If you drive a diesel truck, you may wonder if there is any way you can get an idea as to how well your engine is working. If so, look at the exhaust coming from the pipes. There are three things the color of the exhaust can tell you about the health of your diesel truck's engine.

Light, Smoky Gray Exhaust

While inspecting the color of your truck's exhaust, you may see that it has a light, smoky gray color. If so, you are lucky because this means that your motor is most likely running as it should.

When the exhaust is light gray, this indicates that the proper mixture of oil, air, and gas is being processed by your motor. Your engine is burning the fuel efficiently, meaning that you will also have optimal gas mileage.

Dark Gray to Black Exhaust

When you first start your truck, you may see a short spurt of dark gray to black exhaust coming from the pipes. If the color shortly turns back to a light gray color, chances are everything is normal. There may have been a small amount of oil left in the engine when you stopped your truck, and the motor is burning off the excess.

However, if the exhaust stays black, this means your engine is burning up too much oil. Not only will this necessitate the need to constantly add new oil to the engine, but it can also destroy your engine.

Burning too much oil can cake the inside of your motor with burnt crude. It can also burn up the pistons, which could eventually lead to a seizure of your motor.

White Smoke 

If you see white smoke come out of your engine, this means that the diesel fuel is not burning completely and is exiting the motor through the exhaust. You may also notice a loss in power, especially while trying to climb a hill.

Another thing you may notice is the impact on your wallet. Since the engine is not efficiently burning the fuel it needs to run, it will start sucking in more while trying to feed itself. You will start having to refill the tank a lot more often.

If you see any other color except the light, smoky gray that indicates everything in your engine is running normally, you should have someone inspect your motor. Make an appointment with a diesel engine repair service so they can find out what is causing the changes in your exhaust's color and make recommendations on how to fix the issue.  

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