99 Windom (ES300) letting out lots of white steam (video of issue attached)
05-31-15, 01:39 AM
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99 Windom (ES300) letting out lots of white steam (video of issue attached)
So fellas, my 1999 Toyota Windom 3.0G, or as you would know it, a Lexus ES300, is letting out a lot of steam. Apart from the steam, I can't see any other problems, it isn't burning oil, the coolant levels are not dropping, and it's running at perfect temperature with no loss of power at all. The oil isn't a milky colour either, it looks completely normal.
The car itself gets serviced every 6 months, and the mechanic has never noticed any problems with it, other than a leaking valve cover gasket.
I've attached a video of the car exhaust letting out a lot of steam on a somewhat warm (14 degrees C) afternoon. The car is at operating temperature and as you can see, there is quite a lot of steam. For a while now the car has been letting out relatively large quantities of "steam", particularly on cold mornings. The only worrying aspect, is that the steam is there, regardless of the temperature outside.
Oh and for what it's worth, I held a piece of paper near the exhaust to see what would form on the paper. Logic being that whatever is making the steam would condense on the paper. I held it there for a minute or so, and there was nothing on the paper. It felt a bit warm and ever so slightly damp, but that could just be the warmth causing that feeling. The paper had no smell on it either. When I did smell the exhaust (not for too long), it had a slightly sweetish smell, but that could just be my mind playing tricks on me cause I know sweet smell = burning coolant. I asked someone else (not a very mechanically inclined person, in fact they don't even know how to change a tire) and to them it smelt "like any other car exhaust".
P.S. In the video, the steam stops momentarily in the middle, then suddenly comes back once I get out of the car to see whats happened. I don't know why it did that, all I know is for the entire time the car was running, there was always steam apart from that particular moment.
The Video (Ignore the watermark) :
The car itself gets serviced every 6 months, and the mechanic has never noticed any problems with it, other than a leaking valve cover gasket.
I've attached a video of the car exhaust letting out a lot of steam on a somewhat warm (14 degrees C) afternoon. The car is at operating temperature and as you can see, there is quite a lot of steam. For a while now the car has been letting out relatively large quantities of "steam", particularly on cold mornings. The only worrying aspect, is that the steam is there, regardless of the temperature outside.
Oh and for what it's worth, I held a piece of paper near the exhaust to see what would form on the paper. Logic being that whatever is making the steam would condense on the paper. I held it there for a minute or so, and there was nothing on the paper. It felt a bit warm and ever so slightly damp, but that could just be the warmth causing that feeling. The paper had no smell on it either. When I did smell the exhaust (not for too long), it had a slightly sweetish smell, but that could just be my mind playing tricks on me cause I know sweet smell = burning coolant. I asked someone else (not a very mechanically inclined person, in fact they don't even know how to change a tire) and to them it smelt "like any other car exhaust".
P.S. In the video, the steam stops momentarily in the middle, then suddenly comes back once I get out of the car to see whats happened. I don't know why it did that, all I know is for the entire time the car was running, there was always steam apart from that particular moment.
The Video (Ignore the watermark) :
06-01-15, 04:22 PM
#2
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I wouldn't be concerned about that, it looks like condensation in the exhaust system burning off, or condensation in the air passing through the car's engine.
my car does exactly the same thing, on a cold morning only far worse.
Watch those water levels for a week or two just to be sure.
my car does exactly the same thing, on a cold morning only far worse.
Watch those water levels for a week or two just to be sure.
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