Engine Smoke... What Could It Be???
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From: Willamette Valley
Engine Smoke... What Could It Be???
Hi, I just recently bought this 1977 Ford F150 Ranger XLT and the engine is smoking. It seems to be running fine other than being a little hesitant and cold blooded but once I start driving it... I can smell burning oil... I think. When I come to a stop steam is rolling out from under the hood. I looked and it looks like the smoke is coming from under the engine but I do see alot of oil around the valve covers. The previous owner said he just put new gaskets on it... but it does look like it is leaking but the smoke is coming from below... is the oil just sipping down and smoking? Or could it be something else? I appreciate the help for this is my new daily driver/project... so I would like to fix everything all on my own without going to a shop. Oh by the way the motor is a 400... if that is needed... thanks.
Rusty
Rusty
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Joined: Dec 2004
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From: NE Texas
I'm afraid that as much as I would like to help, this is one of those problems that can't be solved over the internet.
You need to start by observing your gauges. Is the engine running hot on the temp gauge?
You really need to get under the hood and under the vehicle if necessary and locate where the smoke is coming from. If it smells like burning oil, a good place to check is the valve cover gaskets. If they are leaking they may very well be putting oil on the exhaust manifolds.
If smoke comes from the exhaust, oil smoke is blue, fuel smoke is black and coolant is white.
Hope this helps.
You need to start by observing your gauges. Is the engine running hot on the temp gauge?
You really need to get under the hood and under the vehicle if necessary and locate where the smoke is coming from. If it smells like burning oil, a good place to check is the valve cover gaskets. If they are leaking they may very well be putting oil on the exhaust manifolds.
If smoke comes from the exhaust, oil smoke is blue, fuel smoke is black and coolant is white.
Hope this helps.
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From: Willamette Valley
The valve covers are original but the gaskets were recently changed. The smoke is white colored or more like a steam really. There is also steam or smoke coming out of the ... well I am not sure what it is.... there is a place where a metal tube goes from the air cleaner down by the exhaust manifolds... well that tube is gone and steam is coming from there as well. Thank you for the help and keep throwing out ideas... I will tighten the valve covers but this is probably a stupid question but how do you know when you have it 10 ftp? Thanks.
Rusty
Rusty
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From: Willamette Valley
I don't have a torque wrench but I did tighten the bolts... for they felt pretty loose. I didn't tighten them really tight just to where they were nice and snug... I hope that wasn't too much. Then I sprayed the engine with degreaser and rinsed it off. Now it is out there running and I will go check it when all the water burns off. Hopefully that did the trick! Thanks.
Rusty
Rusty
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Okay... still smoking and I can definitely see oil leaking from the passenger side valve cover... plus it looks like little pieces of the gasket hanging out. I also got under the truck and there is tons of oil all over the bottom around the exhaust manifold... would all this be coming from the leaky valve cover? So I want to get some new chrome valve covers... will this remedy the situation? What else do I need to do? Thank you so much... I am really an amateur when it comes to this.
Rusty
Rusty
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Joined: Oct 2007
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From: Yuba City CA
You can see the gasket because the bolts arownd them were too tight. I would replace the gaskets w/ rubber ones and be careful about cheap vc. Id go w/ a name brand like eddlebrock. You pay extra for the research and development of name brand products.
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From: Willamette Valley
Where can I get rubber gaskets? Will an edelbrock or Ford Racing set come with them? Should I go loosen up the bolts now or will it make much of a difference now? Thanks and sorry I am not so smart at this stuff.
Junior User
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From: Yuba City CA
If you see the gasket now It could very well be rubber, if its new you could prob reuse it. Oil prob got through the top and bottom of the gasket, you could just simply remove the vc clean the gasket and re glue it to the vc and put it back. Rubber gaskets are an option avail at almost all parts stores, I got mine for 15 bucks at autozone for both sides.
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I always soak Cork Gaskets in water first then apply Coppercoat on the VC side on installation
Rubber is okay but then again copperocat on the VC side.
Check around the holes.. if the metal is NOT straight across then someone has torqued down on the bolts causing a problem.
Rubber is okay but then again copperocat on the VC side.
Check around the holes.. if the metal is NOT straight across then someone has torqued down on the bolts causing a problem.
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Joined: Oct 2007
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From: Yuba City CA
Originally Posted by Mil1ion
I always soak Cork Gaskets in water first then apply Coppercoat on the VC side on installation
Rubber is okay but then again copperocat on the VC side.
Check around the holes.. if the metal is NOT straight across then someone has torqued down on the bolts causing a problem.
Rubber is okay but then again copperocat on the VC side.
Check around the holes.. if the metal is NOT straight across then someone has torqued down on the bolts causing a problem.