If you see different

colored exhaust
fumes its time to pay
attention to your car.
Even if your vehicle
isnt flashing any
warning lights, the
smoke coming from
your exhaust is a
signal that something
might not be working
properly.
What does BLUE smoke from my exhaust mean?
If your car is blowing blue smoke, its a clear sign that the engine is burning
oil. What happens is that the valve guide seals or piston rings are worn out,
and oil is leaking past from where it should be lubricating the moving parts,
to the combustion chamber where its being burned up with the fuel.
If youre seeing this kind of smoke, check your oil regularly and watch for
consumption issues. While an issue that normally should require immediate
attention and expensive repairs, including some internal replacement parts, if
your vehicle is old and the leak is minimal, it can be carefully managed by
topping up the oil on a regular basis.
Along with environmental damage, burning oil can cause rough starts, as the
process can ruin the cars spark plugs.
There is another reason for blue smoke, and thats if the car is turbocharged;
the smoke being a sign that the blower is in need of rebuilding or
replacement.
What does GRAY smoke from my exhaust mean?
Gray smoke is hard to diagnose directly. Like blue smoke, it can mean that
the car is burning oil or suffering from a bad turbocharger. Take the same
precautions as with blue smoke, and check for excessive oil consumption.

Gray smoke can also be an

issue with your automatic
transmission fluid getting burned
up in the engine. A faulty
transmission vacuum modulator
would be the culprit in this
situation, leading to transmission
fluid getting sucked into the
engine and getting burned up.
Furthermore, gray smoke could mean a stuck PCV valve. The PCV system
(Positive Crankcase Ventilation) cuts down on harmful emissions by
recycling them back into the combustion chamber. However, when the PCV
valve gets stuck, pressure can build and lead to oil leaks. Fortunately, PCV
valves arent expensive, and can be a quick job for a mechanic or a do-ityourselfer.
What does WHITE smoke from my exhaust mean?
White smoke can be nothing to be concerned about if its thin, like vapor.
This is probably the result of normal condensation buildup inside the exhaust
system. This kind of smoke disappears quickly.
However, thicker smoke is a big problem, and can be caused the engine
burning coolant. This can be the result of a serious issue like a blown head
gasket, a damaged cylinder head, or a cracked engine block all of which
are costly repairs.
Dont ignore it, however, as the problem could become far worse. Even a
small leak in the coolant can lead to
overheating and serious risk of
damage to the engine. A coolant
leak can also mix with oil and
cause serious headaches for you
and your car.
What does BLACK smoke from
my exhaust mean?

Black exhaust smoke means the engine is burning too much fuel. The first
think you should check is your air-filter and other intake components like
sensors, fuel injectors and the fuel-pressure regulator. Other reasons could
be a clogged fuel return line. Black smoke is usually the easiest issue to
diagnose and fix, but burning unnecessary fuel will definitely affect your fuel
economy, so dont think of avoiding this one to save money, it wont work.
Any smoke coming from your cars exhaust pipe is a sign that your car is in
distress. Pay attention to what it needs to ensure more miles for your vehicle.

absorbing six times as much potassium from the soil as most crops do. Farmers in
some undeveloped nations grow tobacco until the soil is useless and then clear-cut
forests for fresh land. In those areas, 600 million trees are felled and burned annually
to dry and cure tobacco leaves. Additionally, four miles of paper an hour is used to
wrap and package cigarettes. Setting aside the pollution generated from
manufacturing cigarettes, just losing this many carbon-dioxide-absorbing trees

172

leaves at least 22 million net tons of CO2 in the atmosphere, roughly equivalent to
burning 2.8 billion gallons of gasoline.
Smokestack
iStockphoto
Compared with how cigarettes
damage the environment,
secondhand smoke might be the least
of your worries.

The damage isn't confined to the air, either. According to common estimates, tobacco

You may find this hard to believe if

butts require months or even years to break down, releasing almost 600 chemicals

companies produce 5.5 trillion cigarettes every yearapproximately 900 for each
person in the world. Of those, 4.5 trillion have nonbiodegradable filters that are
tossed away, representing as many as one out of every five pieces of litter. Cigarette

you're standing near a swarm of chain smokers, but most scientists think the trace

into the soil.

amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants in cigarette smoke have, at most, a

So although most scientists believe that the act of smoking itself has a zero net effect

negligible effect on the climate. "In fact," theorizes John M. Wallace, a professor at

on global warming, secondhand smoke appears to be a minor annoyance compared

the University of Washington's climate-research department, "it might even

with the larger damage cigarettes do to the planet.

counteract global warming by an equally minuscule amount, because the white

particulate matter in smoke would reflect some of the sun's energy, thereby
minimizing heat."
But the smoky end-product is not the entire story. Tobacco must be grown, and that
process puts a serious hit on the environment. The plant itself is very demanding,

Pickup trucks customized to spew black smoke into the air are quickly
becoming the newest weapon in the culture wars.

