White Smoke and code 83

[chris_maxwell]

I know this is probably covered in the forum somewhere but it is difficult for me to isolate down to the results I am looking for. Coming home from a 100 mile trip with a light load (300 lbs) when I made the final turn into the sub division I saw a puff of white smoke. I pulled in the driveway and the exhaust pipe was smoking a lot and I then lifted the hood. No water seen anywhere, not in the oil, but I did notice that the overflow bottle was full. I shut the engine down to let it cool down some and rechecked the oil and transmission fluid…no water. I restarted the truck and almost instantly the reservoir began to boil or bubble. I opened the bled valve and air came out for several minutes.
Waited overnight and checked everything and all looks well. I started the truck with the reservoir cap off and instant bubbles. Installed cap and within a minute my upper radiator hose got hard and still blowing white smoke. What is my next step? I don’t have a shop big enough to pull the engine out in. Can I determine if it is just a gasket or the head, or anything else? The truck has 135,000 fairly easy miles on it and is a 1995.

Could the TCC code be related? The tranny was rebuilt with upgrades 3,000 miles ago.

[DmaxMaverick]

No way to tell if it's head or gasket before getting the head off. Pointless anyway, since the head comes off either way. By the sound of it, probably a gasket, and a good sign it isn't mixing fluids. One head gasket can be replaced in a day in your driveway (garage), if you are a descent wrencher with a moderate selection of common tools.

To determine which cylinder/bank that needs attention, remove all the glow plugs and the IP fuel solenoid wire (no need to pump in fuel), and crank the engine while watching. The "wet" cylinder should be obvious. Or, the wet cylinder(s) may reveal itself as soon as the GP is removed.

Your TCC code is unrelated.

[chris_maxwell]

I went out to move the truck and now it won’t turn over, it tries but it stops. It has thrown code 93 now as well (number 3 cylinder fault). The left side of the engine was the side that sounded to be lurching when I started it this am. What would cause the engine to be so tight that it won’t crank now?

[DmaxMaverick]

Hydro-locked! Cylinder(s) full of coolant, and coolant doesn't compress. DO NOT force it, or try to crank it again! Serious (sometimes non-repairable) engine damage can result. Sorry, but I should have warned of this in my first reply.

Nothing to do now but move (push/pull/drag) the truck to where you will work on it, and pull the GP's.

Under the circumstances, do not try to run the engine until it gets an oil/filter service (after the repair). You may not notice coolant in the oil now, but there will be some before you are done. Coolant and engine oil does not mix well.

[chris_maxwell]

I was able to pull #2 and #4 glow plug and then it turned over and spit water. I will either have to pull the head or have it done. I am not set up well to do it myself but the 2 estimates were 1100 and 1250 to R&R and to replace the gaskets. Is this out of line or should I attempt it myself? If it has water in two cylinders does is sound like a fairly sure thing that the head is cracked? New heads will add significantly to the price. The one shop said they use Alabama Cylinder Heads for new and this is what they recommended, comments....

[rustyk]

I was able to pull #2 and #4 glow plug and then it turned over and spit water. I will either have to pull the head or have it done. I am not set up well to do it myself but the 2 estimates were 1100 and 1250 to R&R and to replace the gaskets. Is this out of line or should I attempt it myself? If it has water in two cylinders does is sound like a fairly sure thing that the head is cracked? New heads will add significantly to the price. The one shop said they use Alabama Cylinder Heads for new and this is what they recommended, comments....



The quote might be reasonable or ridiculous. Find out what they mean to "R&R" (the heads) and to replace the gaskets. A new complete gasket set should run about $225, and resurfacing heads maybe $200, but you may not need the "gasket kit". There just isn't 10 hours @ $70/per to yank heads. In this case, only one bank is suspect (sadly with the turbo, which is :45 max) but that's the cost of the gaskets and pulling one head, maybe 3 hours, $100 (one head check and resurface), $210 labor. Of course, the inevitable breaking of one exhaust manifold stud adds $35 (WHY does always one, and only one, break and have to be muscled out?)

[chris_maxwell]

What do you mean I may not need the gasket kit? These quotes are for both heads, but I see what you are saying to find out if they are to resurface them. I know they were going to magnaflux them. If I put on new heads should they be resurfaced also? To do the job is all I have to do is pull the turbo, intake, valve covers and heads, clean and reinstall? How long should it take someone to do in the driveway with only hand tools? Is there something else I need to look for when I have the heads off?

[Robyn]

You will need a top end set (Head gaskets, intake manifold)

Get the head off and see whats up in there.

Rip off the intake, the turbo, exhaust manifold and the high pressure fuel lines to the RH side first.

Cap the injectors to keep crap out. cover the IP fittings too to keep junk out. Mark the line set/s to keep them straight. (you may want to pull both heads.

Once the stuff is off the top of the engine you can get the head off easily enough.

Be sure to remember that the push rods have a copper colored ball (may be hard to see until clean) this always goes to the rockers.

The head bolts are a one time use only.

Once the head is off, clean the block deck surface as well as the head surface. Check carefully around the fire ring on number 2 (front rh side)
Be sure that the block is not erroded. The heads usually dont errode.

If the gasket was the issue it should be easy to see.

YESSSSSSSS you can do this in the driveway with hand tools. Been there done that.

You need to get it apart first to see whats wrong, then make the decisions as to what comes next.

