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White smoke at start up

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PATR8

PATR8

Jedi Knight
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OK, I am just back from Iraq and after my 8 sat for two years I have een driving it pretty regularly. I have noticed on start up and at higher RPMs i get some white smoke (Dual exhaust and only from one bank). Most noticable at start up. I have my suspesions and my brother's opinions, Looking for some more intelligent ones now, Thanks
 
White smoke is just water...Given your less than dry location, it's absolutely normal to have some moisture in the exhaust upon start-up.

Most dual exhaust systems have a thermostat that keeps one pipe closed until the engine warms a bit, so you'll almost always get the white smoke out one pipe until the thermostat opens.

After driving the car for 10 minutes or so does it go away?

If it doesn't go away, check to make sure you're running cool, because that can be a sign of a head gasket beginning to fail.

Also make sure what you're seeing isn't "the blues," which means blue oil smoke. The easiest way to tell is to put your hand behind the car when it's coming out. White smoke makes your hand wet. Blue smoke smells like oil and has little moisture.

If it is indeed blue, then you have tired engine internals (like rings.)

My guess is that it's just normal moisture.
 
Could also be running too rich. If the carbs are getting too much fuel, White smoke can come out the pipes as well. UI went through that with my 8 when I tried having the original carbs rebuilt to no avail, then ending up going to the Holley 390 set up. Never could get the SU running well after they wore out. GL!

Rod
 
my guess was a bad fuel mixture. I know my timing is off a little to but even with timing light i can not get it right. SO I am guessing allot there. Runs great, but i am sure some fine tuning would make a huge difference
 
Generally too rich of a mixture winds up with more black-to-grey smoke.
 
[ QUOTE ]


Most dual exhaust systems have a thermostat that keeps one pipe closed until the engine warms a bit, so you'll almost always get the white smoke out one pipe until the thermostat opens.

[/ QUOTE ]

Which dual exhaust sytems would that be? The only valves I've ever seen in an exhaust sytem, outside of the engine, are on cut outs and those have nothing to do with warming up an engine. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

There are stove pipes that send warmer air from the manifolds back into the intake to assist an engine warming up and those have a valve of sorts but they don't actually recirculate the exhaust, just warmed air from the radiated heat of the exhaust manifold. On a carbed TR8 those items also represent a big road block to letting the engine breath with the stock carbs.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
my 8 has headers from Woody, (Woody provided the cam, timing chain, headers, radiator and more) and Ted provided the 10.5 to 1 pistions and rings and more.
 
Shawn,
I've seen these cutoffs on many cars (thermostat in the sense that they are temperature controlled, but they are external, not internal.)

I have had them on a few of my Stingrays, and have seen them on many muscle cars.

Even my Ferrari has something similar, since during initial warm-up the exhaust comes primarily through the driver's side pipe.
 
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