Water from one tailpipe

[Anonymous]

My car has two tailpipes, but I’ve noticed water sputters out in the exhaust from only one of them. Is this a problem? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

It’s from the A/C.

[Anonymous]

It’s not your ac.

One of the by-products of an internal combustion engine along with modern emissions controls is water. Depending upon how the exhaust is designed, it could well lead to condensation in only one pipe.

TL;DR. No problem.

[Anonymous]

Did you know that cars also pee? What did you think the exhaust pipe is for? All ok man. Don’t worry too much.

[Anonymous]

It’s condensation from the pipe being hot/cold/hot/cold. No big deal.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it's normal and it's also why you want to drive your car at highway speed for half an hour at least once a week - to burn the condensate out of the engine and exhaust system.

[Anonymous]

No, there is no condensation in the engine and exhaust systems if the car is just sitting. The water from the tailpipe is due to the exhaust being cold when you first start the car in cold winter months. Water vapor is a natural product of the combustion cycle. This vapor condenses as it passes through the cold exhaust pipes and collects as droplets of water. As the car is driven, the exhaust heats up and vapor no longer condenses, and thus no more water droplets. In very cold winters, there will always be some water sputtering out as the muffler never heats up enough to prevent condensation.

Also, condensation doesn't happen as much in summer months as the ambient temperature is higher than the dew point of the water vapor passing through the exhaust.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it's normal and it's also why you want to drive your car at highway speed for half an hour at least once a week - to burn the condensate out of the engine and exhaust system.

This sounds like something my step-father would tell me but also like is has no basis in reality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it's normal and it's also why you want to drive your car at highway speed for half an hour at least once a week - to burn the condensate out of the engine and exhaust system.

Not even close to true on a modern car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it's normal and it's also why you want to drive your car at highway speed for half an hour at least once a week - to burn the condensate out of the engine and exhaust system.

This sounds like something my step-father would tell me but also like is has no basis in reality.

It definitely has a basis in reality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it's normal and it's also why you want to drive your car at highway speed for half an hour at least once a week - to burn the condensate out of the engine and exhaust system.

Not even close to true on a modern car.

Actually it's nearly 100% true. I'd say 95% true. A full hour is probably unnecessary, but 30 minutes a week is good, especially if the rest of your driving is very short trips, say under 10 minutes. Besides getting the exhaust system hot enough to remove all the residual water in the muffler, the engine needs to get hot and stay hot long enough to "cook" accumulated fuel residue contamination out of the oil, and send it into the PCV system to be eliminated through the exhaust.

You must be the idiot from the second post who said it was from the A/C. Do everyone a favor and stop prattling on about things you don't understand

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it's normal and it's also why you want to drive your car at highway speed for half an hour at least once a week - to burn the condensate out of the engine and exhaust system.

This sounds like something my step-father would tell me but also like is has no basis in reality.

Because your stepfather clearly understands more about cars than you'd ever know, even if you lived another hundred years.

[Anonymous]

Some car models have two tailpipes on all versions but with only one connected on a base engine version, but both connected on an optional engine version.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some car models have two tailpipes on all versions but with only one connected on a base engine version, but both connected on an optional engine version.

This is wrong. Any car with a split left/right exhaust have fully functional pipes. It's just that at certain temperatures and at certain engine speeds, only one pipe is open for efficiency/noise considerations. The second pipe opens after the engine warms up or at certain RPMs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it's normal and it's also why you want to drive your car at highway speed for half an hour at least once a week - to burn the condensate out of the engine and exhaust system.

This sounds like something my step-father would tell me but also like is has no basis in reality.

Because your stepfather clearly understands more about cars than you'd ever know, even if you lived another hundred years.

PP is right, there is no condensation in the engine and exhaust system when the car is not running. When the engine is turned off, it pumps at least one full cycle to take in fresh air and expel exhaust. The residual heat in the exhaust prevents any water vapor from condensing. By the time the exhaust cools, the air in the exhaust system has reached the same humidity as ambient air.