Why Do I See White Smoke Out My Tailpipe?

Reader Question
Hi,

I own a car Ford Estate 2.0lt 2000 I let the engine oil run out!! The Car still drives but it blows out a mass of white smoke !

Is the engine ruined or any chance it could still be ok!?

Regards
H

Why hello there H!

You probably did some non reversible internal engine damage. I would have your mechanic run a compression test on the cylinders to see if maybe just one cylinder is damaged, and I would also get him to run a cooling system pressure test.

White smoke is usually caused by coolant getting inside the engine combustion chamber, so I would rule out the possibility of a blown head gasket…which is cheaper to repair than overhauling the engine. If engine compression is good, but your head gasket has failed.

I would remove the cylinder head and have a local machine shop do a valve job on it before you replace the head gasket. This will basically “overhaul” the top half of your engine.

If the mechanic thinks there is damage to the lower end of the engine like the crankshaft or main bearings or with the piston and rings etc. etc. then it might be more cost effective to replace the engine instead of trying to overhaul it.

Blessings,

Austin Davis