Smoky exhausts add to air pollution. If your vehicle's exhaust produces excessive smoke, check the cause and have your vehicle serviced or repaired.
Diesel engines should not produce continuous smoke as long as they are correctly maintained, driven sensibly and quality fuel is used.
Some factors that can contribute to causing smoke include:
Even properly adjusted and maintained vehicles can produce visible smoke at maximum power during gear changes, while carrying a heavy load, or after a period of idling.
If your vehicle produces smoke continuously for 10 seconds or more, this means that something is wrong and needs fixing.
Smoke from vehicles is generally caused by unburnt or partly burnt fuel. Burning engine oil can also cause a smoky exhaust.
Black smoke is generally caused by incompletely burnt diesel fuel.
Blue, white and other coloured smoke is generally caused by burning engine oil or unburnt fuel vapour. Easily seen, blue smoke is usually caused by a serious engine fault.
These are just some of the faults that can cause smoke. Not all of them apply equally to petrol and diesel engines.
Faults that can cause smoke include:
Smoky vehicles pollute the air. Next time you see a vehicle blowing smoke continuously for 10 seconds or more, please report the smoky vehicle.
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