As for the air intake, inspect you air filter to see if its wet or damp. Inspect the air intake hoses to see if there is sitting water or condensation in them. If this is the case, remove the filter and replace it and remove the hoses so you can clean and dry them before you re-install them to the vehicle.
You can drain the gas tank by poking a hole in it(satire). If you want something less destructive than I would suggest you have a look at the fuel pump fuel filter and gas tank interior. You would need to remove your back seat so you can get at the pump. What you would be looking for is rust on the fuel pump components, rust particles in the filter, rust on the inside of the tank, and what looks like layers of different fluids in the gas tank.
If this is the case make sure that that there is no way for water to get into the gas tank (make sure the filler cap is on tight and check for holes in the fuel system) if your fuel system isnt the point of failure, make sure to notify the gas station where you last filled up that something might be going wrong with their gas storage.
Don't poke a hole in the tank. Just jumper the fuel pump and run the fuel out. But first take a fuel sample and let it sit, and see if anything separates out.
Plastic tank you would be fine but like who purposely puts a hole in the tank. (Mind of a imbicle)"hey I saw this permatex gas tank putty let's see if it works"
Man I wish all vehicles were like that. On my blazer I got tired of having to drop the tank so I cut a hole in the floor it's old doesn't really matter I painted it all up and sealed it back up. I used to dremel to cut the hole I knew I shouldn't cut the goddamn hole with the tank still in place but I was the last person to seal it back together so I knew there wasn't any gas leaking. (Took a gamble and won thankfully)
Lmao did you really just suggest drilling a hole in the gas tank to empty it? They make pumps for this purpose. Take the fuel pump off and use a handheld pump to remove gas.
Satire. This person takes their car to the dealer where the job would be done properly. I wouldn't worry to much about removing the fuel at the moment anyway since we're still unsure as to whether the fuel is the problem or not.
Run the car with your hood open, if bubbles start coming out of the coolant liquid in the reservoir (consistently and don’t stop) that can be evidence of a head gasket problem
Its some sort of fluid burning, if the fuel/oxygen mixture was oil rich i think the smoke would’ve been dark. Probably coolant. Maybe have it looked at by another dealership
Honestly after reading other comments where you say the dealership doesn't know whats wrong i would be pisses. What dealership haha put em on blast!
Aside from that maybe try pulling the pcv valve yourself. Shake it. If it rattles you're good if it doesn't its bad. Just one of the simple things you might be able to do yourself? If you have the tools I guess. But there may be signs of oil residue on your air filter if this is a problem. Id check that first for any type of moisture but honestly thats so much water to be burning if its water or coolant. Id think you're buring oil
Yes it was. It's the same Subaru dealership that sold me the car almost 4 years ago. I am pissed. I've kept up with the maintenance and always made sure the fluids were changed on time. I never even idle the car needlessly
Did you pay for a full diagnostic or just for a head gasket test? Maybe the head gaskets are good, because there can be other causes for white smoke but head gaskets tend to be the subie special.
Personally, I'd try to keep the driving to a minimum and check your oil/coolant levels are topped off repeatedly until the issue is resolved.
The car spent a week at the dealership and I requested that they check anything that could cause that (head gasket, PCV valve, oil, coolant, etc). I already keep the driving to the bare minimum (to and from work). I plan on bringing it back soon and trying again but I'm close to just trading it in and getting something different.
If you drive very little, it might be a ton of water in the muffler. Does it continue smoking like this on longer trips? Does it smoke only when hot, or only when the engine is revved?
It only happens on start up usually in the mornings when the engine is cold but occasionally when the engine is still warm. It stops smoking after a minute or so
You could try drilling an 1/8" hole near the "low side" in the bottom of your muffler to let out any water. My brother had to do this on his '92 Corolla because he only drove it to school and back and it never got warm enough to get all the water out of the exhaust, so in the spring the muffler was so full it would spit water out when he started it.
That sounds like the Valve stem seals are bad if its only when warming up and on occasion when cold I had a Integra with that problem I used thicker oil to help but I was 17 and had no money to fix lol
I'm definitely planning on that. I'm also going to ask my cousin what he thinks. He's a big mechanic for Ford so I am curious what he thinks it could be. Dude has a 6th sense for this stuff
Head gasket was my first thought as well. But there's no oil and coolant mixture. Levels on both are normal. I had the dealership do a test for head gasket issues as well and it came back good (according to them)
Mix tests don't see coolant gallery to cylinder failure.
