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white smoke once im at running temp

9

94dually

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Battle Creek, Michigan
Hello all,
ok so im new to diesels and am lost :dr: (work on gassers for a living am clueless on diesels) and have found tons of different reasons that might be causing this issue. I dont know anything about truck. it appears to be completely stock. Hard to start when below 50 F unless plugged in and has alittle white smoke but mainly clears up after a min or two...thinking glow plugs but need to test them. My question though is after about ten miles or so it started smoking again and smokes from idle up to about 35 mph or so and clears out unless i hit the throttle. power issue on small hills and check engine light is intermitent during this time, but vacuum pump is not showing much so not sure if it is part of the whole picture or just the power issue?. it isnt a complete whiteout however it is enough that everybody around notices it. its not coolant and blowby doesnt seem to be the issue. help? thanks ahead of time on any help and if more info is needed just let me know....im starting to think my friend ripped me off :rippedhand:
 
Hi 94dually,

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but; since it’s still producing white smoke while warmed up I would highly suspect head gasket(s), and worst case cracked head/block.

These 6.5’s were designed for economy, after the fact GM entered the diesel HP war and turbo’ed ‘em & turned up the wick. The head bolt qty & type were sufficient at N/A pwr levels, but had little safety margin left when Turbo’ed.

GM had the same issue on the 5.7 Olds & the ever elusive diesel 4.3 6-cly Olds. They never did add more head bolts to the 5.7’s or the 6.2/6.5’s, but one of the last generations of the diesel 4.3’s got six bolts per cyl, which made gasket retention way better. Soon after they fixed the 4.3 Olds, they stopped production on that engine! Funny how that works, keep in mind repair services usually make up to 70% of a car dealership’s profits.
 
thanks on your input 94DieselSub ,my initial thought was what you stated but changed oil, other than dirty, no coolant to be seen and no oil in coolant system, also coolant system isnt running higher pressures that are normally common with head gasket issues. exhaust smells only of diesel, no sweetness smell usually involved with coolant burning. or are these motors know for these problems without the normal after effects like on gassers? i guess im gonna have to run compression tests this weekend :mad2:
 
The quickest check is start the engine from cold and right away check for a firm upper rad hose,if the hose is soft then good-if it is firm right from the get go then you have issues.
 
How long have you owned the truck? Hard starts below 50 indicate a problem with the glow system. What code is the check engine light giving you? Paper clip method/or code reader will tell you. Im thinking white smoke is coolant getting in there somehow, has the level ever gone down? I think the dribbling injectors would be more on startup, excessive smoke. But not all warmed up, unless they are way gone.
 
Ive had the truck a week or so now, has been between 35 and 55+ everyday, bringing the scanner home today to check any and all codes if any, ordered new glow plugs and waiting on them figuring they were the cold start issue. ill post any present codes when i get them
 
well let the bad news roll....blowby no issue however upper rad hose got hard after about 2 to 3 min of running....sooo blown head gasket :banghead:. not a good time to find this being it just started nowing a couple hours ago....good news i think though, its 32 degrees and wasnt plugged in and she fired right up.
 
Hi 94dually,

Yeah that’s what thought, sorry for your luck!
I know the symptoms as I went through the same thing myself.
Bought my 94 Burb earlier this year, let the wife drive it for a while, she calls me at work one day and says it’s overheating.
That was an understatement!

First I pulled the heads, saw the massive erosion on the heads & block deck, pulled the engine.
Attempted to purchase a good running, as advertised Excellent condition military pullout Opti-6500.
First one was worse than my 264K mile clapped out original!
They send a replacement, it’s got major issues too!

And yeah it’s already snowing in Reno NV too, my Burb’s in the driveway (since April) and I’m just one seriously happy camper!

So if you decide to go the route of replacement with a pullout, be very careful.
I’m at the point were I’d not recommend purchasing a pullout without hands-on inspection first!
 
Hi there,, I'm just up the road a piece on M-66 in Lake Odessa,,if you look in the Grand Rapids craigslist,, there is a guy with New heads for $200 ea then get some new gaskets, and if you can (and should ) spring for it,, get some ARP head studs,,, This will make the best lasting repair for the 6.5 Good luck to ya,, and gimme a shout if your every gonna be in the area. I've been around here and the 6.5 for 5 years, now, and boy have I seen alot! ;)
 
I bought CCH's new casting heads, supposed to be less prone to cracking. I got both heads complete for 600 bucks. Could be the way to go. Check the block over real good for cracks too while your there!
 
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