What are the various causes for white smoke, or better yet, what is the white smoke made up of, especially when an injector goes bad?

 

I believe it is when an injector needle is stuck open. It pours fuel in and it lowers rail pressure greatly. White smoke is what WAY too much raw fuel looks like out the pipe.

Some of the heavily modified 12V sledpullers have the same smoke just before the turbos start to light.

For the most part, you could say the white smoke is made of your piston. Because it won't take very long to burn a whole in it with a stuck injector.

J.D.

 

It also is common on a cold engine at idle. Cold cylinder walls and moisture in the chamber adds up to poor combustion and white smoke.

 

White smoke is unburned fuel. Caused by cold combustion chambers, poorly atomized fuel (bad injector), or retarded timing.

Black smoke is incompletely burned fuel.

 

OK, those are the definitions I'm looking for, thanks guys.
Are there various ways for an injector to go bad?

 

yea they can crack, tips can get worn out 03 and 04 are prone to that or they can let fuel return and not allow pressure to build up. had 2 out of the 3 happen to me, hadnt cracked one yet

 

I'm not sure which category this one injector would fall under. I didn't see any obvious cracking in the tip section, all I could find was the end of the gray metal looked burnt.
Oh, and has anyone tried running one of these with an injector or 2 undone so you have a 4 or 5 cyl? How bad will that wear parts out due to it being out of balance?