Moving my worldly goods from California to Oklahoma in a rented 26' box truck with my wife following in our '02 F350 loaded to the gills with my lathe, mill, air compressor, weld and assorted machinery. Just west of Deming NM it started to blow lots of white smoke and down on power. Some rattling noises from the engine when throttled up & won't reach 3000RPM.
Had it towed to an impound yard for storage. Plan on sending a flat bed to pick it up when we get to Tulsa.

Any advice you guys can give me would be appreciate. Do you guys know anybody with a tilt back trailer capable of loading & transporting this truck that weighs around 17,000 pounds? My plan is to continue on to Tulsa & make arrangements from there.

Thanks and Happy New Year to all of you.

 

Was it white or blue snow? You might have blown a turbo.

Generally white snow indicates water. Blue is oil and black is fuel.

 

Moving to the 7.3L forum, you should get some faster replies down there.

Good luck!

 

Which truck broke down?

 

That's true for a gas engine. It gets a little more "complicated" with diesel. White/grey smoke is also indicative of raw unburned fuel, particularly when the engine is cold. If its white or grey, then smell the smoke. You'll know right away if its fuel. If it has no smell, or smells "sweet", then that's more likely to be water or anti-freeze.

 

It might be easier ( and cheaper) to move the truck and the heavy cargo separately. You'll have a lot more options for moving/ towing/shipping a 7,000 LB pickup truck, whereas a 17k truck is going to be a heavy duty tow and cost big $$$; especially for the long distance

Could you maybe go back later with the box truck ( or rent another ), and transfer the tools/cargo from the pickup? Maybe you could even rent a trailer and tow the F350 behind the box truck ( once its been unloaded )?

As for diagnostic help, its probably better to wait until you have the truck with you, and can do some hands on investigation. At this point, its really just a guessing game.

 

PM me when you get to Tulsa, I live in the burbs. I have AE and would be happy to help you anyway I can. I have a good mechanic for work you don't want to do yourself, and I can recommend a tow company who can move my EX, so they can pick up your F350.

 

Jesser, Hats off bro!!!

Hard to say what could be the issue with limited info and not having three senses onit, but it's too cool that you stepped up!

Denny

 

Fixnair,

Is your degas bottle topped off after this happened?

Just wondering if your plumes were vapor?


Denny

 

When ya get to it have a way to read codes. Many common code readers will not work on the 7.3. Torque Pro app, ELM327 OBDII adapter and an android phone can get ya there. Cheap ELM327s do not always work, best if you can try it before you go.

White smoke/low power can be a dying fuel pump or wiring to injectors or UVCH. First guesses.

Love the '52 grill.

 

i had a similar experience last night. It started with skipping when engine loaded but ran okay when cruising. NO CEL. I looked and gauge was slightly below 1/4 tank. I tried to keep it spooled up and found a fuel station and filled it up. When I stopped, the truck was smoking, hammering and loping and really sounded bad. It took a minute after filling it up for that to stop but then it finally got all the air out and it went back to running like it should. That was a first for it to do that so the hutch/harpoon mod is in my future. I was thankful that it kept running as we had the boat in tow


I say all that to ask "WHat was your fuel level?"

 

This seems to be the most likely scenario. Hope you read this thread before you leave the truck behind. Replace the fuel filter, fill it up and see what happens.

 

Finally got to point where I can deal with this. Have had to unload the rental truck and get it back to Penske and we have no internet at our new place yet. And yes Jesser you are a real Prince for your offer to help. When I get the truck here I will contact you.
As far as the smoke goes I wasn't sure on the color. It was sunset and the sun was behind the truck when it happened. Another thing there was And the fuel level, not sure on that one either. I had to leave the truck in Deming NM. Beginning tomorrow (Monday) I will investigate my best options.
I'm going to be embarrassed if it turns out to be low fuel. I asked my wife if she remembered the fuel level or if the check engine light was on but she doesn't remember. And I should have looked myself but did not.

I have looked at the degas bottle and the level in there was at the lowest I've ever seen it, about 2" in the bottom.

So,many things to do right now. I really thank you guys for your input. I will keep you posted on the progress. Happy new year for now.

 

PM me your phone number. If you drive back to pick it up, I can send diagnostic tools with you. You can take my AE bundle or if you have an android, you can take my Scantool MX dongle. Between the brotherhood, we will get you fixed up. Welcome to Oklahoma!

 

Still have not got my truck back. First Carrier to respond bailed out because of the weight.