white smoke

[Z32man]

recently i noticed when my car is idling there is white smoke coming out of my exhaust. it happens about 30 seconds after it idles and im not sure if this is just normal or if it is bad. i have turbo back exhaust but idk if that has anything to do with it.

[Z31toZ32]

if it is cold out and it does it, it is nothing more than condensation. if it is now, during the warmer months, it is most likely a head gasket that is starting to leak. coolant is seeping into the combustion chamer and burning, hence the white.

[vitaminZ]

let your car warm up..and open your rad cap..top it up..and give it gas..see if its bubbling = head gasket gone.

[robomatic12]

Make sure engine is warm or else it may be condensation. Check coolant/oil levsl and colors and one way to tell if headgaskets are gone is if the exhaust smells sweet.

[es.biggs]

Best way to tell if it is a head gasket is to compression test it. You can get a tester for <$50 and the test itself isn't that hard to perform if you have even a little mechanical experience.

Definitely do try the above suggestions though, they can give you an idea, but the only way I would make my mind up is reading the compression results.

If the smoke was blue (burnt oil), I'd say it could be your valve stem seals going bad; they have similar symptoms sometimes with the smoking at start-up. You are sure it's not oil, right?

[Z32man]

Ya it's not oil it is definatly white smoke. I'll try all the ideas. Thanks.

[Z32man]

Also if it's the head gasket is that something that would need to be fixed as soon as possible or could it wait a while?

[vitaminZ]

no it would only get worse

[CrazedZ32Owner]

my head gasket crapped out on me....i took the car off the road the next day

[es.biggs]

It's true, I wouldn't drive it. HG failure goes hand in hand with overheating. If you overheat your car, you can warp the heads or worse the block. If you warp either bad enough, you won't be able to find a head gasket thick enough, and you will run into bigger problems like the need to lower compression, valve/piston clearance, etc.

Just park it bro

PS - the stock temp gauge has been proven unreliable on several occasions.

[Z32man]

alright thanks. i have been looking around and ive noticed that they sell just the head gasket and head gasket sets. would it really be necessary to get the set or would i just need the head gasket?

[es.biggs]

I would go with a set, that way you get your intake and exhaust manifold gaskets, balance tube o-rings, intake valve cover gaskets, the half moon seals, IACV gasket, cam and front crank seal, and probably some more I'm forgetting. These are all things you should definitely replace with a HG job.

I bought a Beck/Arnley set. I'm comfortable with Beck/Arnley; I have bought a lot of products from them and never been disappointed. They are an OEM supplier for lots of parts for several auto manufacturers. They make quality products, and it is a lot cheaper than the Nissan OEM gasket set. My machine shop also prefers Beck/Arnley. Some people would suggest using that set for the smaller, less important gaskets, then using Nissan OEM head gaskets. That would be a good idea if you are concerned about their quality - you build your engine the way you want to and you definitely need peace of mind about it.

RockAuto has the Beck/Arnley head gasket set for $137 and some change. I bought it at that price a few weeks ago, and I just checked again and it's still there.

Oh, and don't jump the gun man. Do every single diagnostic test you can to confirm it is the head gasket and not anything else. You really don't want to do this unless you have to. It's absolutely not fun, and it will take a lot longer than you will expect. And it's going to cost more than most would think as well - hoses, machine shop costs, etc. all add up SO fast.