Head gasket? I have a bit of smoke when revving...

[DominicJeans]

Hi all--thanks for looking!

My 02 plate 172 has just done 135,000 miles. It is just starting to feel a tiny bit old- the idle is slightly rough sometimes (with flashing EM light when idling every now and then that goes when I restart the engine) and I get a bit of white vapour when booting it hard sometimes. It may have always done this but I may just have only noticed it.
I had a service 1000 miles ago.

My question is, does anyone else get much white smoke (water vapour?) when revving hard? Anyone had a head gasket go ever?
ta!

Dom

 

[Ash']

Any white sludge on the bottom of the oil dip stick?

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

If it's Uncle Buck levels of steam (it's not smoke), then perhaps do a bit of under-bonnet reconnaissance.

If it's cold out and you're running a petrol engine then expect water as a by-product of combustion. Water warms up and becomes steam.

Homework: GCSE Chemistry.

:evil:

 

[Iceberg_172]

The F4R despite being renaults is a very hardy engine, Iv not seen many that the head gasket lets go on. But like everything, depends on its history. Few things to check, do a compression test, Im not sure what your results are meant to be but im sure someone will have these. check under the oil cap for white sludge, and check your coolant bottle for oil in the water.

If the compression is low. It may indicate exhaust gases leaking through the head gasket into the coolant system and also coolant into the combustion chamber causing the white smoke. If this is the case your temp guage would climb. Does your car water level remain steady?

 

[The Fatty]

You sure its steam and not white smoke? The way to tell is either hold a bit of paper upto the exhaust (water will condensate, smoke will not) or see if it stays in the air, steam will disappear, smoke wont. If its smoke, then it could be piston rings...

 

[Iceberg_172]

Wouldnt it be blue smoke if piston rings? Result of burning oil. Also if its deffo white/grey smoke and not steam then is that a sign of it running lean?

 

[The Fatty]

iv never seen blue smoke from oil but you might be right.

 

[Iceberg_172]

Yeah burning oil gives blue smoke

 

[DominicJeans]

Hi. Thansk for all the help. It's not losing coolant (after a 50 mile hard caning the coolant level stayed the same). It may be 'normal' water vapour from conbustion bit it seemed to be quite a lot of it. Thanks again all. I will use the paper trick and see what that does.

 

[Silent_Scone]

Don't forget its bloody cold at the moment. Fairly high mileage but if it's not losing oil or water I wouldn't worry

 

[DominicJeans]

Cheers folks! At the moment it seems to be running fine.....