White Smoke
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White Smoke
1998 Expedition 4X4 4.6L, 160,000 miles, blowing a ton of white smoke out of the tail pipe. As soon as I put it in gear the engine starts pinging and idling real bad. It will hardly drive and leaves a trail of thick white smoke. I took it to a small shop and the mechanic charged me 40 bucks and said it was a head gasket and that it would cost me $1600 to repair. The exhaust gives off a real rich gas fume. It does not seem to be loosing or burn any oil or antifreeze. The oil looks good and there is no bubbles coming from the antifreeze. I am questioning if it is really a head gasket. Also, the truck is not putting out any codes. This is a spare vehicle and is not worth putting a couple of grand into it. I would like to trade it in on a new vehicle but not sure if a dealer would even look at it. Thanks for any advise. Lee
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Yep, it's a head gasket all right! Put an ad in your local Craigslist for an out of work mechanic. You can probably get it done for $400-$500 (maybe less) labor and another $100 in parts (gaskets).
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Sometimes when a HG initially goes you do not have a big enough leak that you get oil/antifreeze mixing, but you will soon enough.
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Oh yeah, I almost forgot about this stuff. I never tried it but if you're desperate, perhaps it will do as it says.
Head Gaskets Repair : Blown Head Gasket : Head Gasket Replacement : Cylinder Head Gasket : SteelSeal.com
Head Gaskets Repair : Blown Head Gasket : Head Gasket Replacement : Cylinder Head Gasket : SteelSeal.com
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Thanks for all the help. I just checked the fuel pressure, fuel injectors and injector harnesses with a fuel system test kit and everything checked good. I guess it is the head gasket. I have a guy that can work on it but he lives about 25 miles away. Will it hurt the motor if I try to drive it that way with the white smoke, pinging and acting like it is runing on 2 cylinders?
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Thanks for all the help. I just checked the fuel pressure, fuel injectors and injector harnesses with a fuel system test kit and everything checked good. I guess it is the head gasket. I have a guy that can work on it but he lives about 25 miles away. Will it hurt the motor if I try to drive it that way with the white smoke, pinging and acting like it is runing on 2 cylinders?
I wouldn't do it. I would find a way to trailer it. Pinging IS damage to the engine, cast pistons can not take much pre-detonation without failing. It is also very hard on bearings, and the disctinct possibility that coolant will contaminate the oil could ruin the engine in no time. Then, running all that coolant and unburned fuel through the convertors can melt them down adding greatly to the expense of the repair.
On the other hand, it might make it.
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For the 25 miles, you can remove the spark plug from the cylinder(s) that have the blown head gasket. This would prevent any pressure building up in them from the liquid getting in there. The better choice is to rent a tow dolly from a place like u-haul, remove the rear drive shaft and pull it over there.
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I had a friend tell me to pull out and clean the Maf sensor. Later on I decide to scan for a code and I got P1409 Electronic Vacuum Regulator (EVR) Control Circuit Malfunction. Could this be smoking gun problem or could it be from messing with the Maf sensor? Thanks for the help.
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I have had the same symptoms that you first posted, My problem was a head gasket burnt through between two cylinders. I believe your head gasket is gone the same way and attempting to drive it any distance will cause more damage and possibly ruin what you have left. Do a leak down and/or copmpression test and prove it to yourself. There is no quick or easy fixes for this problem.
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