White Exhaust Fumes?

[M.T.Pilot]

Hi folks,

My Toyota Starlet (1991) has started to show white exhaust fumes (not so much when running stationary, but when pushing the gas pedal). If I remember correctly, this has to do with oil being burned, right? (Although one would expect the smoke to be black then...).

Any idea what might be causing this?

regards,

M.T.P

[Raistlin]

The colour of exhaust fumes is a good indicator of the engine's condition.

Blue means it's burning oil, which could be expensive to fix.

Black means the fuel to air ratio is too rich.

White exhaust is normal on start-up, especially on a cold or damp day.

This should disappear as the engine warms up; if not, inspect the head gasket and check for signs of coolant in the oil.

[M.T.Pilot]

Hi Raistlin, thanks for your reply.

The exhaust is clearly white. It was not there at start up, actually, but it was there after haven driven the car (and only when pushing the gas pedal, not when leaving the engine idle). I live on a small tropical island and we don't have cold days. This means that the engine is never really "cold".

I checked for signs of coolant in the oil, and although I do not exactly know what it looks like when there is coolant in the oil, I did not see anything out of the ordinary.

How can I inspect the head gasket? I assume that cannot really be done without taking off the head..? (And if you take of the head to check, does that automatically mean you have to replace the head gasket? Or can you reuse the head gasket when it is still in good condition?).

Thanks!

M.T.P

[JappyBeast]

Did you notice any 'mayo' under the oil cap?

White smoke normally only happens when cold on start up and as you live in a lush warm climate this shouldnt be the case.

[M.T.Pilot]

Did you notice any 'mayo' under the oil cap?

White smoke normally only happens when cold on start up and as you live in a lush warm climate this shouldnt be the case.

I'm not sure what to look for.. There is a bit of dirt in the oil cap, but I would not call that mayo.. When checking the oil level, I do not see any bubbles or milkshake-like stuff either..

[M.T.Pilot]

would that qualify as "mayo" or not? (see picture above)? :dunno:

[M.T.Pilot]

Also, here's a dipstick oil picture (2):

Pretty dark (but quite normal for my car) and not milky, I'd say...