1996 Dodge Intrepid too much smoke coming out of muffler

AZQUEST76

MEMBER
1996 DODGE INTREPID
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
178,000 MILES

I have a 1996 dodge intrepid and when i start to drive for about 20mins, alot of smoke comes out of my muffler, especially when i hit the gas pedal at the stop lights. then it goes away...my temp. on the car is in the middle, so it;s doesn't look like it over heats or anything. Not sure what is wrong with? Could it be the coolant?...should i put 50/50 coolant?

4 Replies

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,755 POSTS

Yes to the 50/50 coolant. What color is the coolant that comes out?

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Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 AT 9:15 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,755 POSTS

I ment to say what color is the smoke that is coming out, and are you adding coolant on a regular basis?

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Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 AT 9:16 PM

AZQUEST76

MEMBER
2 POSTS

Thanks for the respond, yes the smoke is white and I don;t put coolant in it everyday. Should I put Prestone/Antifreeze and Coolant better than the 50/50 coolant? Or the Peak/Long Life Antifreeze and Coolant. How do I drain out all of the old 50/50 anti freeze? So I can place the new one?

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Thursday, July 9th, 2009 AT 11:22 AM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,755 POSTS

Regardless of the brand of coolant, it needs to be mixed 50/50 with water. However, I have a concern. If you are getting white smoke from the exhaust, that means there is coolant getting into the combustion chamber and burning with the gas. It sounds like you have a bad head gasket.

What you need to do is check engine compression. Chances are you will find one of the cylenders has lower compression than the others. Here is a how to for checking compression:

https://www.2carpros.com/dia/how_to_check_compression.htm

Let me know what you find or if you have additional questions. Also, if you need the compression gauge, many parts stores will lend or rent them to you.

Thanks for using 2carpros.com

Joe

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Thursday, July 9th, 2009 AT 5:34 PM