big rig blowing white smoke
10-23-2002, 11:17 AM
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big rig blowing white smoke
yesterday while getting one hwy 59 to go home, i noticed a huge white cloud that stretched all the way across the 4 lane highway. i thought there was a street sweeper kicking up dust, but it was big rig. i got on the overpass and looked down at him on the feeder, and there was pure white smoke bellowing out of his stack. i mean really blowing. looked like he was fogging for mosquitos.<br><br>thought i would share that with yall.
10-23-2002, 12:08 PM
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Re:big rig blowing white smoke
Sounds like injection problems? Ive seen (even owned) diesel bellowing white smoke (with a tough of brown smoke mixed in) and the smoke was caused by faulty injection systems. (Pumps leaking, bad injectors, leaking fuel lines, etc)<br>If it was pure white... perhaps a head gasket allowing the introduction of water into the chambers.<br><br>Perhaps it was just a yard worker who was told to "Take that there rig and put some gas in her"... and thats what he did. 
<br><br><br>Rich<br><br>
<br><br><br>Rich<br><br>
10-23-2002, 05:43 PM
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Re:big rig blowing white smoke
I drive past a place that sells them, and in the winter time I see that a lot. As they are being started they smoke white for awhile untill they warm. 
10-24-2002, 12:47 AM
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Re:big rig blowing white smoke
Sounds alot like a head gasket.<br><br>Seen it before, not good. They can overheat pretty quick when they are doing that. Cause lots of dammage to lots of things.
10-25-2002, 08:10 AM
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Re:big rig blowing white smoke
[quote author=tool link=board=8;threadid=6191;start=0#56783 date=1035438448]<br>Sounds alot like a head gasket.<br><br>Seen it before, not good. They can overheat pretty quick when they are doing that. Cause lots of dammage to lots of things.<br>[/quote]<br><br>I agree. White = water (coolant) Blue = oil Black = Fuel
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10-31-2002, 08:47 PM
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Re:big rig blowing white smoke
We just bought a new Cat Eng. Generator at work, its a V 12 I believe, 4 stacked turbo's on it. So far every time they fire it up white smoke covers the area, hope it not serious, won't run long enough to clearup. 
11-01-2002, 07:15 AM
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Re:big rig blowing white smoke
white smoke can be head gasket as stated or excess unburned fuel, saw this a lot on detroit diesels when the quill shaft turning the blower broke. black smoke is a rich mixture that has completly burnt,usally caused by intake restriction lack of air
11-05-2002, 05:38 PM
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Re:big rig blowing white smoke
Well they got the Big Cat to run today, was excess unburned fuel and cold temps causing the problem raw fuel was even leaking out of one turbo. 1189 HP. 
01-01-2003, 01:47 AM
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Re:big rig blowing white smoke
The big rig blowing white smoke could be something as simple as misadjusted valves. As for the blown turbo as stated, it would be black smoke because it would be running rich because the lack of air.Ive had the pleasure to see a 300 ton Komatsu haul pack eat a turbo and spit it out the exhaust. Not pretty at all. Enough black smoke to be seen a mile away.
01-01-2003, 09:36 AM
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Re:big rig blowing white smoke
Ya know it could be that it is just an older Cummins NTC400 engine. They smoke terrible until they warm up a little. I know because I used to drive a KW with one.<br>Tom
01-01-2003, 11:38 AM
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Re:big rig blowing white smoke
Many older Cummins NTC engines would produce white smoke when cold, NTA380 would run like this in 70F weather until gaining some kind of water temp. Cat V12's are also famous for this and once started should be run to operating temp to effectively clear out excess fuel and carbon deposits. The CTD will smoke like this if it is cold started "without" the grid heaters which will gradually turn a blue until completely warm. White smoke produced by leaking or broken head gaskets has glycol smell, white smoke from cold engine smells like unburned fuel, blown turbo produces thick black smoke and only a blown seal on the turboshaft will produce blue oil smoke. Unless there are serious problems most CTD especially 12V will burn a little blue until completely warm. PK
01-01-2003, 03:36 PM
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Re:big rig blowing white smoke
I've seen allot of the Cat engines fire up from cold and produced the white smoke. Cat lowered the compression to about 18 to 1 to reduce the NOX. Usually these ones that smoke are just before the electronic diesels. The electronic ones will adjust the timming to prevent the big white cloud.