Hopefully you can help me out, and not have me going backwards. 92 f-150 4.9 I6

Truck would not start. Would try and fire up but refused. Pulled spout connector and now she starts. But idles really high and blows thick white smoke. Enough to cover the block in under 5 minutes. Uses no coolant though. The air bypass solenoid is gone as well as the charcoal canister solenoid. I tried to re-teach the idle but I can't get it to. I've had the batteries off this thing so many times trying to get it to run. I am going to go to the scrap yard and pull solenoids to put vacuum setup back to normal. But in the mean time WHY IS MY TRUCK SMOKING SO MUCH. And it smells like gas too. Any ideas?

 

White smoke is typically water. Removing the spout connector locks in 10 degrees of timing.

Was it running normal before this? Did anything happen? High idle could be a vacuum leak.

Excessively rich would emit black smoke, oil consumption would be blue-ish. Water it white. ATF is a whitish blue but I don't know if there's a vacuum modulator. A friend had a Chebby that blew the modulator and it was like a cheesy spy flick the smoke was so thick...

 

It didn't run at all before I just got the truck. And finally got it started but this much smokes make me feel like a gallon of water would have to be pouring into each cylinder in order to produce as much as it is. I don't have a timing light so I can't accurately check timing but it runs so it's close. But how would it smoke this bad with no coolant consumption. Or me just not noticing. The oil is clean too. So I don't think its a head gasket

 

It only take a little bit of water to make ALOT of smoke.

And the 6cyl is more common than any other engine in these trucks to blow a head gasket

 

Recommend a compression test.

 

I will go ahead and get a compression tester tomorrow. Could you by chance tell me what the compression should be at

 

The only time I've experienced a head gasket failure, it's was steam pouring out, not "smoke".

And that steam though plentiful, would dissipate in seconds. Certainly not fill a block like real smoke would.

 

It comes out super thick at the muffler since it busted. But once it leaves the underside of the truck it does dissipate some. But keep in mind its 30 degrees here so I wouldn't be surprised that its sticking around for so long. Now when I bought an s-10 a few years back I got a bottle of blue devil head gasket sealer. Guaranteed to work. Would it be worth running it through? If it doesn't work I'm really just out some time not money. Has anyone ever tried it? And when I was trying to get it to run in the first place the plug in cylinder #5 had oil on it so I'm thinking the rings are out too. But I thought these were 500,000 mile motors? Its got 200,000 on it right now.

 

I haven't tried it but read a thread on a site where most members are actual mechanics or build/race cars for fun or even for a living and it got pretty good reviews.

That's all I can add though.

Edit: with that screen name, you must be a fellow Massachusetts guy!?

 

Ok I figure it worth a shot since the bottle has just been sitting around. And I just edited my previous post. Cylinder #5 spark plug was pulled with oil on it so I'm thinking the rings are bad. Its got 200,000 on it but I thought these were supposed to be 500,000 mile motors

 

Before you start your truck again, wipe your finger inside the tailpipe.

If the soot is:

• Normal - Dry, grayish powdery, mostly rinses off with water only
• Leaking coolant into combustion chamber - Wet, slippery, smells sweet, rinses off without soap.
• Oil burning - Wet, slippery, dark, need soap to wash off

There's also fuel rich, which will smell very much like unburned gas, but is a little harder to understand from the soot in your tailpipe.

Finally, there are a lot of ways to perform a compression test. Typical $20 tester will tell you a lot (get you started), but may not be sufficient to tell you everything. Leak down tester is more expensive and requires a compressor. Good subject to read up about online. Youtube may help.

 

You can probably tell a lot by the smell of the exhaust.

And if the rings were bad, I'd be surprised if the smoke wasn't more blue.

 

A bad power brake vacuum unit, and a bad seal on the master cylinder will send brake fluid into the engine intake. Lots of white smoke, too. Disconnect and cap the vacuum line at the engine to test.

Just another suggestion.

 

Never seen that, but you must have. Makes sense. Power brakes would probably be nil if the vacuum booster were that bad.

 

do a compression test. and look at each spark plug. and while it's running you can spray some wd 40 or carb cleaner along the outside of the head where it bolts to the block. if the head gasket is blown towards the outside edge. i dunno where the heck the water jackets are on these things. if i ever get a 300ci i'm doing a copper head gasket and converting it to a carb. and getting rid of all the electronic whatsis.