Truck was running just fine this morning when I went to work. I left for lunch, on the way it was running great. On the way back to work 45 minutes later about a mile from my house I suddenly lost a significant amount of power, looked in the mirror and my stomach dropped at the amount of white smoke I was blowing. From what I can remember I couldn't hear the turbo at all. I immediatly pulled over and shut the truck off, started it a again shortly and still the same. Shut the truck off and still no power and lots of smoke, and just decided to get pulled home instead of risking screwing something up even more. Got it to the house, and popped the hood, didn't notice anything abnormal. All my hoses or whatever youd call them were tight, checked the oil a few times and the dipstick showed full. Only other thing I noticed was the hose going from the intercooler had a lot of grease/oil on it right at the exit from the intercooler and to the entrance to the turbo. Didn't see any oil or grease on any of the elbows from the air filter, expect where it connects to the turbo.

Unforntualy I don't have any gauges, and definitely don't have the means to get some now. No wrench or check engine light either. Sorry for the long post, still kinda in shock haha, thanks for any help in advanced.

 

The line going to and from the intercooler is the CAC. You have a hot side
ans a cold side. If you have an 05 you have a plastic CAC on the cold side.
Look below the air filter at the corrugated section. They are known to crack
and blow out. If you can't see anything start truck and feel for air leaks
or pull it out and inspect it with a light.

Sean

 

Did it look like this????

 

What does your coolant situation look like? Does your degas bottle look like it has been puking anything from the cap? If you look like the picture that run6.0run posted and you have any puking, then it is likely your EGR cooler has failed.

 

Ill check the CAC tonight when I get off work. Run6.0, not exactly. I did have a ton of white smoke but it was a mix with black smoke unlike that picture it's just straight white. I check my degas bottle from time to time to see if its been puking at all, and I've never noticed any dried coolant around the cap, not even now.

 

MY 05 F350 had a similar problem while towing except no white smoke, the hot CAC just ripped a litttle on the back side of the hose just off the turbo, couldn't see it except when I pulled it off.
It also had the problem with the cooler leaking(but at a different time) no white smoke just a lot of coolant puked out, from the smoke it looks like a head gasket(I had the same symptom, the white smoke when the head gaskets blew on my car) but then this being a diesel it may be something else.

 

The truck is a 05. Which side is the hot and cold side CAC? If I blew my gaskets wouldn't there be at least a little liking from the degas bottle? I havnt had any that I can tell.

 

05's have a boost gauge that is quite accurate. What was your boost press?

 

Generally yes. If the head gasket fails, the cylinder pressure pumps into the cooling system and over pressurized the degas cap (if it's up to full operating temp). It's also common for it to fail in stages. That is to say some leakage when towing or driving hard (high boost) but behave ok when easing around town, at least in the early stages. It can also leak on shut down when cylinder pressure is low or 0 but the cooling system still has pressure. in that case it will steam out the tailpipe as it warms up, or even hydrolock.

White smoke can be coolant or fuel. Grey smoke is partially burned fuel, blue is oil. You can have a combination of these making various shades.

 

I didn't even really pay attention to the boost gauge. Would it be okay for the truck for me to start it up and see if the gauges reads at all that its building psi?

 

If you haven't lost any water, I would try it if it was my truck. All we know is what you've told us. If the engine sounds tight or sluggish on start up quit immediately.

 

So, truck started up and ran perfectly fine with no smoke at all. What the hell?

 

What were your boost numbers?

 

I mean, under normal driving it seemed pretty normal. 10-15ish I would guess? Got on it when it warmed up completely and still what it normally is, just shy of the 30 mark.

 

28 psi should be the max with a stock tune and head bolts.