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abecedarian · 05-10-2008, 01:22 PM

Wet spots under the tail pipe isn't necessarily a sign of a problem. One of the byproducts of combustion and catalytic converter operation is H20. When the engine and exhaust are cold it's normal for this 'water' to drip out of the tailpipe and make wet spots on the ground. Side note- that's why you always see 'steam' from tail pipes in the movies.

On the other hand, if you're seeing white smoke that disappears fairly quickly all of the time coming from the tailpipe, there's a good chance that the head gasket has failed.

When the engine is cold, pop the lid off of the radiator and start the engine. If you see bubbles coming up in the radiator while the engine is warming up but before the thermostat has opened, I'd say "YEP, yer ed gaskit's afailin'". If you get a big bubble when the thermostat finally does open that's a nail in the coffin.

And a headgasket is FAR cheaper than a VW diesel even when you consider buyin a new head if the old one's warped and fubar.

05-10-2008, 01:22 PM	#4 (permalink)
abecedarian Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Temecula/Elsinore Valley, SoCal Posts: 5,376	Wet spots under the tail pipe isn't necessarily a sign of a problem. One of the byproducts of combustion and catalytic converter operation is H20. When the engine and exhaust are cold it's normal for this 'water' to drip out of the tailpipe and make wet spots on the ground. Side note- that's why you always see 'steam' from tail pipes in the movies. On the other hand, if you're seeing white smoke that disappears fairly quickly all of the time coming from the tailpipe, there's a good chance that the head gasket has failed. When the engine is cold, pop the lid off of the radiator and start the engine. If you see bubbles coming up in the radiator while the engine is warming up but before the thermostat has opened, I'd say "YEP, yer ed gaskit's afailin'". If you get a big bubble when the thermostat finally does open that's a nail in the coffin. And a headgasket is FAR cheaper than a VW diesel even when you consider buyin a new head if the old one's warped and fubar. __________________ never ignore the obvious, it won't ignore you.... CO2 my ass... it's the heat from the engines warming the atmosphere. Last edited by abecedarian : 05-10-2008 at 01:24 PM.