1993 Escort - grey smoke only when started

I have a 1993 Ford Escort LX Wagon with a 1.9L engine. The car runs well. When the engine is started it blows grey smoke for 5 to 10 seconds then it stops. If the engine is still warm when it is started there is no smoke. I would appreciate any clues as to what might be causing this.

Are you sure it is smoke and not steam?

Does the exhaust smell like coolant, gas when it is smoking?

I had this problem with a Honda right after I changed the head gasket.

When the engine is cold, the head gasket is leaking a little bit. Once the engine warms up, the gasket swells, and stop leaking.

The trick is to figure out what kind of smoke you are seeing. Because it might not be the head gasket, it might be a valve seal, or piston ring, or something else.

You need to figure out if you are burning oil, coolant, or just too much gas.

I think the problem is drain down through the valve seals. When the engine is hot the expansion keeps the drain down to a mimimum. When the engine is started up from cold you will burn a little oil through the valve seals. Nothing to worry about if you can live with it.

Thanks for the responses. I'm not sure what it smells like. I think it might be coolant. If it is coolant would that indicate a problem with the head gasket? The problem seems to be getting worse. I have to do something about it.

If you are losing coolant through the exhaust you will be able to see a loss of coolant in the reservoir. Keep an eye on it for several days and see if it goes down or not. Check it every morning before you start the car up.