Sign of HG Failing?

Hi all,

My 1.8 is putting out qute a bit of white smoke ...seems to be after a mile or so into a journey when the engine gets up to temp - (when the stat opens maybe).
The smoke is there for a minute or two then disappears...it does not return when revving the engine.
I've noticed some coolant loss... max to half way level in about a month - there are no obvious signs of leaks or water/oil mix...what do you reckon?

Thanks
Brack

Does the exhaust have a smell of coolant when the white smoke is there?

When the white smoke is coming out, put your hand near the pipe to get some fumes on it, Taste the condensation on your hand, if its sweet its coolant


It could just be condensation in the exhaust system, which doesn't taste sweet, mine does this as well sometimes, especially when its been stood for a bit

smnbyt said:

Does the exhaust have a smell of coolant when the white smoke is there?

When the white smoke is coming out, put your hand near the pipe to get some fumes on it, Taste the condensation on your hand, if its sweet its coolant


It could just be condensation in the exhaust, which doesn't taste sweet, mine does this as well

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Good thinking i'll check that

It's common for the K Series too produce steam from the exhaust especially this time of year. It's not a definite sign of HG failure. In fact it's often a sign the mixture is spot on and the cat is working as it should. The long and torturous exhaust system allows the exhaust gasses to cool down so much that the water vapour turns onto clouds of steam, much like a condensing boiler! You should see how much my V6 produces

Nodge68 said:

It's common for the K Series too produce steam from the exhaust especially this time of year. It's not a definite sign of HG failure. In fact it's often a sign the mixture is spot on and the cat is working as it should. The long and torturous exhaust system allows the exhaust gasses to cool down so much that the water vapour turns onto clouds of steam, much like a condensing boiler! You should see how much my V6 produces

Click to expand...

Thanks Nodge,
being a 1.8 owner seems to have me on high alert all the time ..for some reason