Hello, just bought a 2003 f350 7.3 with 201k on it about a month ago.. Good truck.. Seems to run great. However, little concerned about white smoke coming out of tail pipe under load.. Also also night I was making a left turn doing Just show acceleration and a car with leds was behind me following very close.. I looked in my rearview mirror and noticed there was white smoke.. Very little though.. There's no smoke on start up or idle. I just had the tuner taken out, so it's a stock truck in that aspect. The truck died and it had to get towed.. But a friend of mine diagnosed it as a malfunctioning tuner. So I had him take it all out.. Runs great screems down the freeway at 80mph. I don't feel like there's anything wrong with the actual motor..

I'm reading tat it could be a head gasket but I that case I would of thought it would be more white smoke. I haven't noticed any loss in the anti freeze levels.. I'll continue to monitor..

 

you sure it is white?.......oil when minimal can look white....usually oil is blue smoke.....has anyone you know followed you to verify the color of the smoke?

 

Well.. It looks white..but again its so light it could be blue.. I'll have to get someone to follow me..again..it's so light at night you need headlights to see it.. During the day you can't see it.. But I also have that standard deisel black smoke.. So the white (maybe blue) smoke is mixed in with it if I really ask for power.. What are they implications of oil?? Injector cups??

 

In stock form my truck would have a little dusting at heavy throttle, especially in cooler weather. In daylight you couldn't see it.

 

And you know what..that's exactly how I could describe it.... What you think... Nothing?? I'm learning a lot about these diesels, and this oldie but goody is my deisel cherry popper.. I just wanted it him.. I only have a 4k lb boat. Having a 350 is taking a hack saw to something that needs a scalpal for me.

But you wouldn't call that anything??.. I do have a small oil leak..possibly the oil pan gasket..i think more likely the hpop.. I want to upgrade and rebuild my hpop.. That should fox it..if that's where it's coming from.. Its a good truck, but it needs a lot of little things.. I'm hearing if you take care of them..they'll take care of you..

 

If it were me I wouldn't worry about it unless it became a noticeable cloud/plume or you started having some other issues (running differently, something floating in your coolant, SES light, black fuel filter, etc.).

There's a weep hole in the back of the valley that's on top of the engine. Most of the possible leaks up top will collect in the valley. The engine is angled slightly downward in the rear so the oil in the valley will run towards the back and out that drain hole (on the passenger's side under the turbo). This will leak down the side of the engine and all over the bell housing and flex plate. It looks like your rear main seal (or oil pan) is leaking and it is not.

Back to the valley. There are 3 pockets there (front under the HPOP/fuel bowl, middle, and rear (under the turbo). Depending on what forward-most pocket the oil is collecting can help identify where your issue(s) may lie:

Rear pocket - oil leaks from the turbo pedestal and EBPV (Exhaust Back Pressure Valve) will collect here. There is also a known rubbing point for the passenger's side fuel line (on the bracket) over here that can leak too when it gets worn through.
Middle pocket - oil rail plugs leaking is the only one I can think of off the top of my head.
Front pocket - HPOP oil leaks collect here (anything on the HPOP itself, the HPOP-engine gasket, as well as the HPO connections to the HPOP and head) as well as fuel bowl leaks.

I'm sure others can add more but that's what I can come up with on short notice.

Before you jump on anything leaking under the engine always jump up top with a flashlight/inspection mirror and check to see if you have oil in the valley. More likely than not your problem is up there somewhere.

 

Thank you so much for the detailed explanation.. I'm going to to try and see if I can get someone I the know to pull my turbo... Fuel bowl and hpop.. Then I can rebuild the fuel bowl and hpop and hope to see oil in the valley.. The oil pan gasket is not a serious problem..but a costly one.. But I agree.. I based a regular shop tell me they think the oil pan was leaking. But i think it's just where the I'll traveled to..

Again thank you.. I just hope I have nothing serious with the truck . kind of feel a little over my head with it.. If I could get the oil leaks fixed and get 30k miles out of it before something serious happens..I'll be a happy camper..

 

These trucks are old and rubber o-rings will deteriorate over time and leak. The 7.3L is a pretty stout machine and will keep chugging through a myriad of problems as long as it has enough oil in the sump.

If you can see where your oil is pooling you can do a search for it in the 7.3L forum. I'm pretty sure just about every oil leak has been written about at least once in there. Lots of people over there willing to help.

Better yet, let your truck idle and see if you can find where it's coming from.