I' getting a huge plume of white smoke every time I go to start my Jag. It's a 1999 XJR. I just recently replaced the fuel pump. I've been getting warning lights for "engine coolant low" however, when my mechanic checked all the fluids they were all fine.

After driving away the white smoke goes away. It's only on the initial start up and first mile or so that the white smoke comes out. The Jag also gives out an unpleasant smell and runs rough. A friend of mine told me it it had something to do with water or oil leaking in the engine? I also heard it might be a head gasket? I use synthetic oil and I heard that that will sometimes leak.

My question is what is causing this white smoke to come out? Also, what can I do to fix it?

Here is a link to a video of a start up with the white smoke coming out.

 

White smoke is heating / water related.

Water is getting on the pistons, hence head gasket, .... Could be condensation, .... Either way it's water in your engine.

The way it normally goes ....

White Smoke - Head Gasket
Blue Smoke - Piston Rings
Black smoke - To much fuel
Grey smoke - Perfect running

Hope this helps

 

White smoke is usually indication of a head gasket failure, not uncommon with the 4.0. But you should see some coolant loss. The odor of burning antifreeze is very different from that of burning oil. Has your mechanic checked the plugs? A compression check would be a good idea.

 

Have you had a check engine light? Any codes? If the engine is running rough now, it will get progressively worse over the next week. If no codes yet, they will likely start showing up as the engine runs more rough.

Sounds an aweful lot like a head gasket issue, which would require opening up the engine to replace the gasket(s), along with other 'while you're there' parts. Or, replace the engine with a newer, lower mileage unit (a path I just went down). Out of curiosity, is your mileage between 80-100k? Others more knowledgeable than me will chime in with ways to more definitively test for what is going on, ie, compression test, etc.

 

Bad misfortune. Nothing that can stop this ie sealers etc. if it was puking oil I would say get 2 v8 engine restores and 6 quarts of Lucas oil stabilizer and let it idle for 8hrs ( I had an abused 2000 XJR that it saved the motor for another year).

 

Does it smell like burned oil or like burned antifreeze? Sometime older cars start with a puff of burned oil. Old compression rings, or valve seals can let some oil get sucked into cylinders. If a spark plug is miss-firing - it can also contribute.

 

It's gotta be head gaskets. Mine blew a few weeks back as well. Undeniably white smoke which goes away when the engine warms up.

 

The correct way to fix the car is remove the heads and check for cracks. If the car has EVER been overheated it is very likely to be cracked or have a bad head gasket.


You don't have a lot to loose by trying Bars stop leak for head gaskets or blocks.


Using this WILL likely clog up your heater core and may not do any good, but in some
cases it will give you another year or two life from the engine.


A good used engine with warranty will run about $2,600 when it finally dies.


There are tests that show exhaust gas in the coolant to confirm a leaking head gasket.

 

Head gasket(s).