White smoke at start up..... condensation or is it something bad? Start up was the only time i noticed it.

sounds like a bad head gasket or a cracked head

White smoke at start up..... condensation or is it something bad? Start up was the only time i noticed it.
Depends on how long it lasts. Is it just for a second? Not a problem - normal for a cold engine.

If it lasts for about 5 seconds (or longer) it could be a blown head gasket. The smoke comes from coolant being blown out of the cylinder where it collected. It takes a few seconds to get it all out during which time the engine may run rough. You will probably smell coolant if that is the case.

Some of your glow plugs may not be working - that will give a couple of seconds of white smoke because the fuel in those cylinders is not igniting well during the first few revolutions. Also weak batteries can cause weak glow plugs.

If it takes a few seconds of cranking to get it started there will be white smoke because of all the extra fuel that was injected into the cylinders.

I speak from experience as I have had all four of these situations at one time or another in the past 6 months. Luckily right now I'm on #1 (normal).

Don't worry about it. So long as it goes away when it warms up and isn't accompanied by bubbling coolant in the radiator, it's nothing to worry about.

White smoke and very light blue or gray can sometimes look somewhat alike... The blue can sometimes last for quite a while, and is often caused by poor fuel injectors.

I get consistent white smoke when sitting at idle or backing up (after driving for a while). Makes a loud "hissssssssss" sound as well. Talk about badassss :ro)


-- Rick

so how do you test for bubbles in the rad? wouldet you have to wait for the thermstat to open up? so just start her up with the cap off and wait for it to warm up? or am i making a simple test too complex?.?.?

):h You're making a simple test too complex. It doesn't really matter. The coolant still flows when the thermostat is closed. The thermostat doesn't affect the heater core... Coolant always flows through that.