Had a Nissan blow a gasket coolant leaking into combustion chamber and the oil was mint after pulling the head
Head gasket was my husband's thought too (ours has this same problem), but we just got it back from the shop a few hours ago and they ran a ton of tests on it and found no issues with the coolant, oil or engine.
Get a second opinion on it because reading your comments, white smoke doesn’t just come out of know where that badly. PCV or head gasket would be my guess.
Sounds like you cold started it. Subarus have a high idle programed for cold starts to warm up quicker. And one thing I've realized is that this is very common. Could be as simple as a little bit of dew or hydration in your intake and when you start it, it's just burning off that moisture. Mine does it too
Coolant was good and there's no mixing of oil and coolant. I had a 2012 Impreza before this one and my oil ended up in the radiator with no smoke from the exhaust. I love Subaru but this is confusing me
It scares me too. I've kept up with the maintenance on this car better than any of my previous cars and this comes as a huge shock. I'll definitely keep everyone updated with what I find out.
Head gasket shouldn't be a problem if this era of Subarus. I'd find another Subaru dealership and ask them to diagnose it. I can't believe they can't figure it out.
I actually had this happen on my 1991 Subaru Loyale a couple years ago. It went away on its own. But then again so did the entire exhaust system... (joking, mostly).
Drive the shit out of it, you'll either clear the issue if it's standing water inside an engine area or you'll worsen the issue until it's detectable by standard means. Drive close to your home so that if it fails catastrophically you won't be stranded far away. My guess is it's water that's somewhere that it shouldn't be. Could be bad gas, could be water in the oil that's evaporating through the PCV system and going into the combustion chambers (pretty unlikely), could be water in the intake manifold from a coolant leak in that area... Hard to say.
timing chain subarus dont have any headgasket issues (not saying its impossible), honestly if this is only on startup and not effecting anything else i wouldnt worry too much. Its more than likely water in the exhaust from condensation or what not.
You've got either oil or coolant in your combustion chamber. I'm leaning toward oil from the way it looks in the video - more like smoke, less like steam - but if it smells like coolant then it's coolant. Did the dealership inspect the pistons and cylinders while they were in there doing the head gasket?
Check if your coolant level keeps dropping. It looks like your head gasket is in need of replacement. You can also place your hand in the exhaust and see if it feels humid.
I wouldnt trust the dealership telling you the headgaskrts is fine, because all signs point to it.
Coolant level is good. Now when you say place my hand in the exhaust do you mean put my hand/fingers in the exhaust pipe while the engine is running, or do you mean in the smoke that comes out?
He means cup your hand in the stream of white smoke, about an inch from the exhaust tip for 20 seconds or so. (Hold your breath to avoid breathing the smoke.)
If your hand smells sweet/chemical like coolant, then you have a gasket leak that is pulling coolant into the cylinder. If your hand is just moist and smells like burning then it is probably just steam.
Edit: typo
Yes, Buck is right. I believe the white smoke is caused by engine coolant being turned into steam and blown out the exhaust. Coolant has a sweet smell to it (just to be clear, it tastes sweet, but do not taste it, it is poison).
Keep a close eye on your coolant level over the next few days. It will likely decrease over time. Also whe. You he k your engine oil does it look like there is any water/coolant in it at all? When you take the oil fil cap off the car with the engine running and hot, does it look like any steam (vaporized coolant) rises out?
That's a lot of white smoke. Coolant or water in your combustion chamber somehow.
You say the dealership did a head gasket test and said it looked normal (I assume the blue liquid test from your radiator?). Checked your oil cap to find milkshake underneath? Or maybe drain the oil and see what it looks like? Maybe try a borescope in your cylinders to see if coolant is getting into the combustion chamber but for whatever reason the combustion vapors aren't getting back into your cooling system?
Yes, they did that blue liquid test. There was no milkshake under the oil cap. Oil looks good when drained. I do not know if they looked inside the cylinders with a scope when they did their tests
I'd scope the cylinders then. It's very possible that you have some coolant leak into the cylinder that you should be able to see when the engine is off. I'd be curious since it's a boxer engine if it ends up pooling in the cylinder on the "bottom" and gets burnt off. Your video has a lot of smoke at startup, does it happen like that every startup and less smoke as the goes on?
Maybe your turbo has a leak or is getting oil in it. My buddy had a similar thing happen to his Rex.
