M998 blowing white smoke almost constantly

[Crig]

I have a 6.2 that starts up with no issues but is now smoking a lot. It was just blowing at start up and a little before leaving the neighborhood but during my 12-13 mile ride tonight it was blowing smoke almost the entire time it was running. it accelerated normal in the beginning and got worse as it heated up and struggled going uphill halfway in the trip. Towards the end it was starting to idle a bit rough here and there but was smoking a bit at idle and a lot on acceleration and seemed to settle down sometimes when cruising at a steady rpm. I assume it’s a blown head gasket but any insight is appreciated

 

[Coug]

What color is the smoke?
How does coolant level/color look?
Any signs of water/coolant in the oil?

 

[Pstyckiewicz]

Maybe injectors? I have been putting additives into the fuel to clean up the injectors. Not sure if that helps. Could be a simple cheap thing to try.

 

[Coug]

How does the air filter restriction gauge on the dash look? White smoke can also be an excess of unburned fuel, and lack of power, especially under load, could be something as simple as a dirty air filter, or the mushroom cap over the air intake pushed down too far restricting air flow.

 

[Crig]

How does the air filter restriction gauge on the dash look? White smoke can also be an excess of unburned fuel, and lack of power, especially under load, could be something as simple as a dirty air filter, or the mushroom cap over the air intake pushed down too far restricting air flow.

my air filter restriction gauge doesn’t work, it’s on the list of things to replace. My air filter still looks like it’s still brand new and I have one of them stupid aftermarket snorkel intakes made of PVC with the original mushroom cap that was on the truck when it got it. The smoke is definitely white though, my coolant level seems to be at the same level but my whole system desperately needs to be flushed, I checked the oil last night while it was hot and saw no signs of coolant in the oil but I’m gonna check it again when I get home from work

 

[Thunderbirds]

EDIT:

Actually I just now read that you are talking the 6.2L. My fault.

Maybe this will help:

 

[98G]

Stuck ring, preventing adequate compression?

 

[cucvmule]

Do you drive the vehicles regular or rarely? When is the last fuel that was put in, does it time with smoking more? Last filter change?

Thunderbirds post will help to narrow down possibilities.

 

[Crig]

So I just checked my coolant reservoir and it’s nearly empty after being full on Saturday. Gonna have to get a pressure test kit and go from there. Oil seems to be fine but I’m not entirely sure

 

[Crig]

Do you drive the vehicles regular or rarely? When is the last fuel that was put in, does it time with smoking more? Last filter change?

Thunderbirds post will help to narrow down possibilities.

I just drained the tank and replaced the fuel filter on Saturday since I was told my local Wawa had water in their fuel recently. Can’t confirm if that’s true but I won’t be filling up there. I was driving it regularly but haven’t driven it in almost 3 weeks because it started acting weird and I didn’t have the time to diagnose it. Yesterday was the second time I drove it since Saturday and it’s gotten significantly worse.

 

[cucvmule]

If it is getting antifreeze into the cylinder in an excesive amount be careful not to hydro lock a cylinder, bent rod, broken ring land.

 

[cucvmule]

If you are losing antifreeze into engine the cylinder-s can be localized to see which side is having problems. Pulling exhaust manifold will tell you which offending cylinder-s it is.

And if you choose one head to do you may as well do both sides with new head gaskets and head bolts. I would drain oil to see how much antifreeze is there. The last thing you want is to ruin your rod-crank bearings.

Oh, and check your fuel filter again, it may have trapped water now causing the smoke.

 

[Mogman]

I just drained the tank and replaced the fuel filter on Saturday since I was told my local Wawa had water in their fuel recently. Can’t confirm if that’s true but I won’t be filling up there. I was driving it regularly but haven’t driven it in almost 3 weeks because it started acting weird and I didn’t have the time to diagnose it. Yesterday was the second time I drove it since Saturday and it’s gotten significantly worse.

Did you take a sample from the fuel filter water drain? put some in a glass and see if it phases out.
Do you have a working temp gauge??, IIRC you have not mentioned what the temp gauge was doing during these runs.

 

[Crig]

Did you take a sample from the fuel filter water drain? put some in a glass and see if it phases out.
Do you have a working temp gauge??, IIRC you have not mentioned what the temp gauge was doing during these runs.

The temp gauge is faulty and on the list of things to replace. It always reads 230-240 but my laser temp gun said the hottest it was after a drive was 205. When I got it the fan would run an excessive amount so I replaced the thermostat immediately and it helped. I forgot to set some fuel aside to put in a jar but I have it stored in a gas can so I can still check. I will also add that I recently noticed one of my glow plugs (front passenger side, closest to radiator) has a big wet spot underneath it

 

[Mogman]

The temp gauge is faulty and on the list of things to replace. It always reads 230-240 but my laser temp gun said the hottest it was after a drive was 205. When I got it the fan would run an excessive amount so I replaced the thermostat immediately and it helped. I forgot to set some fuel aside to put in a jar but I have it stored in a gas can so I can still check. I will also add that I recently noticed one of my glow plugs (front passenger side, closest to radiator) has a big wet spot underneath it

You can take a fresh sample now, if water is the issue it will still be there.

 

[mgFray]

On my rig, the head gasket started to fail, and exhaust was getting into the coolant which caused it to go out the overflow due to pressure. Soon after, huge amount of white smoke. Once I realized what was happening i got it to a mechanic for a new head gasket fairly quickly, no damage that we found. (This was on a 6.5L engine, but same sort of potential issue.)

The mechanic I took it to said they had test strips both for the exhaust to check for coolant, and to check for exhaust gases in the coolant. Needless to say both failed for me. (The white smoke was also 'sticky' when I put my hand in it.. so it was definitely coolant)