heavy smoking engine

[daveywonder]

Hey fellow's....I just had my radiator replaced, engine flushed,serpintine belt, and as I was driving home from the shop the truck started smoking white smoke so heavily that I could'nt see the road behind me. The radiator has'nt been flowing properly for 6 mos. or so, so I fiquered it may be burn-off. I checked the oil stick and no water there. It still smoked heavily a couple of hrs. later when I started it and reved it up and still smoked white smoke pretty badly. What do you think? 92 GMC 2500 truck...HELPPPPP PLS. Daveywonder

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: heavy smoking engine

Well your on the right track, normally white equals problems with the water system, it sounds like you may have blown a head gasket that is allowing a small amount of water into a cylinder, it does not take much water to make a whole bunch of white smoke(steam) depending on how much pressure they used to flush the engine or the procedure they use, they could have blown a weak gasket between the water jacket and the cylinder, I know it is not common, but I have actually had it happen to me before.

It is definitely a water situation, indicated by the white exhaust.

 

[Fishing Dude too]

Re: heavy smoking engine

Pull plugs one at a time and look at them, one or more will be very clean. That will be where Head Gasket is blown. If not all clean intake gasket is blown all will be clean.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: heavy smoking engine

That's why I hate to take my vehicles into 'the shop' for repair . . .

. . . they fix one thing and break another.

I guess they want to keep you coming back !?!?!

I'm also thinking the head gasket if the 'white smoke' is coming out the tail pipe.

 

[tomdinwv]

Re: heavy smoking engine

You can get your cooling system pressure checked. Sometimes that will show a blown head gasket. Pulling the plugs, as Fishing Dude suggested is another good way to tell. (Asuming you have a gas engine and not a diesel) You can find a chart with pictures in the back of any Haynes manual.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: heavy smoking engine

Also verify that it's steam. If it is, it will dissipate to nothing within 20' or so rom the truck. If it's actual smoke, it will linger around a long time until the wind carries it away. Some people will assume it's white smoke when in fact it's actual oil.

 

[rivermouse]

Re: heavy smoking engine

I am curious as to wheather the engine has overheated because of the bad radiator.Those engines are known for cooling issues because of the inferior coolant used by the maker...As others said a pressure check and inspection to see if it is a blown nead gasket is the first thing to do.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: heavy smoking engine

That's why I hate to take my vehicles into 'the shop' for repair . . .

. . . they fix one thing and break another.

I guess they want to keep you coming back !?!?!

I'm also thinking the head gasket if the 'white smoke' is coming out the tail pipe.

That's the spirit, automatically blame the shop.

Any number of reasons a head gasket could fail suddenly....especially after cooling system repairs.
Wonder if the shop knew that the radiator had been a problem for 6 months? :facepalm:

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: heavy smoking engine

White smoke is coolant. If your head gasket is gone you will find your cooling system will pressurize. You may also may have an intake gasket gone witch will show the same white exhaust. Get it checked out.

Trust me repair shops don't want you to come back right after a repair. What probably happened is you had a poorly maintained coolant system and when they flushed it created a leek into a cylinder.

 

[dolluper]

Re: heavy smoking engine

What did they use to flush the engine....better still how they flushed it may be your problem.....does it run alright or not???

 

[robert graham]

Re: heavy smoking engine

If they just replaced your radiator maybe forgot to tighten a hose clamp or a fitting?...take it back to them to check! Good Luck!

 

[Bondo]

Re: heavy smoking engine

Hey fellow's....I just had my radiator replaced, engine flushed,serpintine belt, and as I was driving home from the shop the truck started smoking white smoke so heavily that I could'nt see the road behind me. The radiator has'nt been flowing properly for 6 mos. or so, so I fiquered it may be burn-off. I checked the oil stick and no water there. It still smoked heavily a couple of hrs. later when I started it and reved it up and still smoked white smoke pretty badly. What do you think? 92 GMC 2500 truck...HELPPPPP PLS. Daveywonder

Ayuh,.... What motor,..??

How many times did ya Over-heat it durin' those 6 months,..??

My 1st Waguess is a blown head gasket, or cracked heads...

 

[drrpm]

Re: heavy smoking engine

I had the radiator replaced in my car once and after I left the repair shop and was sitting at a stop light, white smoke began blowing out. They hadn't tightened the hose clamps all the way and when the cooling system reached operating pressure they leaked.

 

[foodfisher]

Re: heavy smoking engine

White smoke-oil. Black smoke_gas. IMHO

 

[bigdee]

Re: heavy smoking engine

Sounds like the dexcool death march. I know, they didn't start using that junk until after 1996 but someone may had put it in or added it to your existing coolant. If that was the case,then that stuff turns to a dark brown mud and clogs everything and even worse than that it turns EXTREMELY acidic and will eat away your gaskets,especially the intake gaskets. This would explain why water is getting into the combustion chamber. Flush your entire coolant system with cascade dishwasher detergent, pull the intake manifold and replace the four gaskets under it. In some cases the head gaskets have also been eaten away but this is less common.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: heavy smoking engine

White smoke-coolant, Black smoke-fuel, Blue smoke-oil

 

[Cheetah 210es]

Re: heavy smoking engine

Gas or diesel? Diesel's will white smoke if injector timing is off.

 

[SteveMcD]

Re: heavy smoking engine

Don't run it any more than you need to. If that is water, it may be pitting your piston(s). Ain't pretty. Good luck.

 

[foodfisher]

Re: heavy smoking engine

If you're blowing coolant out your exhaust you're putting it back in the radiator?

 

[dolluper]

Re: heavy smoking engine

No its not C'on out is out gone