Citroén is puffing white smoke...

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Xantia2.0
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Citroén is puffing white smoke...

Post by Xantia2.0 »

I started the car up earlier to go out to the doctors, and while I was reversing out of my drive-way the wind was blowing in the other direction and blew lots of white smoke round the sides of the car from the exhaust. I checked when I got to the doctors and right enough there is a stream of white smoke coming out the exhaust.

The obvious thing it could be is the head-gasket but I've had head-gaskets blow before and it is very gradual, starts off with a little bit of white smoke when cold, and over about 2-3 months it gets worse and worse. With the Citroén it seemed to go from no smoke to LOTS!

There has been no loss of coolant either. When I replaced the Radiator Water Hose about 1 month ago I filled it up to inbetween the MIN and MAX marks and it is still there now. And no light-green residue in the tail pipe either!!

So what are your guys views on this and what could be wrong with my beloved 2.0!?
1998 Citroen Xantia 2.0 16V I4 with 148,200 miles on the clock. Bought it with 123,000.
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Post by myglaren »

The steam is certainly indicative of the HG having failed. You should see traces of oil in the coolant or eventually salad cream. Check your oil level, could be squirting in there.

You could have airlocks that will give a false indication of the amount of coolant in the system.

I've had them go with no warning, even on a relatively short run - less than five miles.
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Post by spider »

Did you bleed the coolant system after changing that hose ?

Trapped air = poor cooling in some places = internal overheating = headgasket failure
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Post by CitroJim »

Are you sure it's not just steam from moist air. The dew point around here this morning was well capable of causing it and don't forget cats turn everything they catalyse into CO2 and H20, and of the latter there's a lot and enough to cause clouds and clouds of steam under the right atmospheric conditions.

My V6 runs rusty tailpipes as a result and steams like a Black 5 climbing Sutton Bank on occasion.

Also, if you habitually do short journeys, a lot of water can accumulate in the back box and as it boils away, more billowy clouds.

The causeof white smoke in a petrol engine is a bit of a poser. Black (rich) or blue (oil) but white normally as a result of oil being burned at high temperature, say after dripping on an exhaust or as a result of a blown turbo but you don't have one of those.

Keep an eye on oil consumption but I'd expect it was simply atmospheric.
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Post by Xantia2.0 »

Coolant is clean, oil has dipped a bit but only to the middle mark.

I had hosed the car down the night before, so perhaps some water got in the muffler...

Though wouldn't that have all burned off by the time I got to the doctors (3 miles) ?
1998 Citroen Xantia 2.0 16V I4 with 148,200 miles on the clock. Bought it with 123,000.
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Post by Peter.N. »

I would go with Jim, its amazing how much water vapour is generated in a cold engine, once the engine and exhaust gets hot the steam becomes superheated and doesn't show .

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Post by messerschmitt owner »

best test is to take it on a run long enough to bring everything up to temperature and see what happens then
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Post by Xaccers »

Talking of temperatures, what does yours normally run at?
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Post by Sl4yer »

Oh dear... Have all the major motor manufacturers been missing a trick all these years?! Why not design an engine to run cool rather than make one designed to run at 80C run cool? The answer is obvious...

As for the steam, yes, probably atmospheric. However it sounds like the cooling system may be airlocked. I'd guess the coolest part of the engine is where the coolant temperature sensor is!

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Re: Citroén is puffing white smoke...

Post by Homer »

Xantia2.0 wrote:I started the car up earlier to go out to the doctors, and while I was reversing out of my drive-way the wind was blowing in the other direction and blew lots of white smoke round the sides of the car from the exhaust. I checked when I got to the doctors and right enough there is a stream of white smoke coming out the exhaust.
Assuming your doctor is local (you don't live in the Highlands somewhere :wink: ) then I would say it's just down to the weather.
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Post by Xantia2.0 »

Started it up today = no smoke. :)
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Post by CitroJim »

Xantia2.0 wrote:Started it up today = no smoke. :)
Ahh, good, excellent :D

Atmospherics then :wink:
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Post by Xantia2.0 »

Looks like it.
1998 Citroen Xantia 2.0 16V I4 with 148,200 miles on the clock. Bought it with 123,000.
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