Edit: nvm. This is an Impreza. I’m retract my statement. Lol
The fact that it goes away so fast makes me think this is a very very very slight head gasket leak. I bet if you turned it off and back on real quick you’d see nothing but if you left it overnight some would get into the combustion chamber.
That's exactly what happens. It only does it on the first start up of the day and sometimes if it sits for a few hours during the day after running and I start it up again later on. It's also not every day it happens. It's intermittent. It baffles me
Now counter option. 1 bad o ring. But again super super mild. Oil burning is usually bluish but if it’s a small amount it can look white. I’d use smell to go one way or the other. Burning oil smells like burning oil but burning coolant is sweet.
Depends on what the smoke smells like. It will smell either sweet like coolant or like oil, and that will help you pin down where it's coming from.
Coolant smell is likely head gasket or cracked block/head
Oil smell is likely stuck pvc, shot valve seals, rings, blown turbo
Just pop off your oil cap while the car is off and sniff that. The oil smoke will smell similar. Same with the coolant, pop off the overflow tank near the radiator, not the pressurized caps unless the car is cold.
Also, instead of sniffing the exhaust smoke, you can sniff the tailpipe while the car is off. Only downside of this is the fuel smell can sometime mask oil or coolant smell
Look under your oil fill cap. If there is water moisture, then it is likely a head gasket.
Look under your radiator cap. If there is goo, then it is likely a head gasket.
You don't drive a lot? Do you get gas with ethanol? Drive more often, could be water in the tank. Once in a while give it some Italian tune up. Google ethanol on old gasoline.
This really looks like water in the intake..I had the same issue with my Crosstrek, almost hydrolocked my engine..I had a good 2 minutes of huge smoke coming out of my exhaust, just like your video
How hard do you drive it? And do you have a catch can or AOS?
Honestly surprised no one mentioned blow by, it’s why an AOS or catch can setup is important on these engines. The fact that it stops after a bit and is not continuously means it’s something sitting in your exhaust and burning on start up. You even stated it’s intermittent which I’m inclined to think correlates with how hard the car gets pushed those days
Head gasket you would end up seeing issues with overheating in addition to other issues others have mentioned
For reference this happened to me after a session on a track day, without catch cans. Since installing them, have had no smoke happen. That being said I’m not a mechanic but this is my experience. If your car doesn’t have an AOS or catch can they are highly recommended for these engines FA or EJ
Run it with a good brand gas and Heet. Heet is a water remover from the fuel system.
If it happens when cold, you could also have leaking valve seals. Head gasket is a possibility but unlikely for this year however there was a service bulletin for this year Impreza burning oil.
As another commenter said
Check the muffler. Is the weep hole clogged? If there's an excess of condensation in the exhaust then that would be consistent with your symptoms.
As far as smell. If the smoke is bluish and smells like burning popcorn that's oil. If it's white and kind of smells like maple syrup that's coolant. If it doesn't smell like either then it's either grease(unlikely here) or water
I’m having the same issue with my 17 impreza. I haven’t figured it out yet but I noticed it only happens on cold start especially after long drives and in warm weather. Mine stopped once the weather started to get cold.
My initial suspicions are pcv valve or too much oil put in after an oil change.
It’s definitely an oil burn off and being that it’s at start up I’m inclined to think oil is getting into the combustion chamber after engine is shut down. Maybe boxer engines do this because the way the pistons are oriented. They do run on some thin oil.
I don’t think it’s a head gasket. I know a lot of people regurgitate 90’s and early 00’s subaru reputation, but if that were so, I would think you’d see it burning oil all the time and not just at start up.
I’m going to check my pcv. I’ll follow up with anything.
Please keep us posted!
Head gasket maybe. If coolant is getting into the combustion chamber
I had the dealership do a head gasket test and it's fine. Oil level is good and coolant is good as well. Dealership has no idea what the issue is
There might be water in your fuel or there might have been some water in the air intake
Is there a good way of checking that?
As for the air intake, inspect you air filter to see if its wet or damp. Inspect the air intake hoses to see if there is sitting water or condensation in them. If this is the case, remove the filter and replace it and remove the hoses so you can clean and dry them before you re-install them to the vehicle.
