WHEN YOUR CAR SMOKES AND DRIPS WATER IN THE MORNING. SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED?

As a new car owner, you may have noticed this happen to your new car and you quickly call your trusted, professional mechanic to complain about your newest observation. The surprise of seeing water dropping from the tailpipe (or exhaust pipe) of a car has not only disturbed many but also bothered some mechanics. As some of them have either not satisfied their customers with their answers or have further given the customer reasons to be worried.

But not to worry! Here, I always write to demystify some trends in the automotive repairs/servicing industry that helps the car owner feel most comfortable when a professional mechanic handles his/her vehicle. No technical jargon, everybody will relate!

So, should a car owner be worried when he/she observes "white smoke" (as it's so often called) and few droplets of water dripping from the tail pipe of their vehicle when the car is first powered in the morning? Well, the answer is simple, but a mere "yes" or "no" may not suffice. Let me explain. There are different situations to this, and by the end of this article, you will agree that a simple yes or no answer would have been insufficient. Now let me get to it.

In simple terms, smoke usually is a by-product of combustion (when something is burnt in a space). And when the car engine is on, it burns fuel cleanly with the 'support' of spark and air, then waste gases (commonly referred to as smoke or exhaust gas) is ejected from the exhaust line via the tailpipe of the car. This is what happens 100% of the time, so long as your car engine is running. Now here is the catch. When the engine of your vehicle is in good working condition, and is burning fuel cleanly, with your exhaust system is working optimally; even though waste gases are ejected from the tailpipe of your car, it will be a CLEAR EXHAUST GAS (not too visible to the eyes). So, does this mean that it is a bad sign when you see "smoke", and is immediately followed by water droplets from the tailpipe, in the morning?

The answer is "No". The reasons why this very peculiar case happens in the morning are these:

1. When your car is parked overnight, hot air in the engine and exhaust system will eventually settle and because of the coldness, moisture can accumulate in the exhaust pipe such that when the car starts in the morning, the moisture heats up and turns into steam (just like what happens in your kettle in the house). As steam forms, it is quickly given off from the tail pipe which can appear as white smoke.

2. Due to the "pushing" effect that is transferred as the engine is running, some of the settled moisture at the tail end of the exhaust pipe may not heat up enough to form steam before they are pushed out as water droplets. Others far within the exhaust pipelines are burnt and steam is given off.

It is perfectly normal to experience this scenario when you run a healthy engine for the first time in the morning. This may not be the exact case when the vehicle is started again at other times of the day. However, the smoke that is initially present should disappear within a few minutes as the car warms up and water droplets is expelled totally (although it may take a bit longer in colder countries).

So, you should not be worried when there is an early smoke with water droplets dripping from your car tailpipe when the engine is running for the first time in the morning. Infact, it has been said that when this happens, it is a sign of a very healthy engine. This issue that causes new car owners worry is the same sign that car dealers (sellers) use to better market their stock. That is why sometimes when you visit a car stand to buy a car and the engine is started, the salesperson will usually take you behind to inspect the exhaust smoke. You will usually hear something along the following lines: "Oga, you dey see am, the exhaust, e dey bring water. This engine nor be cho cho cho!". But be careful out there! That is not the only criteria to tell if an engine is good, always seek professional advice and support when going to purchase a vehicle.

Conclusively, do not be apprehensive when you see steam and water droplets from your car exhaust pipe in the morning, it will last for a few minutes and clear out when your engine fully warms up. But wait! What if the smoke continues after some minutes? Oh, right then, you should be worried!

In the next article we will see why you should be concerned if your car continues to smoke after warmup. Thank you for your time.

See you in the next!!!

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