Dealing with a e 99 Superduty. I purchased recently, supposed to have had new 250/100 injectors with around 15k on them and a t4 turbo (it does have this) same amount of miles. It is chipped and has a AIC Module.

I got it running today and I noticed white smoke coming out of the exhaust. At first I didn't think much of it because its cold and was a first start. Idle on the dash appeared to be around 1000 or so. Fuel pressure 65+, and hpop 500-1000.

The accelerator pedal did nothing it wouldn't come off idle. So I took that out figuring the IVS needed adjusting. I put it back in and no change. I then unplugged the AIC and it would come off idle, although its jumpy. The white smoke kept wisping out of the exhaust so I figured it was a good idea to remove the chip.

I did so and the vehicle seems to respond to throttle better, but it almost sounds like it is missing and idles kind of rough up to and including when revved. It was my understanding removing the chip simply reverts back to stock programming.

Curious as to how injectors with 15k miles or less can be bad? or what others thoughts may be for the cause of the white smoke? Pretty disheartened right now.

Thanks

 

My guess is that it's not bad injectors.

Pull the oil fill cap off and watch for blowby (compression loss through the cylinders into the crankcase). I am thinking you'll find your problem.....and you think you're disheartened NOW? $$$$$$

 

Keep in mind, white smoke out of the oil fill tube while running is normal. All 7.3s will have some blow-by. What you don't want is pressure with it. It shouldn't be able to bounce the oil cap off when placed on, but not tightened.

many like to place the cap on upside down, but it will vibrate off, even without blowby. Putting the cap on, but leaving it not threaded on will let it stay in place and still be able to show if there's too much blow-by.

if it's not excessive blow-by caused by a dead cylinder, my next guess would be tuning. Those sticks are likely single shots, which will run on stock tuning, but not very well.

does the smoke out of the exhaust clear up after a minute or 2? A lot of 7.3s white smoke on a cold start, especially if the glow plug system needs attention.

 

Did you happened to fill your fuel tank before rhis happened?

 

There are many reasons for White Smoke at Idle on a Cold Start. the least of which is an Injector. Fuel, Condensation, etc. However, loose Injectors will play havoc periodically. So, there is something to take a look-see. Re torque Cold - Bring to 140*F and check again.

I would use a Fuel Additive in the event it is contaminated and let it run through the tank. Re-evaluate thereafter.Water, Dirt, and Microbe contamination "could" be the culprit. Especially if its been sitting for a period of time. The smell is the Key. What does it smell like? Now, don't lock yourself in a Garage for an hour with it running or we won't know what the issue was when you get it repaired. Just a wif.

As for "Blow-By". You can not accurately determine until the Engine Oil is at at least 140*F. And, visualizing it is just a part of the Diagnostics.
When the Chip is removed, the Fuel Table in the PCM controls the Drive Cycle. Also, connections are suspect on Chips. It's imperative the be prepared properly prior to assembly.

As an added Diag, a Hydrocarbon Test of the Cooling System will eliminate that.

 

forgot about that part. When I got my hydra, my truck starting acting up a few days after I installed it. It starting when I released the parking brake and the engine immediately shut off and would stumble and even stall. A better cleaning of the contacts on the PCM fixed it.

Another thing, how does it sound when cranking? Does it sound even or does it have a "fast spot"? An uneven crank would mean you likely have at least 1 cylinder with low compression.

I'm pretty curious to see how this plays out. I hope it's something simple.

 

Also a video of how much white smoke you are getting would be helpful to determine a course of action.

 

Hey guys,
Thanks for all the help and ideas. First experience with this rig, so didn't have any backstory, just almost assumed the worst.
Just an update. For fun I went out and plugged in the block heater for an hour or so. It was functional I verified. I started it up and it still smoked white some, but not as bad. As it warmed up more from idling the smoke went away.
I also plugged back in the chip and the engine ran way better than before. Good call on the singles on splits tuning! I forgot all about that.
I also did the oil cap test and I saw 0 blowby/smoke out of the fill port. I also sat the cap on there and it didn't move at all. Semi familiar with this test on an OBS which has blowby and this one didn't seem to have any which surprised me.
I do notice though that under boost/throttle load I am getting some grayish white blue smoke out the exhaust. I did notice that the turbo seems kind of oily. Curious though as to if tuning could cause this? Is a T4 kit with 15k miles or less. I supposed 15k miles of hard use could wear one out?

I also added a good amount of power service and put about 12 gallons of fresh diesel in it, to help rule out the water/trash/algae aspect. With a new filter as well.