White Smoke from exhaust pipe?

What would cause white smoke from the exhaust pipe? I have replaced the plugs, wires, MAF sensor, and in the near future, the alternator.

As far as i can tell the car has always blown smoke, but i have just bought it as a project car and i was wondering what i would need to replace to eliminate the smoke?

Could be Trans fluid, depending on what year vehicle, could be coolant too

White smoke from the exhaust indicates the engine is burning water (coolant). My best guess is intake gaskets and/or upper plenum or a blown headgasket, cracked cylinder head. How much white smoke? Do you have the smoke with a cold engine? Warm engine? Both? Does the coolant level seem to be dropping? Use caution when taking the coolant cap off - if it's a blown headgasket there could be even more cooling system pressure than normal due to exhaust leaking into the cooling system.

The car is a 1986 olds 88 with i believe a 3800 vin b.

The coolant level doesn't seem to be dropping any. I think the smoke lessens as the motor warms up, but the engine will still idle hard.

I do hear a light ticking from the inside of the engine so a blown headgasket might be it?

I dont know of the condition of the transmission fluid but it is probably fairly old.

Also, the car has sat in a field for about 6 months or so before i bought it and replaced the starter to get it running again. Would sitting for 6 months affect this any?

If car is sucking trans fluid thru failed trans vac valve it will also produce white smoke, but you don't hvae that problem as your car is too new. I have a 92 88 3800 with 197k that has had a light ticky-ticky since before 100k and running strong, sounds like a rounded valve tip. but no way to know if thats the sound you hear.

If car is sucking trans fluid thru failed trans vac valve it will also produce white smoke, but you don't hvae that problem as your car is too new. I have a 92 88 3800 with 197k that has had a light ticky-ticky since before 100k and running strong, sounds like a rounded valve tip. but no way to know if thats the sound you hear.


Your problem could be related to your EGR-less/Burnt Exhaust valves issue.

Dang car wont start now...

I think the alternator went out since my car will run if i jump it from my other car (which doesn't run now since it has a radiator problem now :rolleyes: ). I figure my alternator is dead...i figured it was going just no $$ to replace it at the moment...

Anyway, when i jumped the car, the smoke was still coming out. I had the car running for maybe 10 minutes before i took the jumpers off and it died. It blew smoke the whole time, however the level of smoke became less as time progressed. Not a whole lot of smoke is coming out, just enough to tell that smoke colored white is coming out.

The light ticking seems to be coming from the upper far left cylendar (from looking at the car from the front) if that helps you any.