Too many thoughts at this point will simply complicate matters.

One step at a time, do the autopsy then the repairs.


We can advise you as you go along. any questions can and will be handled. Take High res pixs of things in question, (helps a bunch in diagnostics)

Robyn

[Robyn]

If the head/heads are bad, dont spend a dime on trying to rebuild these.

The cheapest and best way for the $$$$ is a set of Clearwater heads. They come ready to drop on and have zero time on the castings.

Good luck


Missy

[chris_maxwell]

ordered the heads today, they are on sale for 300 each, have a 5 year unlimited mile warranty. Where is the best place to order the bolts and gasket sets? Are Felpro bolts ok, or should i wait a week and get ARP bolts or studs?

[rustyk]

The "gasket kit" to which I referred was for a complete rebuild.

[DmaxMaverick]

Autozone sells the Fel-Pro gasket sets at very good prices, online and in-store. The "Master rebuild gasket set" was less than $150, IIRC. The rebuild "kits", as they refer them, includes pistons, rings, bearings, etc, and are around a grand.

Unless you are planning on racing (or very high performance), or frequent head removal, I recommend bolts. As long as they are correctly installed, they will be fine. There are also some caveats with using studs, covered in other threads recently.

[chris_maxwell]

I started today and the first thing I found was that the inside corner on cylinder #8 on the intake was broke off. It has been that way for some time because it is not clean. Probably happened the 3rd time the dealer replaced the pump 70k miles ago. Do I need to buy a new intake? I don’t know if it will seal if left as it is.

I have the turbo off and am going to start on the exhaust manifolds. Do I have to take the injection pump out? The injectors? I don’t want to remover more than I have to. This is a pain as this is the first time I have had this stuff off. Please advise on the best approach, thanks.

[DmaxMaverick]

You don't have to remove the IP, but you'll be only 6 bolts away from it once you get down to removing the heads. I usually leave the injector lines attached to the pump, and remove the pump/lines intact (like picking up a crab). Or, you'll have to remove the lines, which is 8 nuts (a lot less easy to R/R), and a greater chance of damaging/contaminating the fuel system, or getting the lines mixed up. There's no reason to not remove the pump, since your gasket kit should include the pump flange gasket. Just be sure to mark the pump location (use a scribe, not a crayon). Take notes and label parts as you remove them.

The injectors can be left in the head. Be sure to cap them. Be careful to not ding the glow plug spades, if they are still in. Leaving in the exhaust manifold bolts/studs will help protect them (and prevent mixing up the bolts/studs, if you are removing the exhaust manifold before head removal).

Lots of options to choose from. Do what works best, and makes the least work.

[chris_maxwell]

Got the right hand head off, but I don't see anything obvious as to why it leaked. If anything # 2 and #8 was had cleaner pistons than the others. Where the pin holes are on the new gasket is the only place where I see that the gasket may have leaked. With the valves in I’m not sure where to check the head for cracks.
I looked in the cylinders quickly and didn't see any obvious cracks. The rear hole where the head bolt goes in is full of water; do I need to get it out? What else do I need to check before I put the new head on? Also on the block is the silver from the old gasket, how much do I need to clean off?

[Robyn]

The head bolt holes go through into the water jacket so no issue there.

I would drain things down as best you can to get the coolant below the deck level and dry things out. ( use a cheap turkey baister to suck the coolant out one of the larger passages in the deck)

The deck needs to be absolutely clean with no residual gasket left or it will fail and do so quickly.

This is an absolute MUST DO.

If need be once the thing is clean, run over every bit of it with a hard backed razor blade.

I normally use a cup brush on the 9" disc grinder and "Float" over the deck surface.

Once you are ready to resinstall the head, wipe the deck with a rag soaked in brake kleen to remove any oil.

No junk allowed for best job.


best

Missy

[chris_maxwell]

Got the truck started and warmed up. Timing chain was good. I have zero compression in #2 and some white smoke coming out of dip stick. No unusual noises can be heard. Looked inside of cylinder and checked their movement before putting the heads on. Could I have gotten a bad head? If so it unfortunately is on the turbo side. Where do I go from here? I got the heads from Clearwater.

[chris_maxwell]

The exhaust valve was stuck on #2 and dislodged the lifter. Putting it back together and I'll see how she runs.

[DmaxMaverick]

"Dislodged" the lifter??? Can't get a mental picture of that. Better check for a bent pushrod! Also, find out why the valve "stuck". Could be disastrous later.

[chris_maxwell]

Put it back together and she seems to run good. My service engine light did come on and thru codes 62 (turbo boost sensor low) and 92, 93 and 94 (#2, #3, #4 cylinder balance fault). Just before the service engine light I blew out a bunch of black smoke (I was getting on it a little). I also noticed some water droplets on the dip stick (oil was changed).

Had to put pressure on the valve and it broke free (new head) so there must have been some compound left over from machining…?

[chris_maxwell]

When it is cold and has sat overnight (not cold in atlanta) it smokes for 15-30 seconds (gray smells like fuel) when i start it. The rest of the day it starts without smoke. It also chugs for several second. The glow plugs all test good. I checked #1 and #2 terminal and they have 14 volts. I don't know if the relay needs to stay on longer....it stays on for about 8-10 seconds.

There was some water that got into the cylinders but not alot. Is is possible that it is still burning out or? How do i know if one of the injectors is leaking overnight? What else can i easily check?