Please provide your help White Smoke from the exhaust W203 - no head gasket issue

[dgian]

Hello dear members. I am extremely worried for the following issue. Light white smoke is coming out of my exhaust.

I noticed it a couple of days ago.

I have also checked cooling fluid, oil filler cap and spark plugs for signs of head gasket failure but seems NOT to be a head gasket

(as can be seen from the photos).
I also hear little noise from i think the catalytic converter (like its cooling down when the engine is running though...???)

The car is a W203 Coupe 2.0 petrol (2001) 163bhp M111.955 engine with auto/sequential gearbox.

I really hope its a bad fuel injector and not some kind of a crack on the engine.

(this comes from some research i ve done).
Can you please send your thoughts / estimates about it ?

I really appreciate your time and thank you !

 

[Uncle Benz]

Coolant level looks a little low and the colour of mud. I’d get a block test done for exhaust gasses in the coolant header tank. Sometimes called a litmus test

 

[dgian]

Coolant level looks a little low and the colour of mud. I’d get a block test done for exhaust gasses in the coolant header tank. Sometimes called a litmus test

HI @Uncle Benz and thanks for your reply ! I think its not that to point towards a leak or a head gasket issue. Furthermore the white smoke starts only if i hit the gas pedal hard (hard acceleration) and stays for about 5 minutes. i.e. if i dont hit the gas pedal all the way i would drive without any smoke ! Also i do get lots of exhaust gas smell... whats your thought on it ?

 

[Uncle Benz]

High combustion pressures (wide open throttle) with a failing head gasket will pressurise the cooling system. When you back off that pressure will disperse back into the cylinder via the head gasket, taking coolant in with it. The coolant turns to steam, white “smoke” from the exhaust.

 

[dgian]

High combustion pressures (wide open throttle) with a failing head gasket will pressurise the cooling system. When you back off that pressure will disperse back into the cylinder via the head gasket, taking coolant in with it. The coolant turns to steam, white “smoke” from the exhaust.

@Uncle Benz in order to do this test does the coolant need to be emptied ? where do you pressurize the system ? from the cooling fluid tank ?

 

[Uncle Benz]

You place a testing phial in the neck of the coolant tank and run the engine. You don’t need to drain any coolant. The testing fluid changes from blue to green/yellow if the head gasket has failed. A nice MoT man can test it too. Using his exhaust gas analyser he can sniff just above the neck of the coolant reservoir with the cap off and the engine running. If any hydrocarbons at all are measured on the screen the head gasket has failed. There should be zero.

 

[dgian]

You place a testing phial in the neck of the coolant tank and run the engine. You don’t need to drain any coolant. The testing fluid changes from blue to green/yellow if the head gasket has failed. A nice MoT man can test it too. Using his exhaust gas analyser he can sniff just above the neck of the coolant reservoir with the cap off and the engine running. If any hydrocarbons at all are measured on the screen the head gasket has failed. There should be zero.

@Uncle Benz i just found a few of these tests on ebay such as this one https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/COMBUSTI...XieIR7yHwD5fTZQCQSNjz2uWfgJAchxMaAqMXEALw_wcB

 

[Uncle Benz]

That’s it

 

[dgian]

That’s it

@Uncle Benz thanx for your help !!! really appreciate it ! will give it a go and come back to this thread