Car smoking really bad

[GTFTW]

I have an O/R exhaust and the car smokes lightly every now and then. Well today I had to lend the car to my girlfriend and she was nice enough to put some gas in it before returning it. The problem is that the car is tuned for 88 and she put in 86. I noticed tonight that it was smoking pretty badly the entire time I was driving it.

Would putting 86 into a car tuned for 88 cause this, or is something else wrong?

 

[kidneybrah]

I think something else is wrong. Putting a lower octane should just cause the car to misfire/detonate. I have the same problem, sometimes it'll smoke the first 10 minutes of driving, sometimes it'll just smoke at start up.

I've been told everything from rear main seal, head gasket, someone even mentioned the piston rings.

 

[bhuff30]

We don't have enough information to even make a guess.
1. what color is the smoke. Options are blue, white and black.
2. When specifically does the car smoke? When idle, cruise, accelerate, decel, when leaving stop light... ect.
3. Where is the smoke coming from? The exhaust pipes I assume? Both?

 

[GTFTW]

I would that the smoke is more of a whitish hue. It's been doing it ever since going catless (NEVER before) so Ive just attributed it to that. However Im beginning to think that there's something more to it than just being catless.

I only notice it while idling @ a stoplight, drive-thru, etc. and spits out a little more when I leave from a stop, then nothing as Im driving. It's coming from both tailpipes. It was a little more pronounced last night after having the lower octane fuel put it in so I thought maybe that had something to do with it.

 

[bhuff30]

White is water/steam. Is the engine using coolant? If not, I wouldn't worry about it at all. If so, then you'll have to find the source of the leak... intake manifold, head gasket, ect.

 

[merc123]

Since I went to my O/R H-pipe in colder weather I definitely notice steam coming from the exhaust. Even sometimes in cool weather it does it. In the summer it does not hardly do it though.

There is a distinct difference between steam and smoke too. To see smoke maybe run some Seafoam through it, you'll see a different consistency in what comes out. Mine does it while idling at a stop but never while driving. If it does I don't notice it. When I first crank it up in the morning to idle it puts out a lot of steam out of both pipes.