If you are in an area where it has been raining or snowing a lot, it could be humidity from the moisture. The engine and exhaust heats up and boils out the water but when you shut the engine off and it cools back down it pulls in the cold moist air, if you were parked with the exhaust tip pointed uphill at all or if the wind was blowing at the right angle you can get even more water into the system, then it soaks into the matting in the muffler or resonator and now it takes a very long time to boil off. This gets worse if you only drive short distances where the engine barely heats up. However, there are a few things to check. First see if you can get a smell of the steam, does it smell like water with a hint of smoke, which would be normal? Does it smell like sweet burnt sugar? That would be coolant. Next check the coolant level in the reservoir and see if it shows low when the engine is cold. Next check the oil level. If the levels are all okay, it's likely just environmentally related. Take it for a longer drive and get it fully warmed up. Then see if it goes away.
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/white-smoke-or-steam-coming-from-the-exhaust-pipe
Jan 14, 2023 at 4:00 PM
