lot of steam/smoke/something coming from the tailpipe. how can one test for certain if it is or is not oil other than visually take a glass of ice water and hold it in the exhaust stream. if you get a lot of condensation then its just that - water. if it doesnt condense then youre burning something else most likely oil though oil tends to have a bluish tint to it when burned. does it go away once the engines warmed up however if you smell it and it smells like anti-freeze thats a big problem. with the vehicle cold remove the radiator cap and start it up. look for bubbles coming up through the coolant. bubbles=blown head gasket. my guess it its just water vapor condensing in the cooler air. .

From : tom lawrence

ill check the hoses. where is the blend door located inside the hvac box which is behind the dash. its not an easy job to get to it. unfortunately it sounds like youre down to that as the only other possibility if youre really sure that it used to blow hotter than it is now. might i suggest measuring the actual discharge temp of the hvac system before proceeding further doesnt seem as warm is too subjective for me to warrant the time and expense of blend door surgery. get a thermometer measure the discharge temp and report back. mike .

From : nosey

ill check the hoses. where is the blend door located inside the hvac box which is behind the dash. its not an easy job to get to it. unfortunately it sounds like youre down to that as the only other possibility if youre really sure that it used to blow hotter than it is now. after following this thread i seem to lean towards your latter tom. i have had several occaisions over the years where changing a thermostat has changed the heater temps slightly one way or the other. just a very few degrees in the temperature that the thermostat opens/closes can translate to quite a bit from the heater. if the replacement is a slightly lower value or just opens at a bit lower temperature it would be noticeable. i would say to try a thermostat maybe 10degs higher in value and just see if that makes a difference. the engine computer should compensate easily for such a small change as far as everything else goes. its a shot but at least a cheap one.......-. if that isnt the problem i agree the hvac would be next.......and that aint cheap.....or easy. ed .