Is there anything I can do to look after my car in this cold weather, I started it up tonight (havent driven it since sunday night) and there was white smoke everywhere.

Current temp in my area is about 3 degree's and has been for the last few nights. Usually its fine when it hits half way and warms up, but it didnt go away;


Internal issue? Valve stem seals? Typical magna in cold weather? Other?



Opinions ppls, thanks in advance!

white smoke or whater vapour?

cold? im at work at the airport atm waiting for the next turn around, and on the tarmac mannnn it's ****ing cold lol..


this is going to sound nuts but my uncle used to do real early mornings and lived in the bush where it was real cold and every night he'd put a blanket and a few bricks to keep it down on the bonnet and he said when he forgot to do that the car was a bitch to start (carby 1st gen) :bowrofl: maybe he's just nuts but it worked for him

That's pretty weird. My magna ran (lol, I hate having to use past tense) better in the cold. It seemed the colder it got the better the car would run. It's probably just water vapour. If it was oil the smoke would have a blueish tinge so it's probably not your valve stems if its white smoke. Has ever it smoked before?

You're probably worrying over nothing.

That's pretty weird. My magna ran (lol, I hate having to use past tense) better in the cold. It seemed the colder it got the better the car would run. It's probably just water vapour. If it was oil the smoke would have a blueish tinge so it's probably not your valve stems if its white smoke. Has ever it smoked before?

You're probably worrying over nothing.


Haha yeah I think I am, after going for a drive with a mate I seen alot of cars doing this, was just the very cold weather, even my mates car was!

So yeh all good, it just had me worried, I was hoping it was nothing serious, its like 3 degree's outside.

Is there anything I can do to look after my car in this cold weather, I started it up tonight (havent driven it since sunday night) and there was white smoke everywhere.

Current temp in my area is about 3 degree's and has been for the last few nights. Usually its fine when it hits half way and warms up, but it didnt go away;


Internal issue? Valve stem seals? Typical magna in cold weather? Other?



Opinions ppls, thanks in advance!

I wouldnt worry about it, its just water vapour being 'vapourised' in the engine components when its fed colder dense air from the inlet. Ambient conditions outside at the moment are perfect for cool smoke screens lol

Take it for a good long run, it could just need a good warming up if anything. If it is still very noticable after a good deal of spirited driving, it might be head gasket issue with water seaping into the cylinders from the water jacket around the block.

Haha yeah I think I am, after going for a drive with a mate I seen alot of cars doing this, was just the very cold weather, even my mates car was!

So yeh all good, it just had me worried, I was hoping it was nothing serious, its like 3 degree's outside.

id love for it to only get down to 3°C overnight here, that way my car wouldnt be covered in an inch of ice of a morning.. gotta start the bloody thing and let it sit for a good 15 minutes with the heaters goin for it all to defrost.. that or chuck a few buckets of warm water over it.. stupid cold weather (like -1°C)

but yeah, it wouldnt be smoke.. cars drive round here for the best part of the day with this "steam" coming out of them coz it never warms up lol

id love for it to only get down to 3°C overnight here, that way my car wouldnt be covered in an inch of ice of a morning.. gotta start the bloody thing and let it sit for a good 15 minutes with the heaters goin for it all to defrost.. that or chuck a few buckets of warm water over it.. stupid cold weather (like -1°C)

but yeah, it wouldnt be smoke.. cars drive round here for the best part of the day with this "steam" coming out of them coz it never warms up lol

DONT DO THIS UNLESS YOU WANT TO CRACK ALL YOUR WINDOWS! :shock:

that or chuck a few buckets of warm water over it.. stupid cold weather (like -1°C)
:bowrofl: :bowrofl: :bowrofl:
Next time you do that gimmie a yell, I wanna see what happens!

I think you'll find that cold or room temperature water is the safest.

Our cars are both garaged (so don't have any troubles starting) and they blow condensation, especially on the days when your breathe does it too.

I, too, have been warned not to put warm water on frozen glass - by someone who did it and had to fork out $400 for a new windscreen.:shock: When we stayed in Canberra last year we had to use a credit card to get the ice off all the windows.;)

My Dad covered his old holden with a blanket and bricks too.:D

:bowrofl: :bowrofl: :bowrofl:
Next time you do that gimmie a yell, I wanna see what happens!

I think you'll find that cold or room temperature water is the safest.

i know, i know.. i dont put hot water on it.. by warm i mean just enough to dissolve the ice..

ive cracked a windscreen in summer - works the same way.. washing cars on a yard in middle of summer, 27° outside, in the cars it would of been.. dunno.. double?

small chip in windscreen + very hot car + cold water from the hose = cracked windscreen..

lol when its 3 degrees outside, walk out there, take a deep breath, and exhale slowly out from the bottom of your lungs....that vapour you just blew out is exactly what your car is doing...hahaha, well at least thats what most cars do...:redface: and as someone said, dw unless its got a blue tinge...

Cheers,
Adz

Water vapour is normal for cars in cold weather - especially just as they have started. In the cold condensation forms on all the internals of the engine and exhaust system due to the cold metal. The colder the weather, the longer it will remain blowing steam out the exhaust.

Improved performance in cold - similar method to the way turbochargers work - there is more oxygen in a given amount of space as the molecules in the air are closer together, allowing more air to be pulled into the engine. This means the mixture can run a little better with the extra air (the 4 cyls in particular are starved for air intake, and as a result any extra air going into the engine makes a rather significant difference).

Hot water + icy car = cracked windscreen. Luke warm water + icy car should be ok. I have been doing this for years and have never had a problem. Make sure you don't just splash the water on the windscreen however, and just slowly pour the water from the top of the windows. This limits the sudden shock of significant temperature change.

just a note, hot water dosent always crack the windows...

when i was 8 we were in holiday in canberra and the car had 1cm thick ice on the windscreen so i boiled the kettle and poured it on the car from the 2nd floor balcony...

it did the job and didnt crack the window... but i got yelled at later on anyway lol

how was i to know i was only 8.... immagine if the window had broken though :bowrofl: