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What is the meaning of the term ‘blowing smoke’?
We were supposed to drive to Cheboygan to watch our grandson compete in the state pie-eating contest (he does love pie), but my husband kept yelling at me from the driveway, “Honey I’m blowing smoke!” I replied “Yes Harvey, you *always* blow smoke”, but he actually meant the car was blowing smoke—what does it mean when a car is ‘blowing smoke’?
Jason Tushinski · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
We’ll give you the benefit of the doubt that Harvey is indeed full of hot air, but this is a great question—odds are that Harvey was being honest, and your car was likely blowing thick, white smoke from the exhaust due to a coolant leak.
A coolant leak that causes your car to blow smoke is usually caused by one of these factors:
- A cracked engine block
- A blown head gasket
- A damaged cylinder head
Not only can a coolant leak cause serious overheating, but it can also cause fatal damage to your engine. So it looks like Harvey—for once—wasn’t blowing smoke, but telling the truth!
If you notice your engine blowing smoke, get your car to a qualified mechanic as soon as possible in order to diagnose and fix the problem.
Here’s hoping you made it to watch your grandson stuff his face on the way to victory in the state pie-eating contest. What could make a grandparent prouder?!
Wherever you’re headed, make sure your car (and your husband) is protected by a robust
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- Gregory R.
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Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content.
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