Blue smoke indicates that oil has entered the combustion chambers, and constant smoking is a sign of severe wear of the parts of the cylinder-piston group. The appearance of smoke during regassing, after prolonged cranking by the starter, after long idling or immediately after engine braking, as a rule, indicates wear on the valve stem seals.
Black smoke - mixture too rich due to faulty injectors or sensors engine management systems. Blue smoke with moisture (especially after the engine has overheated) means that coolant entered the combustion chamber through a damaged cylinder head gasket. If this gasket is severely damaged, the liquid sometimes enters the oil sump, while the oil level rises sharply, and the oil itself turns into a cloudy whitish emulsion.
White smoke, especially when the engine is cold or in cold weather, is normal.
Quite often you can see a car standing in the middle of a city traffic jam with an open hood, emitting puffs of steam -engine overheating. It is better, of course, not to allow this, often looking at the temperature gauge. But no one is immune from the fact that the thermostat, electric fan may suddenly fail, or the antifreeze may simply leak. If you miss the moment of overheating, do not panic and do not aggravate the situation. Overheating is not as bad as its possible consequences.
Never turn off the engine immediately - it will get a heat stroke and possibly cool down altogether refuse to start. Stopping, let it run at idle - the system will continue to circulate fluid.
Turn on the heater to maximum power and open the hood. If possible, pour cold water over the radiator. Stop the engine only when the temperature has dropped. But never immediately open the cork of the expansion tank: on an overheated engine, a geyser from under the open cork is provided. Take your time, let everything cool down, so you save the health of the machine and your own.
Almost all instructions for the car contain a recommendation to depress the clutch when starting the engine. This recommendation is justified only in case of starting in severe frost, so as not to waste battery energy on turning the shafts and gears of the gearbox in thickened oil. In other cases, this is just a recommendation so that the car does not move if the gear is switched on due to forgetfulness. This technique is harmful to the engine, since when the clutch is depressed, a significant force is transmitted through it to the crankshaft thrust bearing, and when starting (especially cold) Lubricant doesn't get to it for a long time. The bearing wears out quickly, the crankshaft receives axial play, and starting off begins to be accompanied by strong vibration. In order not to spoil the engine, make it a habit to check the position of the gear lever before starting and start the engine with the parking brake applied, without depressing the clutch unless absolutely necessary.