smoke wafting from exhaust after stopping engine

[Wolfie]

so i was warming my car up this morning and had to stop the engine to run upstairs to use the bathroom but noticed when i stopped the car that there was smoke wafting from one of the tail pipes. i stood watching for a while because i wasnt sure if something was burning inside but didnt smell any sort of burning smell? is this normal? ive never noticed it before. the smoke went away after a few minutes

[Wolfie]

i thought id add this as well - again im new to cars and trying to learn. i also notice the clear liquid shooting out upon starting the engine. i was worried i had a fuel leak as was suggested to me before in a previous post of mine (abouts plumes of smoke while warming car up) but got it checked out and the guy said all was fine. btw, the smoke im referencing above 'wafting' appeared more as if it was a cigarette with smoke slowly burning off the end, not the standard plumes of smoke upon start up/idle of the car,etc.

sorry if these are 'stupid' or 'newb' questions, but help me learn fellas! 

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Normal condensation in exhaust upon cold start.....byproduct of combustion.  When exhaust heats up it burns this condensation off (white fog from exhaust)

One way/reason that the exhaust rots from inside out if running short trips etc....exh never gets to fully heat up to burn off condensation

[flyinlow]

That's a sure sign of bad muffler bearings. ...    

If your engine is running normally and not using coolant, it is just normal condensation.  

[Wolfie]

im sure another dumb question but how do i know if its using the coolant?

[Wolfie]

also engine seems to be running fine from what i can tell 

[ChargerST]

my Charger is the same when I start her up when the engine is cold. Smell the liquid - it is pure water! coolant has a distinct smell - you will notice. If you have a coolant leak (head gasket) then you'll see white smoke coming out of the tail pipes even when the engine has warmed up.

white smoke = water
blue smoke = oil
black smoke = fuel (running too rich)

[68X426]

Normal condensation in exhaust upon cold start.....byproduct of combustion.  When exhaust heats up it burns this condensation off (white fog from exhaust)

What he said. It's normal, espcially on a non-cat system.

This is what you should be concerned about:



Is that why they were called Firebirds?

[resq302]

Even with my daily driver, my 07 F150 has condensation blowing out of the exhaust after I just start it up.  Its normal.  Keep checking your coolant (when it is cold) and notice if the coolant level has dropped any significant amount.  Add if necessary but I highly doubt you have any issues from what pics you have shown.

[flyinlow]

im sure another dumb question but how do i know if its using the coolant?

Are you adding coolant to the radiator on a regular basis?

Even if you are, you would check for an external leak first: radiator,waterpump,hoses,heater core,heater control valve or freeze plugs. All of these would leave antifreeze on the garage floor or passenger floor if the heater leaked.