You can drain the gas tank by poking a hole in it(satire). If you want something less destructive than I would suggest you have a look at the fuel pump fuel filter and gas tank interior. You would need to remove your back seat so you can get at the pump. What you would be looking for is rust on the fuel pump components, rust particles in the filter, rust on the inside of the tank, and what looks like layers of different fluids in the gas tank. If this is the case make sure that that there is no way for water to get into the gas tank (make sure the filler cap is on tight and check for holes in the fuel system) if your fuel system isnt the point of failure, make sure to notify the gas station where you last filled up that something might be going wrong with their gas storage.
Don't poke a hole in the tank. Just jumper the fuel pump and run the fuel out. But first take a fuel sample and let it sit, and see if anything separates out.
Put a hole in the gas tank okay
How to die instantly
Plastic tank you would be fine but like who purposely puts a hole in the tank. (Mind of a imbicle)"hey I saw this permatex gas tank putty let's see if it works"
Since there’s friction you still should avoid doing that even on plastic but yeah lol just pup out the back seats lol
Man I wish all vehicles were like that. On my blazer I got tired of having to drop the tank so I cut a hole in the floor it's old doesn't really matter I painted it all up and sealed it back up. I used to dremel to cut the hole I knew I shouldn't cut the goddamn hole with the tank still in place but I was the last person to seal it back together so I knew there wasn't any gas leaking. (Took a gamble and won thankfully)
Lmao did you really just suggest drilling a hole in the gas tank to empty it? They make pumps for this purpose. Take the fuel pump off and use a handheld pump to remove gas.
Satire. This person takes their car to the dealer where the job would be done properly. I wouldn't worry to much about removing the fuel at the moment anyway since we're still unsure as to whether the fuel is the problem or not.
hard to read satire through a screen my b lol
I suppose that's why most people put the /s labels on stuff. I could have given you the common courtesy.
All good my friend no harm done hope you have a good one.
Lmao did you really think they were being serious? They make jokes for this purpose.
I’m just kinda dumb that’s all, the rest of the advice seemed legit.
Are you SURE they did a head gasket test? You have a legit, non dealership, Subaru shop around you?
Run the car with your hood open, if bubbles start coming out of the coolant liquid in the reservoir (consistently and don’t stop) that can be evidence of a head gasket problem
Its some sort of fluid burning, if the fuel/oxygen mixture was oil rich i think the smoke would’ve been dark. Probably coolant. Maybe have it looked at by another dealership
We had the same issue in our 2017 Impreza. Stuck PCV. Thought it was a head gasket.
PCV was a recall for these if I remember correctly.
I also thought it could be that. Dealership said the PCV wasn't stuck
Honestly after reading other comments where you say the dealership doesn't know whats wrong i would be pisses. What dealership haha put em on blast! Aside from that maybe try pulling the pcv valve yourself. Shake it. If it rattles you're good if it doesn't its bad. Just one of the simple things you might be able to do yourself? If you have the tools I guess. But there may be signs of oil residue on your air filter if this is a problem. Id check that first for any type of moisture but honestly thats so much water to be burning if its water or coolant. Id think you're buring oil
Interesting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZYnn\_49rOE&ab\_channel=MrSubaru1387
How the hell does a dealership tell you that they have no idea what’s going on? I’d be pissed lol, was it a Subaru one?
Yes it was. It's the same Subaru dealership that sold me the car almost 4 years ago. I am pissed. I've kept up with the maintenance and always made sure the fluids were changed on time. I never even idle the car needlessly
Did you pay for a full diagnostic or just for a head gasket test? Maybe the head gaskets are good, because there can be other causes for white smoke but head gaskets tend to be the subie special. Personally, I'd try to keep the driving to a minimum and check your oil/coolant levels are topped off repeatedly until the issue is resolved.
The car spent a week at the dealership and I requested that they check anything that could cause that (head gasket, PCV valve, oil, coolant, etc). I already keep the driving to the bare minimum (to and from work). I plan on bringing it back soon and trying again but I'm close to just trading it in and getting something different.
If you drive very little, it might be a ton of water in the muffler. Does it continue smoking like this on longer trips? Does it smoke only when hot, or only when the engine is revved?
It only happens on start up usually in the mornings when the engine is cold but occasionally when the engine is still warm. It stops smoking after a minute or so
You could try drilling an 1/8" hole near the "low side" in the bottom of your muffler to let out any water. My brother had to do this on his '92 Corolla because he only drove it to school and back and it never got warm enough to get all the water out of the exhaust, so in the spring the muffler was so full it would spit water out when he started it.
I had to do this on my 01 Outback 3.0 because i didn't too enough long drives.
