Symptoms: Sluggish when taking off from stopped position, idles rough, white smoke on startup, disappears a minute later

Advanced Auto Parts Diagnostic: Misfire on Cylinder #1


So today I went and had it checked out by a mechanic that works for my used car dealer owner. He pulled the plug and it looked like below when removed, sorry if pictures aren't that great:

Photo Album - Imgur

He said there was oil on the threads and that there could be a few things wrong with the truck as in the oil valve guides, etc.

Can anyone give me any ideas on what I should do? The truck runs fine after take off, no dying of the motor while accelerating or sluggishness after it's warmed up.

I am getting a second/third opinion from two different mechanics on Monday. I just got the truck for 8,000 USD; and now this is happening and it's under warranty from the used car place for about 2 more weeks ie. he pays everything to get it fixed.

I have only replace the spark plug with a new one, properly torqued and a new boot/spring. The code was cleared after and it popped back up again about an hour afterwards. I am guessing next step is to replace the COP but does it look like the plug has oil on the threads in the pictures above?

First time post so if I am breaking any rules I apologize! If more information is needed I will freely give it. Thanks everyone.

 

It couild be the coil but let your dealer take care of it so you don't get into a p*ssing match as to who did what from your attempts at a fix.
Oil on threads is not always a sign of a problem.
After all the plug seals at the top of the threads at the beval line mateing surface between the plug body and the head.
The threads don't make the seal so unburnts gas and oil can be forced up the threads a ways.
If the plug does not fire, fuel and oil will be present in a greater amount.
Don't continue to run it with a cylinder out.
If a new plug does not fire right away then it's ignition.
Good luck.

 

Well I think I have good news. I ran the truck after I switched the plug out, and it still had the same symptoms. I drove 30 miles to a friend's house today for a Sunday brunch and there was no sluggishness. There was still white smoke a little bit at first. I drove back home and again no problems or any power loss when accelerating. I think I got off easy this time. It just has to burn out all the stuff in the cylinder over the next few days I think. I plan on replacing all the plugs and COPs in a couple of weeks using the Global Automotive(sp?) 10 pack for 90.00$ or so from ebay. Thanks for helping me out man, I have also been in contact and shown the plug to a couple of real life friends and they said it was just a bad plug, not oiled up like ones they've seen. I'll keep this thread updated with anything that happens from now until two weeks from now when everything gets replaced. I don't know what has been done to this truck before I got it so I am just going to replace everything and anything in the maintenance manual like it hasn't even been done before. Only way to be safe. Thanks! Rob

 

I have the exact same pickup and had the same problem. I spent about $800 replacing parts but all it is, is your intake manifold gasket. About $60 part and about 3-4 hours to replace. don't listen to anyone else, i did and wasted my time. remove your intake manifold and you will see.

 

Thanks for the heads up. I've actually been looking at just buying a new engine 6-12 months from now but that all depends on how much of this engine I'll be able to work on until then. I can do a majority of stuff besides major engine rebuilding.

Still doesn't change the fact my plug was fouled but it was probably the original plug from the factory, I have no way of knowing. Even after replacement there's still an intermittent misfire. Probably coil or injector; will probably get both replaced tomorrow; took the day off tomorrow to make it up on Saturday so my dealership can spend the day on it tomorrow with their mechanic.

Still seems to be a lot of moisture in the Cat and muffler in the mornings, I am kind of embarrassed when it's only my truck doing it compared to other people in the mornings driving to work; it goes away after about 5-10 minutes. Still have a rough idle which could be the manifold like you said.

This weekend I actually plan on getting into my engine and cleaning it up some by wiping everything down so I can see leaks and other things going on. So much to do and I just bought the truck, but I love working on stuff

Anyways I will update this thread with the mechanics findings tomorrow. No blown head gasket and no bad valve guide/internal stuff would be nice. Intake manifold I can definitely handle doing myself. Okay be back tomorrow, thanks for your input man; we should exchange information sometime and share the going ons with our truck.

 

Well it's fixed. K.I.S.S. is definitely the best course of action for any vehicle diagnostics. (Keep It Simple Stupid). I took it to a mechanic through my dealership who has 30 years experience working for Nissan and he pretty much fixed the problem in 60.00$. It was a bad coil all along that was causing: misfires, white exhaust smoke (went away after warming up, assuming gas in the cylinder not burning up cause of misfire), rough idle is gone. She purrs like a kitten now. If anyone is in the Tampa/Orlando area and wants a good mechanic with experience, I'd recommend him. Charges around 60/hour though but has all that experience.
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I am just so happy my baby is alright and now I'll be in a better mood. So yeah, if something is going wrong start at the most logical explanation and work your way to the harder stuff. I thought in a way it was a blown head gasket but oil wasn't tan at all and the coolant didn't leak out with that cap off and the truck running/revved up/warmed up to normal temperature. Now, I did find the coolant low this morning, no leak but I'm thinking due to my stupidity of not checking the coolant when I got the truck it may have been slightly low this whole time.
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I added a gallon and a half yesterday and today it was low in the overflow tank below the cold line (with rusty color in the coolant - probably rust/water). I'll have to have it flushed at some point but for now I'll keep it filled and full. Can't believe one little small thing would cause so many damn problems. But you know despite what people say about the 5.4 Triton, I love the engine and I'll continue to work on it and treat my baby right. Thanks everyone to those who answered and also to those who read this.
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Hopefully google search will bring this up to help someone else out. Search engine ftw; they've helped me with so many problems.
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Rob

 

Good to hear.
Diagnostics and repairs need to be made with logic, testing and knowledge.
Good luck.