"Coal Rollers" are diesel trucks modified

"I run into a lot of people that really dont like Obama at all," the salesperson

with chimneys and equipment that can

said. "If hes into the environment, if hes into this or that, were not. I hear a

force extra fuel into the engine causing

lot of that. To get a single stack on my truckthats my way of giving them

dark black smoke to pour out of the

the finger. You want clean air and a tiny carbon footprint? Well, screw you."

chimney stacks. These modifications are

not new, but as Slate's Dave
Weigel pointed out on Thursday, "rolling coal" has begun to take on a

As coal rollers have become a form of conservative protest, their popularity

political dimension with pickup drivers increasingly viewing their

seems to be exploding. Vocativ found Facebook pages dedicated to the

smokestacks as a form of protest against environmentalists and Obama

phenomenon have about 16,000 followers and over 100,000 rolling coal

administration emissions regulations.

posts have appeared on Instagram and Tumblr. According to Google Trends,

there were virtually no internet searches for "rolling coal" prior to February

Last month, Vocativ noted many coal rollers focus their fumes on "nature
2011. Since then, search volume for the term has increased over 700%.
nuffies," or people who drive hybrids, and "rice burners," or Japanese-made
cars.

With this explosion in online attention, the battles between coal rollers and
their environmentalist enemies are playing out in social media pages,

"The feeling around here is that everyone who drives a small car is a liberal,"
Youtube videos and internet comment sections. Many of the rolling coal
a roller named Ryan told Vocativ. "I rolled coal on a Prius once just because
Facebook pages feature memes (like the one pictured on the right) that mock
they were tailing me."
hybrid drivers and liberals. Coal rollers have also posted videos showing their
Weigel spoke to a seller of coal rolling customization equipment who
described why some drivers see spewing smoke as a political protest.

trucks blasting more environmentally efficient cars with smoke.

Opponents of the practice have also taken to the internet. Weigel noted "a

comes up for debates when addressing this problem.

mid-June surge of comments" from progressives attacking coal rolling social

media pages in the wake of the Vocativ article. In 2012, one outraged
YouTube user posted a video entitled "Victim Of Coal Rolling" that showed a

Here are five ways diesel engines might be worse for the environment:

ALERT: Is Global Warming a Hoax? Vote Now

pickup shooting fumes at his car.

"Blow your smoke at me you son of a bitch," the driver says in the video.

1. Diesel cars obtain 25 to 35 percent better mileage and emit less carbon
dioxide than gasoline-powered cars. However, according to

Though the clip seemed designed as a criticism of coal rollers, it attracted a

slew of comments from people who were clearly on the side of the pickup
driver.

Stanford.edu, they can emit 25 to 400 times more soot, the black carbon or
smoke that comes out of the tailpipe of a vehicle. Soot is a pollutant that
contributes to climate change. Black carbon stays in the atmosphere only for
a few days, but enough to trigger breathing difficulties for some people.

"What a loser you are, ain't nothing wrong with rolling some confederate
coal," one person replied.

2. It takes 13 percent more crude oil to produce a gallon of diesel than

gasoline, making the U.S. more vulnerable to foreign countries. Switching to

"Stupid ricers. what were you gonna do you bitch?" another said.
Cars and Global Warming: 5 Ways Diesel Engines Are Worse for
the Environment

diesel increases dependence on other nations to supply crude oil for U.S.
refineries, according to CarsDirect.

By Jerry Shaw | Wednesday, 18 Mar 2015 03:11 PM

3. Cleaning methods for diesel fuel don't provide much more of an

Climate change scientists believe transportation emissions contribute

improvement. Refineries have taken positive steps at producing cleaner fuel,

significantly to the cause of global warming. Cars in the U.S. cause about 30

but diesel engines still cause significant health issues. Even brief exposure to

percent of these emissions and the use of diesel fuel instead of gasoline

diesel exhaust can contribute to cancer, asthma, bronchitis and allergies.

VOTE NOW: Are You Concerned About Global Warming?

4. Diesel engines cost more to own and maintain. A diesel vehicle costs more
than a gas-powered car. It can be difficult finding diesel fuel at filling
stations. The engines also tend to make more noise. Neglecting the
maintenance on a diesel engine can lead to higher costs, reports The
Roaming Times. Mechanics can command 30 percent more in fees than
regular mechanics. Higher prices could lead to more neglect and more

Smoke and stuff from factories, cars and trucks

damage to the environment.

This is the

pollution everybody sees and knows about. You

can't miss it, can you? Every time you go anywhere in a car or
5. Diesel fuel doesn't provide the same type of energy that gasoline does.

walk in the street, you smell the stink of exhaust fumes.

Diesel-fueled cars are designed for steady, hard-working transportation. Gas-

Sometimes the exhaust fumes get so thick they form a sort

powered cars are designed for driving pleasure and more speed, which is part

of fog. People call this 'smog' ('smoke' + 'fog' = smog). It's

particularly bad in cities like Los Angeles, Mexico City and

of the reason manufacturers can make innovative improvements to reduce

Delhi. People get sick because of it. Why? Because the

the effects of global warming.

smoke, fumes and gases that make up the smog are

poisonous. You might even be surprised to know that smoke

URGENT: Do You Think Global Warming Is a Hoax? Vote Here

Now!

from

barbecues,

grills (you know, restaurants and fast

food places) and lawnmowers is also pretty bad and makes

smogs even worse.
What you don't see in this sort of pollution are the poisonous
but invisible gases like carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon
monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx)
and ozone. Ozone is a poisonous form of the gas we animals
all breathe: oxygen. CO, SO2and NOx are also poisonous.
CO2 is a special problem all of its own. This is the gas which is

mostly responsible for what people call the '

greenhouse

effect'. It is mostly this gas that is making our planet heat

up (see my guide to global warming).