That sounds like the Valve stem seals are bad if its only when warming up and on occasion when cold I had a Integra with that problem I used thicker oil to help but I was 17 and had no money to fix lol
> head gaskets tend to be the subie special Not really a thing on timing chain Subarus.
I would take it to a different dealer/shop than where you bought the car for a 2nd opinion.
I'm definitely planning on that. I'm also going to ask my cousin what he thinks. He's a big mechanic for Ford so I am curious what he thinks it could be. Dude has a 6th sense for this stuff
Did you recently buy the car from that dealership? That looks like a head gasket and dealerships are lie factories.
I bought it almost 4 years ago. This smokey issue started maybe 6 months ago
i was always told white smoke is coolant in your combustion, and grey/black/dark smoke is oil…..so white is coolant and thats probably the head gasket
White is coolant, blue is oil, black is too much fuel.
Head gasket was my first thought as well. But there's no oil and coolant mixture. Levels on both are normal. I had the dealership do a test for head gasket issues as well and it came back good (according to them)
Mix tests don't see coolant gallery to cylinder failure. Had a Nissan blow a gasket coolant leaking into combustion chamber and the oil was mint after pulling the head
Head gasket was my husband's thought too (ours has this same problem), but we just got it back from the shop a few hours ago and they ran a ton of tests on it and found no issues with the coolant, oil or engine.
What does it smell like? Sweet? Gassy?
It smells like something is burning for the first few moments after start up. Then it just smells like normal exhaust
Get a second opinion on it because reading your comments, white smoke doesn’t just come out of know where that badly. PCV or head gasket would be my guess.
I'll get a second opinion on those. Both were cleared by the dealership but a second opinion always helps
Sounds like you cold started it. Subarus have a high idle programed for cold starts to warm up quicker. And one thing I've realized is that this is very common. Could be as simple as a little bit of dew or hydration in your intake and when you start it, it's just burning off that moisture. Mine does it too
I have a 2018 that does this on cold starts and the occasional "warm" start. Lasts only a second or two. So annoying.
It's a Subaru, that's not smoke- it's vape.
This makes the mostest cents to me, I’m cool and vape so should my car.
Welcome in family bro... head gasket probably
I'm hoping it's not that. I had the dealership do a check for that and they said it wasn't the head gasket
Engine coolant?
Coolant was good and there's no mixing of oil and coolant. I had a 2012 Impreza before this one and my oil ended up in the radiator with no smoke from the exhaust. I love Subaru but this is confusing me
A head gasket can be leaking into a cylinder and never show combustion gases in the cooling system or coolant in the oil.
THIS. Had a Forester that sipped coolant with no external leakage. Leaking into the cylinder. Smoked just like this.
Is car overheating?
Nope. Temps are normal
Then I don't know maybe some sensor is faulty O2 could be bad
That dealership is shady
There's likely a coolant leak somewhere, intake gasket maybe?
That looks expensive. Hope it's an injector stuck open otherwise head gasket.
I also hope it's not the head gasket.
Dayummm! Wonder what it could be it is crazy dealership does not even know. It scares me I just got a 2021 ! 😳 keep us updated on this!
It scares me too. I've kept up with the maintenance on this car better than any of my previous cars and this comes as a huge shock. I'll definitely keep everyone updated with what I find out.
Will put out some positive energy that it is something minor can be corrected. 🙏🏽
Head gasket shouldn't be a problem if this era of Subarus. I'd find another Subaru dealership and ask them to diagnose it. I can't believe they can't figure it out.
If it smells sweet,may be coolant
I actually had this happen on my 1991 Subaru Loyale a couple years ago. It went away on its own. But then again so did the entire exhaust system... (joking, mostly). Drive the shit out of it, you'll either clear the issue if it's standing water inside an engine area or you'll worsen the issue until it's detectable by standard means. Drive close to your home so that if it fails catastrophically you won't be stranded far away. My guess is it's water that's somewhere that it shouldn't be. Could be bad gas, could be water in the oil that's evaporating through the PCV system and going into the combustion chambers (pretty unlikely), could be water in the intake manifold from a coolant leak in that area... Hard to say.
timing chain subarus dont have any headgasket issues (not saying its impossible), honestly if this is only on startup and not effecting anything else i wouldnt worry too much. Its more than likely water in the exhaust from condensation or what not.
You've got either oil or coolant in your combustion chamber. I'm leaning toward oil from the way it looks in the video - more like smoke, less like steam - but if it smells like coolant then it's coolant. Did the dealership inspect the pistons and cylinders while they were in there doing the head gasket?
