I have had the truck for 6,500 miles. It's a Early 1999 F250 7.3 6 speed manual.
The more I have to fix on this truck the more I realize that the owner before me half assed everything.

The truck has 315,000 miles on it.

Every time I start the truck it white smokes until it's warmed up.
When its warm out it smokes less, when its cold out it smokes more.
I just replaced all the glow plugs and the glow plug relay 2-3 months ago.

Heres a video of the truck being started in 76-80 degree weather.

7.3L Bad injectors? - YouTube

 

Looks like maybe a valve issue... Or just a high mileage truck. Nothing in the way that started leads me to believe you have an injector issue.

 

Should I pull the valve covers and look around?

I went to a shop about an hour away from me 5 months ago.
They told me my Injector O-Rings were bad and that I might be needing injectors soon.

Thanks so much!

I just did the blow-by test:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww62GE7IoPk

What do you guys think?

 

You could pull the injectors and replace the O rings cheap enough, Riffraff sells them for less then $100.

That might help if your getting some oil leaking into the fuel system and having some HPO issues.

 

That would sure save some money, but would replacing the o-rings help with the white smoke upon start up?

I just went outside and took another video for the "blow-by" test.

I really would like to get a Chip but that means I need a new PCM.

 

replacing the injector o-rings is pretty easy, i replaced the ones on my 02 a couple weeks ago, it really made a big difference, better gas milage, torque, throttle response, its quieter. i dont know if it will fix the white smoke, i didnt have any...but maybe.

Not sure about diesels, but white smoke is usually a valve train symptom, valve guides, seats or seals....a leaky injector o-ring or copper gasket could leak oil into the cylinder.....and its cheaper then removing the head and rebuilding it....i would start with injector o-rings.....the cheap stuff first...but you should look into what it takes to change the valve stem seal, if there is one on these 7.3's

 

Who told you you need a new PCM to install a chip? Thats BS. James at DP Tuner runs a E99 he mit be your starting point. But any of the chips you install override the PCM you have now. And that little amount of white smoke dosen't seem bad at all, but could be fixed. Blow-by seems normal to be also. Dan on here put a new engine, or long block in, and had that much blow by also.

Chet

 

There is a valve stem seal... I wish I would have done mine when I had the motor out, because I believe thats where some of my blow by is coming from... Oh well, just keep truckin. LOL

 

Man you move too much when taking a video...LOL

Blow by looks fine.

 

Valve stem seals are pretty easy to change and not that expensive. The heads don't even need to come off. Just pull the valve spring, change the seal, reinstall the valve spring. Might not be a bad time to throw some Comp Cam 910 valve springs in since yours have over 300K on em. I wish I would have changed my seals when I changed my springs.

Valve stem seals: Riffraff Diesel: Ford Valve Stem Seal

Valve springs: Riffraff Diesel: Comp Cams 910-16 Valve Spring Set

 

Well darn, Gearhead Automotive Performance just told me it's not compatible with his TS 6 position custom canned tunes.
He told me I needed a 1999.5 PCM or newer

Should I replace the valve stem seals and do the o-rings both?
or
Which should I do first?

I know, I didn't realize how bad I was shaking while taking the video until I watched it myself! lmao

 

At 315K I would go ahead and do both. Neither is very expensive and they are in the same neighborhood. It will be a full afternoon of work but none of it particularly hard. Just time consuming.

 

Just to be clear....

To do the valve seals you need to bring each cylinder to TDC and remove the valve springs. Then move to the next and so on. Not particularly hard, but not particularly fun.

#7 and #5 are the mostestes funs you could have too........

 

I didn't know Matt at gearhead couldn't tune to your PCM. I'd just go to DP then. Or any other. You can always have your PCM reflashed also. Most tuners can do that also.

Chet

 

Matt does not like to tune E99 PCM's... He is the only one to do this, and its only hurting himself.

There are PLENTY of other tuners that use TS chips for tuning, PHP, Tyrant, Diesel Innovations, Beans, Elite, Tony Wildman...

Once you have a DP chip, you are locked to them, you can not run anyone else's tuning without buying another piece of hardware.