I have a 2004 kia amanti and its doing so much im confused. First it has white smoke coming out of the tailpipe and its stinks (and bad) this guy told me to check for milky oil but all is fine with the oil also my coolant level is the same and the car is not running hot. secondly all of a sudden my gas hand stopped working all of a sudden. One guy said it was a blown gasket and put sealant in but no changes. Please help…
In this cold weather, white smoke out of the tailpipe is fairly normal. When gas is burned, it releases water vapor and carbon dioxide. Especially cold, the water vapor and residual water in the exhaust will create a visible cloud. The cloud seems to not be as bad once warmed up, right?
Also, with no coolant being lost, I doubt you’re having engine problems. Double check the coolant in the radiator, not the reservoir, when the engine is cool. If both are still good, you’re not having an engine problem.
Is the gas hand the needle on the fuel gauge? Check the fuses first. This could also be a wiring problem or the tank sensor is broken. A mechanic should be able to get to a connector through an access plate either under the rear seat or in the trunk. Then, he can probe the wires and the sensor to find out what is wrong.
White smoke out the tailpipe when first starting the car, esp in cold weather, is normal. And like any exhaust, it can have an unpleasant smell. If the smoke continues after the car reaches normal operating temp, then it’s a concern. Is there white smoke after the engine is warmed completely up?
It doesn’t take a lot of cooolant to produce a lot of smoke, so even tho you notice no coolant loss, you may indeed have a head gasket problem. Be sure to keep checking the coolant level. Not just in the overflow bottle, in the radiator too. Sealant can work sometimes, but sealant might not be enough to fix it in your case. First thing you have to do is find out for certain if the head gasket is the problem. Mechanics can do various tests to confirm.
If that is the problem, if it were my car – me being on the cheapo side – probably the first thing I’d do is retorque the head bolts and see if that helped. If not, I’d start looking under the couch for spare change, as it is time for a new head gasket.
Yes as the car warms the car smokes more. Radiator has coolant as well.
BustedKnuckles thanks it was a fuse, fuel gauge is back in order.
If it smokes more as it warms up, than you may want to do a pressure leakdown test. It’s a simple test wherein some air pressure is put into each cylinder through the spark plug hole, the pressure input port is closed off, and a gage is used to see if the pressure leaks out. The kit with instructions is available at any parts store, and it’s an easy test to perform.
Post back with the results.