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Exhaust Smoke Diagnosis Explained in Detail

Here’s a good opportunity to learn what the different exhaust colors mean and how you can diagnose the cause of the problem your engine might be having.
DIY Diagnose Your Exhaust

Exhaust Smoke Diagnosis

In an earlier article we learned how finding blue smoke from your Ford was not always an indication that you have a serious engine problem going on. In today’s article we have an excellent opportunity to learn more about what the color of your exhaust smoke indicates and the tests you can do to diagnose the problem when there IS something to worry about with your vehicle.

Follow along with the host of The Questionable Garage who goes through how he diagnosed his exhaust smoke problem that can help you ---even if you not do the diagnosis and repairs yourself---understand what is going on when being serviced by a garage.

The value of this video is that it goes beyond most videos on exhaust smoke problems and alerts you to some of the finer details that will not be covered in your vehicle’s repair manual. For example, how fully synthetic oil affects smoke color coming from your exhaust.

Furthermore, even if you are not a DIY mechanic type, just understanding what kind of diagnostic tests are done and what the results mean can help you know if your vehicle is being serviced correctly by a mechanic.

That said, here is the video in its entirety, but you can start at time point 4:42 to get past the promotional part of it and right into the topic and learn something more about car problem diagnoses that you can do.

Related article: 3 Simple Tests to Diagnose This Common Used Car Problem

Smoke from Your Tailpipe? Learn How to Identify the Different Smoke and Diagnose Your Engine

And finally…

For additional articles related to car problems and repair, here are a few for your consideration:

• What to Do About Excessive Oil Consumption in Your Car

• Timing Chain and Timing Belt Problems and Repair Demonstrated by Mechanics

• Avoid Getting Scammed with This Blown Head Gasket Tutorial for Non-Mechanics

Timothy Boyer is Torque News automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for daily new and used vehicle news.

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