white smoke comes out of exhaust and smells?

1996 VAUXHALL VECTRA
194,000 MILES • V8 • 4WD • MANUAL
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CHARRIK2008
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
i'm thinking of buying a car but when i test drove it there was a humming noise when i go over 30 on the passenger side also loads of white smoke comes out of exhaust and smells why could this be?
May 8, 2008 at 10:31 PM
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SQM
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 6,383 POSTS
Hello,

White smoke out of the tail pipe is sign of a blown head gasket.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/white-smoke-or-steam-coming-from-the-exhaust-pipe

You can test and verify the head gasket condition.
There is a tester you can use that checks for combustion gases in the coolant.

Here is a helpful guide of how to check that:

https://youtu.be/5zpNjYmmiYY

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/head-gasket-blown-test


Please let me know of any questions.

Thank you.
Aug 19, 2021 at 4:04 PM
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