My buddy's pick up started letting out white smoke when we pulled off the freeway. It's not overheating, oil is fine.When we got back on the freeway everything cleared up and ran fine. but when it's idling it's letting out a light to medium haze of white smoke. His mods are turned up pump a few screws.the smoke screw is flush with the jamb nut. the star screw is turned some. and an HX-40 set at 30 pounds of boost. Not sure where to start checking. Thinking maybe water in fuel or bad injector

 

When did he last run it?

 

Could be a bad injector(s), but air in the system will cause this too. Usually air will get in anywhere up to the inlet of the lift pump, or the lift pump itself. Once under pressure any system flaws are typically noticed in the form of a leak.

 

It's a daily driver so he drives it everyday. This started after we filled it up. Drained the fuel and it did not smell like diesel. filled it with good diesel and is doing the same thing but we might not have it long enough to get the good diesel to the injectors. There is probably still water lurking around too.

 

When you stick your face in the exhaust stream does it burn your eyes and hurt to breath? Any chance the pump is loose and timing went retarded?

 

What is this a sign of?

 

Poor fuel burn, ie, low compression, retarded timing, injector dribble or stuck open. But large injectors can cause it too, there ain't much you can do about it. I'm wanting to know in his case to rule out air in the system as it will produce a whitish grey smoke but not burn. The smell/feeling I'm talking about is like right after you light a BBQ. Unless you boys use that funny gas stuff.... Clear as mud?

 

Yeah I was just asking because I always see that question but never an explanation of what it means and my father in law is trying to get me to diagnose everything wrong with his truck.

 

I tell my father in law to take it to the dealership. Hahaha, but never the less I end up with it, since he decides to take it to my dealership. I really should of told him to buy a Ford when he was asking what to buy.

 

He ask me what's wrong, I tell him, he doesn't fix it. It's a vicious cycle. Noticed his exhaust manifold was warped a while back. And I mean warped bad. Found him a good, used stock one. Last I seen it was still sliding around the bed of his truck.

 

I would say that the exhaust smells different and is kind of harder to breath. Today when we were driving it to the shop the smoke really cleared up but the guy who owns it says that now it's running rougher. We drained the diesel and it didn't smell very good. maybe water fuel ruined an injector? We filled it up with good diesel and put water removing additive in it. Maybe that's part of the white smoke?

 

Easy diagnosis. Crack the injector lines, one at a time. When the smoke quits, or is less than it was, you found the cylinder or cylinders.

 

That's what we did. When we cracked injector one the smoke went away and when we tightened it back up it poofed a white cloud out. we're gonna pull them tomorrow and test them for pop pressure, vaporization, and dribbling and whatever test we need to do. He has another set of injectors for his pick up. But can't find them.