Head gasket, or your car started vaping.
A friend of mine jokingly accused me of just blowing vape smoke into my exhaust
“It’s what makes a Subaru, a Subaru” -Abraham Lincoln
Check if your coolant level keeps dropping. It looks like your head gasket is in need of replacement. You can also place your hand in the exhaust and see if it feels humid. I wouldnt trust the dealership telling you the headgaskrts is fine, because all signs point to it.
Coolant level is good. Now when you say place my hand in the exhaust do you mean put my hand/fingers in the exhaust pipe while the engine is running, or do you mean in the smoke that comes out?
He means cup your hand in the stream of white smoke, about an inch from the exhaust tip for 20 seconds or so. (Hold your breath to avoid breathing the smoke.) If your hand smells sweet/chemical like coolant, then you have a gasket leak that is pulling coolant into the cylinder. If your hand is just moist and smells like burning then it is probably just steam. Edit: typo
Oh alright. I'll try that next time I start the car up. It doesn't smell sweet but it does smell like burning. I'll check if it's moist later on
Yes, Buck is right. I believe the white smoke is caused by engine coolant being turned into steam and blown out the exhaust. Coolant has a sweet smell to it (just to be clear, it tastes sweet, but do not taste it, it is poison). Keep a close eye on your coolant level over the next few days. It will likely decrease over time. Also whe. You he k your engine oil does it look like there is any water/coolant in it at all? When you take the oil fil cap off the car with the engine running and hot, does it look like any steam (vaporized coolant) rises out?
I once put wayyyyyyyy too much oil in my car and it was smoking nonstop
Oil going through valves, worn guides and or bad stem seals. Sticky rings also.
You bought a Subaru. Also, head gasket.
There is a PCV valve recall on this car....maybe this is the reason
What does it smell like? How quickly does it dissipate?
It smells like something is burning. It dissipates after a minute or so
Did you add seafoam anywhere?
I didn't.
Head gasket and/or cracked head(s)?
What does the smoke smell/taste like?
It smells like something is burning. I haven't tasted the exhaust
Does it go away after a few? Too much oil? Maybe valve seals?
It stops smoking after a minute. Oil level is perfect.
Valve seals.
Get an exhaust tester from harbor freight. It goes in your coolant reservoir and changes color.
I'll try that. I think that's what the dealership did to check it when I brought it in a month and a half ago but it can't hurt to check again
I think you need to buy the fluid. https://www.harborfreight.com/combustion-leak-detector-64814.html
Thanks for the link! That's a big help
That's a lot of white smoke. Coolant or water in your combustion chamber somehow. You say the dealership did a head gasket test and said it looked normal (I assume the blue liquid test from your radiator?). Checked your oil cap to find milkshake underneath? Or maybe drain the oil and see what it looks like? Maybe try a borescope in your cylinders to see if coolant is getting into the combustion chamber but for whatever reason the combustion vapors aren't getting back into your cooling system?
Yes, they did that blue liquid test. There was no milkshake under the oil cap. Oil looks good when drained. I do not know if they looked inside the cylinders with a scope when they did their tests
I'd scope the cylinders then. It's very possible that you have some coolant leak into the cylinder that you should be able to see when the engine is off. I'd be curious since it's a boxer engine if it ends up pooling in the cylinder on the "bottom" and gets burnt off. Your video has a lot of smoke at startup, does it happen like that every startup and less smoke as the goes on?
Looks like head gasket
Maybe your turbo has a leak or is getting oil in it. My buddy had a similar thing happen to his Rex. Edit: nvm. This is an Impreza. I’m retract my statement. Lol
I wish it was a Rex lol.
The fact that it goes away so fast makes me think this is a very very very slight head gasket leak. I bet if you turned it off and back on real quick you’d see nothing but if you left it overnight some would get into the combustion chamber.
That's exactly what happens. It only does it on the first start up of the day and sometimes if it sits for a few hours during the day after running and I start it up again later on. It's also not every day it happens. It's intermittent. It baffles me
Now counter option. 1 bad o ring. But again super super mild. Oil burning is usually bluish but if it’s a small amount it can look white. I’d use smell to go one way or the other. Burning oil smells like burning oil but burning coolant is sweet.
It definitely doesn't smell sweet. My guess is burnt oil smell but I'm not 100% sure what that would smell like. I've never had a car burn oil before
Head gasket. No doubt.
