Tail pipe turning black.

not normal. take to dealer. soot is overly rich mix or oil.

 

Literally every gasoline engine leaves black soot in the exhaust. If your exhaust is "as clean as a whistle" you aren't looking hard enough. Take a damp white cloth and wipe all around the inside of the tail pipe. You will find the black soot.

 

I tell people I'm running diesel. Not a diesel engine, just that I fill up with diesel.

 

Is it your exhaust pipe or stainless exhaust tip. My pipe is clean, but the OEM tip has black carbon on it. I think the tip could have been installed back a little.

 

I see a lot of people saying this is normal. That is not correct. It may be common, but it is not normal. If it was normal the tail pipes would be black when bought new.
I have a 2013 Tacoma which is one year old and the tailpipe looks like it did the day I bought it, clean. I also have a Corolla with over 100,000 miles and it is clean and finally I have a ford ranger with around 400,000 miles and it is clean so no it is not normal for the tailpipe to be black.

It is possible your fuel air mixture is a little off and running rich. In all honesty it should throw a code before going black from this because of the oxygen sensors which monitor what is going on, but even with no coed the mixture could be off.

Another thing could be a lot of cold temps with short hops and the engine never warming up properly.

A stuck thermostat not allowing the engine to warm to proper temp will do it also.

One thing for sure. It is not normal. If your tail pipe is running black then so is your engine pistons and heads. That will cause loss of MPG, carbon build up, and eventually pinging, and in the end head gasket failure if not corrected.

Also this stuff is building up in the Cat, and it will at some point fail. One thing you could do is get an emissions test and see if your mixture is off.

If not then look to the thermostat, or something else, but it really should not turn black if everything is working properly.

Your plugs should give you some indication of what is going on if you know how to read them.

 

If the vehicle pings from the factory when using the recommended gas then there is a defect from the factory and the dealer needs to fix the problem.

 

Pics of clean exhaust on these vehicles?

 

pm me and I will give you my addy so you can see them in person.

 

No thanks. It's not worth a drive to Texas, to me. I was just curious to see how clean.

 

I understand.

 

If I ever make my way there, I'll be sure to shoot you a PM.

 

Good deal. I am always around. I will warn you it is really hot and humid here in the summer.

 

I used to have friends that lived down in San Antonio. I truly enjoyed that part of Texas.

 

My 2011 and now the 2014 2.7 had and have a clean inner tail pipe. Use only Chevron 87 with techron

 

Ok, few observations. My buddy drives a 2005, DC, 4x4, Sport (If that matters) automatic. His exhaust is sooty looking like a diesel. Truck is white, and there is black splatter and a sooty coating around rear bedside/ fender.

My neighbor has a 2012, DC, TRD-OR, Automatic, Tailpipe is fairly sooty but not what I would call unusual. Truck is dark blue, so hard to tell if soot is on fender.

Was at a clients house today, he has a '05 or '06, V6, DC, Sport, PreRunner with a level, and 35" tires. Has 3 teenage sons who share the truck, and otherwise drive it like a rental. Has what I would say "diesel like soot" around tailpipe and film/ splatter on fender (truck is silver) Client says truck runs like a dream still, and has 155K miles etc..

I have a 2010, DC, SR5, V6, PreRunner (Automatic) bought used a month ago. Truck has 57K miles on it, and after talking with dealer whom I purchased from and reviewing previous CarFax and available records. The Previous owner maintained the truck religiously (Oil changes at Toyota every 3K since new), had 30K service, trans and diff service etc... Probably was middle age and female owned **Truck has meticulous maintenance history, but has a few dents and scrapes** also (Truck had running boards that I removed right away, and Hard ARE Tonneau cover over bed, I also removed) Also original tires, that still look decent at 57K i.e. doesn't look like burnouts or aggressive driving etc.. Point is my 2010, V6 tailpipe is so clean you can eat out of it. I've also romped on it a few times since I've owned it, and it hasn't made the tailpipe any dirtier.

I'm just as confused as why some of these trucks run dirtier than others? My thinking is the sootier or dirtier the tailpipe looks, the more clogged the cats are probably getting?

 

My tail pipe is clean because every time I wash my truck, I wash my pipe.

 

Bump on if it's normal. Both my 2012 2.7 and my 15 4.0 soot like crazy, both purchased in CA too with absurd emissions laws. Both get terrible mileage too so wondering how to lean out the engine. My buddies 370Z is romped on all the time and the inside of the exhaust is shiny, no cats on his car either.