Smoke and oil leaking from engine bay after driving
Oil leaking from components like the power steering rack and pinion can drip onto hot exhaust parts, causing smoke to billow from the engine bay. This leaves drivers worried and uncertain about what is causing the issue or how to diagnose it safely.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Checking for loose connections or leaksDid this help you?
- 2Inspecting hosesDid this help you?
- 3inspecting engine components and the serpentine belt for signs of a seized alternatorDid this help you?
- 4checking for oil leaks dripping onto the manifoldDid this help you?
- 5Buying a compression testing kit to check cylinder pressure independentlyDid this help you?
- 6Suspecting the turbocharger or rocker and valve coverDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Anyone have an idea of what’s producing the smoke? It doesn’t smell like antifreeze, radiator hoses appear ok, is my exhaust manifold cracked? It changes with throttle (more smoke!) thanks everyone 🫡”source ↗
“Man I appreciate these comments! That makes complete sense now- I was seeing little bits of rubber and it doesn’t really smell like antifreeze burning or exhaust.”source ↗
“Last weekend, I took the car out for about 30 minutes. When I got back, I noticed smoke coming from the engine bay. I popped the hood and saw smoke and what appears to be oil coming from the area I circled.”source ↗
“I’m not very experienced with cars, so seeing this definitely has me worried.”source ↗
“I did hear a pthff sound right after I started it”source ↗
“I have been having the basic issues one has with older cars, and so I took it to two different mechanics. Both have said that I needed an engine overhaul. Their reasoning was that there is blow-by and this is evidenced by the fact that smoke and oil spits out of the dipstick tube and the breather valve.”source ↗
“The engine otherwise runs pretty alright. It's noisy, there is thick black smoke that only really comes out if I'm flooring it, and causing the RPMs to rise (this is one of the reasons why I initially took it to the mechanics). The engine is a bit weak, though, with the RPMs dropping when I put the AC on”source ↗