New Truck, White Smoke Up The Grapevine ... Help.

[Campfire_Rick]

Hi Guys:

I went over the Grapevine yesterday to do some scouting for the dove opener, and on the way back I almost had a heart attack.

I was in cruise control, AC on, 65 mph @ 2000 rpm, maybe 300 pounds of stuff in the bed. It was in the mid-eighties at about 9:30 p.m., when suddenly my passenger says, "Man, you're smoking."

I looked in the passenger rear-view, and it looked like the tailpipe was putting out a moderate amount of white smoke, in continuous puffs. It was enough to leave a mild haze in the glow of the headlights behind me.

Keep in mind, the Grapevine is a long uphill grade, and we noticed it toward the top. I immediately got off cruise, and it went away. I babied it up the last mile or so, got off, and pulled over to a gas station. Revved her up and couldn't get a puff out of her. She sounded fine, felt fine, no strange noises.

Watched her the whole way home, and no more smoke, even on the uphills. Again, she felt and sounded fine.

I had the oil changed for the first time at the dealer Friday (1680 miles, got a sample for AV Lube). I provided a Baldwin 1441 and three gallons of Delo 400 (they didn't charge m for labor), and I've been smelling burnt oil all weekend. Thought maybe the filter wasn't torqued right and was leaking oil, but checked it first thing when I got home, and no leaks underneath. Checked the oil level, all was OK.

I'm all ears. Should I be worried?

Campfire_Rick
2003 GMC 2500 HD CC SLT, Fire Engine Red, Duramax/Allison

[Gbenzx01]

CampFire-Rick,
From over here where I am smells like an oil spill to me. :confused:
First assumption that they didn't over fill making the engine burpit out the breather & 2nd it was smoking a little (couldn't see in daylight) right along burning the spill off.
Although Ca trucks w/EGR's probly do strange things occasionally I would get dealer to make a record ofit & drive on.
At that mileage one would not suspect injection issue. We do however smell the oil stick each time we chkit for fuel odor. Now is the time for you tobe enjoying your Dmax & not having tobe worrying because of service dept Jung's messup!

Stompit, Gben

[Flyboy]

How's your coolant level? Lost any?

[Flyboy]

Gbenzx01
I like the last line of your sig. Very true.

[mackin]

Rick


The burnt oil smell is prolly due to the crankcase ventilation, if so normal ..... It will dissipate over a few hundred miles ..... Brand of oil sometimes lessons the odor .....

If you can stand next to the drivers side wheel well and smell HOT oil that's it ....

The Exhaust smoke was prolly light gray and is just diesel smoke ...I wouldn't be overly concerned, yet .... After all you were pulling a grade, cruise on, it was "working".....After all it's a diesel .... They can lesson smoke but so far not totally eliminate, there will be times you will see exhaust smoke, but not excessive....I'm assuming you seen a haze not a big wiff or plume of constant smoke ... Keep an eye on it .....Let us know if things change ....

Mac smile.gif

[Lone Eagle]

Rick, Are you using Rotella synthetic? Later! Lone Eagle

[OC_DMAX]

I used Chevron Delo for the first couple of oil changes. It would always leave an oil smell for about the first 500 miles after the oil change. I even relocated the output of the crankcase breather tube to under the truck to help vent the oil smell outside the engine compartment.

When pulling my travel trailer up the Cajon pass on I-15 at night (done this many times), I have always noticed a very slight haze of smoke from the truck (motor is stock). The smoke appears white in the trailing vehicle headlights. So unless your truck is leaving a huge cloud of smoke (like some of the people do here with their fueling boxes), I would almost say what you describe is normal.

My observations,,,,

Regards,
Alan

[Gbenzx01]

CA Wonder,

If the Ca crankcase vents are not routed into the EGR on the 03's. Just guess it's Ca due to Sig.

Thanx, Gben

Thanx Flyboy,
While we're waiting for the dove hunter to come out from under his truck with that flashlight & the tooth brush tongue.gif
No really sense you belong to some of the same org's we do it says a lot that does not have tobe asked. Too many Americans do dot know their need to know. The most damage today I think is being done by the abuse of Freedom in education & entertainment. I'll be brief, it's not my thread & will delete instantly if asked.
But in Austrailia where the peoples ignorance prevailed & gave away their right to self preservation by a firearm murders have jumped more than 300% & crimes against the elderly up over 200%! Who benefits the most when an individual is murdered? Thats all....

Thanx, Gben

[ 08-10-2003, 07:55 PM: Message edited by: Gbenzx01 ]

[Campfire_Rick]

Thanks for the help, gents.

It is a Cali truck. I didn't notice any coolant loss ... the level is right where it's supposed to be. I'm hoping this is normal, but am keeping a watch on it.

Had my first experience with the clutch fan yesterday, and that shot my blood pressure up a bit.

The good news is that "the tick" is going away. It was virtually gone before I changed the oil Friday, showed up again after the change, but one trip to Bakersfield later (250 miles round trip), and it's virtually gone again.

So, white smoke is normal???

Rick

[Gbenzx01]

Well Rick,
Let's just lift this again to see if we can get some more guys to pitch in here.
The Dmax at this stage is busy breaking itself in & it is not uncommon for one todo what you describe. But sense I now detect that you really are concerned abt the smoke I myself would go on to the service mgr at the dealer & have them chk the diagnostics tobe on the safe side & create a record in their computer.
The last thing I think most folks here at DP want is to give anyone the wrong advice. There are sometimes too many variables involved in order to reach a valid determination.
But I would do the above and the grapevine is nothing for these trucks unloaded & just a kind of a rise in the road for one that is loaded!

Thanx, Gben smile.gif

[Applecore]

White smoke -- same thing happened to us in Livingston MT. Lost and injector - propably the same for you! Sorry about that.

[Applecore]

White smoke -- same thing happened to us in Livingston MT. Lost and injector - propably the same for you! Sorry about that.

[Campfire_Rick]

Somebody please say it ain't so. Injectors? Already? C'mon!!!

Rick

[Lawnboy]

I personally don't think you have anything to worry about. Heck, at night with headlights behind you, I have seen what appears to be LOTS of smoke out of my Gas engines! Headlights will magnify anything exiting the exhaust. And with you pulling a hill, at altitude, in a DIESEL.... :rolleyes:

Get it checked out if you want, but I feel if it was daytime, you'd have never seen it.

Good Luck!