Hoky Smokes, Bullwinkle! Getting white smoke/condensation out of the tailpipe while idling in park, from starting cold through to a full warmup without moving. What does this mean? Headgasket? Rings? Pray?
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Natalie Hill, 1993 965 'Fang' - Paranoia comes standard with every 960

A puff on first lightoff is bad. A trickle until fully warm is normal. A sweet-smelling cloud is burning anti-freeze, but that is not what (I think) you described. It could be that your gas dealer has sprung a leak, changed suppliers, or just that it is too darn cold out. Does your coolant resevoir go low?

Five weeks ago, my coolant went REALLY low on the way to my indy for an oilchange. Left with a new radiator and a big void in my wallet. All is otherwise ducky. No puffing on startup - continuous & (I'm beginning to realise) prolly related to atmospheric dewpoint. This bass-ackwards weather here has me & everything else all outta whack.

My 1971 turd-brown Gremlin used to blow smoke-rings - Swear!!

Thanks for the advice!
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Natalie Hill, 1993 965 'Fang' - Paranoia comes standard with every 960

Naralie, does your car have the low coolant indicator? These are useful to help catch any loss of coolant before it becomes serious and fries the engine.

Keep an eye on coolant levels over the next week or so. If coolant keeps declining, then you know that you have a leak somewhere and need further investigation.

Yes, thank God I do have the low coolant indicator. That's how I knew about the leak. I was doing 75 on the x-way when it lit & got pulled over within prolly 10 seconds whilst sputtering Hail Marys. Since the light wasn't steadily on and the temperature gauge hadn't moved, the sensor was tickling the on/off position. I limped into the mechanic's. When my tech pressure tested the cooling system the bottom blew out of the radiator, thus the new radiator. I have kept an eagle eye on the coolant tank - it hasn't moved since. So far, so good - knock wood!

Thanks, Steve
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Natalie Hill, 1993 965 'Fang' - Paranoia: Standard Equipment with Every Volvo 960

Hi Nat.

As others have suggested, I wouldn't pay this too much attention if it goes away when warm. What bothers me is that I know you wouldn't have "just discovered" this. You are too careful and too observant. I am concerned that this is something new. Is it? It could be a precursor...........

I got your email too. Sorry for the delay. I hardly have 2 continuous minutes anymore.

Hi, Tom -

Yeah, I hope it's nothing new and don't recall seeing this so blatantly before, but I'm thinking now that it's dewpoint-related, as others have suggested. Everything's OK except I'll have to check the plugs. Looking back, it was a series of really damp cold days when I'd back up into this thick cloud - thicker than I was used to. Also, I'd driven it hard two days prior and gave it about 24-36 hours rest. Prolly alot of water left in the exhaust system. Guess it's just 960 Paranoia! I hope..........

No problem - I know you're busy. Thanks, Dear.
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Natalie Hill, 1993 965 'Fang' - Paranoia: Standard Equipment on every Volvo 960

Natalie,
I had this same problem with a 2001 Chevy Suburban I bought last year. Everyone thought I was senile because on cold mornings or after a short run. what does the smoke smell like? If its a rotten egg smell then it is H20 Deposits but if it is a Burnt smell (Burning oil) Then I believe it could be a PCV Valve. I am not too certain that volvos have this problem but you never know. What was happening was Oil was leaking from the PCV Valve into the exhaust manifold. This led to the smoking tailpipe. Hope this helps.

Brandon

Thanks, Brandon - I'm now pretty much convinced now that water in the exhaust system & strange local atmospheric conditions caused it. Everything else on the car is running great.
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Natalie Hill, 1993 965 'Fang' - Paranoia comes standard with every 960

Without moving? You mean like starting it up and waiting until it's nice and warm inside the car before you jump in and drive it? That isn't unusual for any car, and naturally is dependent on the humidity and the amount of condensation in the exhaust system already.

If your coolant level is steady and the oil is clean (not milky) it's generally nothing more than atmospheric/temperature factors. Cold and damp will yield much more of that than warm and dry.

In ANY car.

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chris herbst, five volvos.

Yep - like waiting 'til it's nice & toasty. Oil and radiator were changed the same day about 5 weeks ago/500 miles and all is otherwise copacetic. Just might be that it's water vapor, I guess. The dewpoint/Jupiter/Orion's Belt must have all aligned in my direction for a few days there to make it look alot worse than I'd remembered.

Thanks!
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Natalie Hill, 1993 965 'Fang' - Paranoia comes standard with every 960

Our 240 does this when idling, especially when it's been driven on a lot of short trips and the engine hasn't had the opportunity to fully warm up. I wouldn't be concerned unless it is excessive. But, just to be safe, have you checked your coolant and oil recently? If you have a blown headgasket, the inside of the oil cap will be coated with a milky white residue. Of course, this can also happen if the car is used primarily for short trip driving, so it isn't a dead giveaway. However, if one or more of the spark plugs appears "steam cleaned", that is an obvious sign. Does the smoke have a sweet odor?
Any other running problems (stumbling, stalling, misfiring, etc.)?

If not, I wouldn't worry.

My oil was changed about 5 weeks/500 miles ago and remains nice & clean - no milkiness. My radiator sprung a bad leak that same day and was replaced - coolant looks good. The water dripping at the exhaust tip is clear w/*very* light carbon deposits suspended within. No sweet odor that I can detect nor do I have any running problems. I'll have to get a look at the plugs tomorrow.

As I told Riverol, my short trips are usually no less than 6 miles and I devoutly practice the 'Abe Crombie Tune-up'. Just might that it's water vapor. The ambient temperature/relative humidity/dewpoint/Jupiter/Orion's Belt must have all aligned in my direction for a few days there to make it look alot worse than I remembered.

Thanks -
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Natalie Hill, 1993 965 'Fang' - Paranoia comes standard on every 960

Until more knowledgeable Brickboarders hopefully put you at ease, do not worry. If you get this white smoke only while car warms up but not after it has warmed up, then it is likely water vapor from condensation or ambient humidity. Be careful, however, if you take many short trips with the car that do not give time for the engine to fully warm up and burn cleanly. This can create troublesome deposits in combustion chambers, valves and piston. That will also leave condensation inside the exhaust. This will not create big problems, but it will rust the exhaust from the inside out. Exhaust replacement can be expensive in your car.

Thanks - My short trips are usually no less than 6 miles and I am a devout practitioner of the 'Abe Crombie Tune-up'. I think you might be correct that it's water vapor. The ambient temperature/relative humidity/dewpoint must have all aligned for a few days there to make it look alot worse than I remembered.
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Natalie Hill, 1993 965 'Fang' - Paranoia comes standard with every 960