Hi,

I have recently purchased a Ford Focus 1.5 turbo with approx 18k miles on the clock.

I had a problem with the turbo which is described in the link below and Ford replaced the turbo under warranty. This has resolved the noise and i think the car now runs better.

However...there still seems to be a lot of white smoke coming from the exhaust most of the time. Its not plumes but seems more than most cars. I have read this can be a head gasket issue but theres no sign of using much coolant and the oil filler cap has now milky stuff. I wouldn't really say the smoke smells of much either. It's definitely white not blue or black.

Is this normal for this car and 1.5 engine or something i should ask Ford to take another look at?

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are you sure this is not just like your breath on a cold day or steam coming from condensation in the exhaust ?  how many miles do you do per journey. If for example you do a ten mile journey is it still doing it just as much as at the end as the start?

That's what I'm not sure. Journey lengths vary but for example the last few journeys have been approx. 12 miles and its still smoking a fair amount.

Is there any way to tell for sure if its condensation in the exhaust?

I drove the car quite hard yesterday and it did seem to clear.

Maybe I'm just worrying unnecessarily but I just feel it smokes more than most cars and assumed it would reduce after having the turbo replaced.

As long as it clears after a hard drive, it'll just be steam/condensation.  Mine's still steamy after 20 mins though town traffic, but clears within a few minutes on the dual carriageway.  

Burnt coolant stings your eyes so you'll know if it's that by standing behind lol.

 

Thanks for the reply...It's good to hear yours is similar. Generally we only do town type journeys, 30-40mph lots of stopping and starting.