Mechanic shows off car exhaust trick which can tell drivers motor is ‘screwed’

A top car mechanic has shown motorists how to tell if their vehicle is suffering from serious damage by looking at smoke from their exhaust. Scotty Kilmer said thick smoke coming from the back of a petrol and diesel car could signify a major head gasket failure. Other signs include foamy coolant and bubbles coming from the engine bay in a serious concern for road users.

The head gasket is a crucial seal between the engine block and the cylinder head and stops oil, coolant and gases leading out of the car. Leaving a head gasket failure could make matters with individuals at risk of overheating, loss of power, and engine failure. Speaking on YouTube , Scotty said: “Today I'm going to show you how you can tell if your car’s head gasket is as good as blown.



“Now head gasket jobs are very expensive, itss not the valve cover gasket here on top. It’s in the middle where the head goes on the block, very expensive. Now you can buy a leak kit like I have.

They only cost about 45 bucks but there’s easier ways. “When the engine is cold take off the radiator cap and look inside, then start the cold engine and if you see bubbles coming out the head gasket’s blown. And if the coolant looks all foamy like a milkshake then head gaskets blowing.

“If you see a bunch of white smoke coming out from the tailpipe that means coolant is getting into your exhaust system and it’s not supposed to do that. So if you’re buying a used car and a head gasket’s blown, don’t buy it.” A blown head gasket could set motorists back around £700 to repair but replacing parts on higher-end luxury models such as SUVs could cost more.

Experts have weaned road users could end up paying almost £1,850 for new parts in a blow to cash-strapped road users. Motorists took to YouTube to praise Scotty with some suggesting head gasket failures may be more common than many might believe. @michaeltipton5500 said: “I've seen people driving down the street with clouds of white smoke coming out.

I immediately knew this. @raysoucie489 added: “Years ago, I mistakenly bought a Subaru with a blown head gasket.” However, one driver correctly stressed that not all white steam is toxic and a cause for concern.

@ThatLow_Slow5.3 added: “Hear me out Scotty there’s also hydrocarbons in the exhaust that create white smoke like that on cold start but it’s not obnoxious smoke.”.