rockshox203

Hi, My taurus occasionally has water dripping from the exhaust. SOmeone told me this was a bad thing, but then again I see new cars dripping water from the exhaust all the time. Is the ac system connected to the exhaust or something, what does the water from the exhaust mean?



Thanks in advance!
Rob

bruiser

Unless you've got a big cloud of white smoke following the car around, it's nothing to worry about. Just condensation.

matthew dale

hello, the water is the sign of perfect combustion, carbon dioxide and water... all new cars actually have drain holes throughout entire exhaust system. the water you see dripping is a good thing
;) matthew dale master technician (nissan)

rockshox203

Thanks for the replies, Bruiser you mentioned a big cloud of smoke, well when i first start it up in the afternoon there will be a little bit of smoke coming out, but not a lot then it will stop , and a few days ago i accidentally revved the engine and a good amount of smoke came out then went away. Is this ok?

bruiser

Start checking your coolant level.

qldit

Good Afternoon rockshox203, yes it is normal for modern vehicles to produce water droplets, except if there is any loss of coolant. It can sometimes indicate a head gasket problem, especially if the water has any trace of colour in it.

This brings up an interesting point, that is when vehicles are only used for short runs without successfully heating the exhaust system it commonly causes short life of the mufflers and pipes.

Cheers, qldit.

rockshox203

Thanks for the replies guys, it is greatly appreciated. It's good to know my 15 year old taurus is still healthy and kicking. I haven't seen any green antifreeze come out of the muffler yet so that's good. Btw I read somewhere that these vehicles apparently average out at 300000 miles in their life, is this true? And if so what model years does anyone know?I have the 3.0 liter not the troublesome 3.8

qldit

Good Aftenoon rockshox203, your mention of smoke appearing directly after start and stopping is symptomatic of the valve stem seals having a bit of leakage, what happens is that when the motor is shut down for a period micro amounts of oil run down the valve stems into the cylinders and produces this effect, however if you rev the engine up and down for several minutes to a couple of KRPM and back to idle continuously while it is standing and smoke begins to appear continuously it could suggest piston oil ring effectiveness is on the way out.

This kind of effect also appears when a vehicle travels down a large hill at low power and then accellerates at the bottom, if this condition produces smoke it may be time to think about doing something about it before you get a ticket.

It often happens when a cylinder head is removed and the valves ground and reworked with new seals that the problem can worsen.

Generally taking careful note of any oil useage and needing topping up is a good indicator.

Using better variable viscosity oil like Valvoline 20 w 50 XLD multigrade usually helps older engines reduce this effect.

Personally I feel that when the cost of oil needing to be added becomes greater than the cost of fuel, then it is time to do something about it, provided you haven't already been put off the road by the law!! LOL!!

Cheers, qldit.

bruiser

Try this. After the car is warmed up, find a safe spot and put the petal to the metal, and see if you have a cloud of white smoke behind the car. That would be a good indication of a head gasket failure. Also check the coolant level regularly. If it keeps going down, and no sign of a leak, also a sign of gasket failure. Although I had a radiator develop a small crack and I couldn't find it, even using a pressure tester. One hot day, the radiator finally split wide open.

Tony.b99

Unless there are other problems it,s just condensation, also it depends on what the temperature is outside, for example when a jet passes overhead sometimes it has a vapour trail sometimes it dos'nt