White smoke coming from exhaust

Tiny
CRISX10
  • MEMBER
  • 2017 SUBARU WRX
  • TURBO
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 55,000 MILES
I overfilled my oil and the car stopped running. I emptied out the oil and leveled it. Now it turns on and runs fine but white smoke comes out of the exhaust every time I turn it on but it disappears after about 5 minutes of driving it. Is it just excess oil it has to burn or is it a bigger issue?
Saturday, September 19th, 2020 AT 10:59 AM

3 Replies

Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
Let's double check the color of the smoke. It may look white but if it has a tint of blue then that is oil. If it is white then it is coolant. Here is a guide that covers that:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/white-smoke-or-steam-coming-from-the-exhaust-pipe

However, let's also cover what the ambient temp it is when this happens. If the temperature has dropped a little like it has here on the east coast then this may be normal.

Whatever it is, the fact that it goes away after a few minutes, I would not worry too much about it. Clearly whatever it is, is burning off so I would expect it to stop eventually. However, if the smoke is a light blue and does not stop then we may have a larger issue.
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Saturday, September 19th, 2020 AT 3:30 PM
Tiny
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The smoke is white and I turned it on again today (third time I’ve turned it on since I overfilled oil) and now less smoke is coming out but still some comes out. I’ve checked for bubbles in the radiator and checked the oil cap for milky substances and everything was normal. Is there another way to check if you have a blown head gasket?
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Sunday, September 20th, 2020 AT 9:35 AM
Tiny
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Sorry I should have included this before.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/head-gasket-blown-test

If it is decreasing then that is a good sign. However, we should eliminate the head gasket with these tests.
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Sunday, September 20th, 2020 AT 6:48 PM

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