Truck randomly white smokes

[t97]

Alright guys this is my last problem and then my truck will be running perfect.

My truck randomly white smokes the only pattern i can see is that it normally starts after its been driven for a while and the has to idle for an extended period of time. For example i went to the parts store while on the way home i stopped by the drive thru and had to sit for about 5 minutes then out of nowhere it just starts smoking. It ran the same and i put no load on the motor when it started. It stopped after about 10 minutes whrn i was back on the highway. Now a few times it has done it on start up but it doesnt smell like oil and the smoke is white but it definitely has a smell. My truck sat for about two weeks without every being turned over and when i finally started it up there was no smoke at all.

The color makes me think its coolant but i dont see any leaks and have turned it over without plugs and never saw any. I believe that the previous owner used some stop leak or something similar because my water pump and thermostat housing had a creamy colored residue that dried to a powder.

What do you guys recomend i do to find the cause of this? I have read about some sort of pressure test for my coolant system but i dont want to do it until i get a 2nd opinion on the matter.

Thanks in advance

[BradMph]

Last problem? lol. Famous last words that I have even used. :)

[geezer101]

The gunk in the cooling system is not a good start. I'd flush the cooling system out and use demineralised water and see what happens. If you get anything contaminating the water and/or still have the same symptoms I would then get a shop to do a pressure test.

[royster]

Another possibility is a slipping valve guide. I had this problem in my 4G64, and couldn't have possibly detected it without removing the head and inspecting it well.

I offer that you try the more pedestrian tests already suggested. BUT, if the problem persists, consider my experience:

The symptoms were somewhat random, too. The main thing is that oil is allowed to seep down into the cylinder because the valve seal pops off its seat. I have a drawing of this, let me see if I can find it and post it for you.

Yes I found it, and the post regarding the condition. http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/showthread.php/2956-Roy-s-Garage-90-2-4-4G64-5-spd-D-50?p=26192&viewfull=1#post26192

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[Andy 2]

I would keep an eye on the fluid levels to start with. The white smoke sound like coolant. Oil tends to be more bluish. Coolant has a kind of sweet smell to it also. I would suspect a head gasket or a cracked head. From what you describe it starts smoking when it gets hotter like when you were at the drive thru. After getting back on the road and cooling down a bit it stops. Higher engine temp raises the coolant pressure and it doesn't take much coolant to make a bit of smoke. If you pull your spark plugs and check them you may be able to tell if your burning coolant. The cylinder that's burning it will have a cleaner plug than the rest. If your burning oil a plug would be black.

[t97]

When I replaced my timing belt I replaced my plugs too and there were no signs of me burning oil or coolant. They all looked the same with the same amount of wear. I checked my plugs now that have only had 100 miles on thekm and I noticed on cylinders 2&3 a little bit of white chalky residue on the tip of the electrode but it doesn't look like ash.

[Andy 2]

Does the residue look kind of like the dried powder in your cooling system? A lot of people have used Bars Leaks Head Gasket Fix to fix blown head gaskets. Probably the same number of people have used Bars Leaks radiator stop leak to try and fix a head gasket before the head gasket formula was introduced. The latter did not work. I tried it years ago and got the same chalky residue in my cooling system and it plugged up my heater core. It did nothing for the head gasket. http://barsleaks.com/product/head-gasket-fix/
If you do like Geezer 101 says and replace the coolant with water, you won't see the white smoke because water will only make a bit of steam. It is the ethylene glycol that makes the white smoke. A cooling system pressure test won't cost that much and will either confirm or eliminate the cooling system as the source. If its not the cooling system, its either oil or something in your fuel.

[illipino_]

was there any solution to this? I'm kind of in the same boat right now with the white smoke.