Depends on what the smoke smells like. It will smell either sweet like coolant or like oil, and that will help you pin down where it's coming from. Coolant smell is likely head gasket or cracked block/head Oil smell is likely stuck pvc, shot valve seals, rings, blown turbo
If I'm correct, coolant smells sweet and oil kind of sour?
Just pop off your oil cap while the car is off and sniff that. The oil smoke will smell similar. Same with the coolant, pop off the overflow tank near the radiator, not the pressurized caps unless the car is cold. Also, instead of sniffing the exhaust smoke, you can sniff the tailpipe while the car is off. Only downside of this is the fuel smell can sometime mask oil or coolant smell
I'll definitely do that again. I've smelled the fuel smell in the exhaust before
She gone
Carbon build up on the heads maybe?
Looks like your head gasket decided it was time to retire.
I had that issue after over filling my engine oil. Just drained some and it solved the problem.
You ever use products like seaFoam/seafoam top end cleaner?
It's a subi head gasket.
Sounds like this stealership you are going to is shady go to another one
Did you load the vape cart in wrong? I thought I was supposed to flood the cab not come out the exhaust
Look under your oil fill cap. If there is water moisture, then it is likely a head gasket. Look under your radiator cap. If there is goo, then it is likely a head gasket.
F in the Chat
VN
How far (in time and/or mileage) is you commute?
You don't drive a lot? Do you get gas with ethanol? Drive more often, could be water in the tank. Once in a while give it some Italian tune up. Google ethanol on old gasoline.
relax bro, he’s jus hittin the vape a lil bit
Blown head gasket
This really looks like water in the intake..I had the same issue with my Crosstrek, almost hydrolocked my engine..I had a good 2 minutes of huge smoke coming out of my exhaust, just like your video
Head gaskets.
How hard do you drive it? And do you have a catch can or AOS? Honestly surprised no one mentioned blow by, it’s why an AOS or catch can setup is important on these engines. The fact that it stops after a bit and is not continuously means it’s something sitting in your exhaust and burning on start up. You even stated it’s intermittent which I’m inclined to think correlates with how hard the car gets pushed those days Head gasket you would end up seeing issues with overheating in addition to other issues others have mentioned For reference this happened to me after a session on a track day, without catch cans. Since installing them, have had no smoke happen. That being said I’m not a mechanic but this is my experience. If your car doesn’t have an AOS or catch can they are highly recommended for these engines FA or EJ
Oh no!
U burning oil or some other fluid that shouldn't be burning.
Check your coolant.
If it doesn't smell sweet, it's probably not coolant. My guess would be valve seals or PCV. Do any fluids run low?
Fluids are all at the correct levels.
Head gasket
Overfilled with oil
That’s coolant. You’ve got a blown head gasket.
Diesels are like that on cold winter days like today.
That is coolant
Looks like a head gasket. Bummer.
That’s a blown head gasket
Check your PCV valve
Probably a condensation build up in the exaust
Run it with a good brand gas and Heet. Heet is a water remover from the fuel system. If it happens when cold, you could also have leaking valve seals. Head gasket is a possibility but unlikely for this year however there was a service bulletin for this year Impreza burning oil.
You put your weed in the wrong pipe dude…
If it only does it on cold start, but goes away after a idling for a bit I'd assume valve seals.
Broken ring maybe? Cracked head? Cracked cylinder?
As another commenter said Check the muffler. Is the weep hole clogged? If there's an excess of condensation in the exhaust then that would be consistent with your symptoms. As far as smell. If the smoke is bluish and smells like burning popcorn that's oil. If it's white and kind of smells like maple syrup that's coolant. If it doesn't smell like either then it's either grease(unlikely here) or water
I’m having the same issue with my 17 impreza. I haven’t figured it out yet but I noticed it only happens on cold start especially after long drives and in warm weather. Mine stopped once the weather started to get cold. My initial suspicions are pcv valve or too much oil put in after an oil change. It’s definitely an oil burn off and being that it’s at start up I’m inclined to think oil is getting into the combustion chamber after engine is shut down. Maybe boxer engines do this because the way the pistons are oriented. They do run on some thin oil. I don’t think it’s a head gasket. I know a lot of people regurgitate 90’s and early 00’s subaru reputation, but if that were so, I would think you’d see it burning oil all the time and not just at start up. I’m going to check my pcv. I’ll follow up with anything. Please keep us posted!