white smoke??!! 98/99 auto 2WD

[wildlysmiley]

hi
my husband says that white smoke comes out of my exhaust and that it is a sign that the engine is going out...
can someone confirm this suspicion? please?

I need to have a dependable car, and although I am really enjoying this truck, when it is running (it is in the shop right now for a timing belt and hopefully that is all...they say the valves may be damaged from the belt slipping off so far).
I have been reading many pages in this forum, and so far what I have gleened is that this may be bit more high maintenance that I can handle (I have 2 jobs and I'm not at all mechanical...(I think I could be, I just have too many other irons in the fire).

I'll have this truck paid off in 2 payments, I hate to buy something more expensive and have a payment again, but it seems like this one may even things out in nickel and dime repairs...
I am conflicted and not altogether sure that another used suv will be any better
the other trucks i have been eyeing:
subaru forrester
honda cr-v
jeep liberty
toyota rav-4

does anyone have an opinion they could share with me
if I do not do the work myself
how much can I expect to spend in the coming months, should I keep the rodeo...worst case scenario please

thnx a bunch for your help!!
jan.
p.s. I've already replaced an engine in this truck, I can't handle another one, financially or emotionally!

[amigo-2k]

Seeing that you have an auto it means you have a v6. White smoke means you antifreeze is getting into your oil and is burnging up.

This is a very rare event for the +98 isuzu's with the 3.2L.

The most common place that this can ocurr is a blown headgasket.

Cost to fix it is probably 2 -3 month truck payments.

[wildlysmiley]

thanks ryan

my truck payment is only 100 bucks, so are you thinking several hundred dollars?
and is this something my mechanic should be fixing while he is in there now?
I think he should have it back together any minute, so it may be too late, depending on where these parts are (I really have no idea about much of anything as far as this engine goes)...
what will happen if it is not repaired quickly?

thanks again, you're a life saver!!
jan.

[Lakeshow23]

Originally Posted by wildlysmiley

thanks ryan

my truck payment is only 100 bucks, so are you thinking several hundred dollars?
and is this something my mechanic should be fixing while he is in there now?
I think he should have it back together any minute, so it may be too late, depending on where these parts are (I really have no idea about much of anything as far as this engine goes)...
what will happen if it is not repaired quickly?

thanks again, you're a life saver!!
jan.

Check the oil dipstick. If it's milky white, then your headgasket is toast. If the car reaches normal operating temperature, and you're driving with white exhaust, then your headgasket is toast. If you notice oil in your antifreeze overflow bottle, then your headgasket is toast. If you're only getting white smoke, without a milky oil dipstick or without oil in your antifreeze, then stop driving the truck immediately and have the headgasket changed.

That way you won't need to pay for expensive internal engine components and your headgasket replacement will be relatively cheap and easy. Otherwise, having to purchase engine components might send your repair bill into the thousands range.

[wildlysmiley]

Originally Posted by Lakeshow23

Check the oil dipstick. If it's milky white, then your headgasket is toast. If the car reaches normal operating temperature, and you're driving with white exhaust, then your headgasket is toast. If you notice oil in your antifreeze overflow bottle, then your headgasket is toast. If you're only getting white smoke, without a milky oil dipstick or without oil in your antifreeze, then stop driving the truck immediately and have the headgasket changed.

That way you won't need to pay for expensive internal engine components and your headgasket replacement will be relatively cheap and easy. Otherwise, having to purchase engine components might send your repair bill into the thousands range.

There was no milky white on the dipstick, just a lot of oil consumption, like perhaps more than 1 qt. per 1000 miles as the manual indicates in normal, unfortunately, I don't keep track as well as I should, I just know I check it alot after having to replace an engine in this truck due to oil consumption.

I just had the oil changed about 3 weeks ago and have already had to add almost a qt. but I did drive about 400 miles in that time frame.

I knda trust the mechanic, although I became disechanted with him a few months ago, before I bought this truck, when I was trying to tell him about an issue with my saturn wagon, that he kind of poo pooed and it ended up I was right...a varmint had chewed through a wire and my gas mileage was lower.

anyway
from what I understood about what you wrote here earlier, the head gaskets need to be replaced irregardless of the timing belt issue
does $1400 - $1700 sound reasonable for all of this work, including timing belt,
heads and valves
labor and parts?

thanks for your help!!
january

[amigo-2k]

there is no way that the heads and valves are being replaced for the price. He is totally snowball you.

600-700 for a timing belt and 600-700 for the head gasket.

I paid a honda dealer 2400 for new timing belt, head and valves once on a 92 Prelude si.

here is an interesting post on oil useage:

http://forum.planetisuzoo.com/viewtopic.php?t=7033

[rodeo02]

Check down in the spark plug towers for coolant. FWIU, that's a sure-fire indicator of a cracked cylinder head on the 3.2L. I think the majority of the coolant gets right into the combustion chamber so you don't typically 'see' it in the engine oil. You may only have one bad cylinder head (there are 2 on a V6). Head replacement, timing belt, all the gaskets and labor would probably be over $1000. It gets to be a tough call as repairs can exceed the trucks value.

Joel

[wildlysmiley]

hi guys,
I haven't been able to respond for a couple of days, getting an error message, don't exactly remember what it said, but
i am not sure if i have the terminology right
i know that the valves will all be taken out and taken to a machine shop, where they will re-bore them? is that right
anyway
i saw the truck today, when I had to go and trade keys, as my house key was on the key ring they have...it is so sad to see her all taken apart like that!
and I didn't realize how much I missed driving this truck until I had to drive my husbands truck today (a ford ranger, work truck)...they say it will be at least a week, and I don't mind being stranded at home all this time, cuz I live on a lake and it's beautiful this time of year and there is always so much to do in this fixer upper....but I need my truck
i sure appreciate all of your guidance and words of wisdom and advice..i need to know what to do next, and it seems like all there is to do is keep her for awhile
i will now have 10grand in a 5 grand truck
what else can I do?

I guess I need to be really aware of what else needs to be updated at this almost 100,000 mile mark (she has about 91k right now).
keep posting your thoughts...they are helping, if nothing else I am getting more educated about my engine, which, with this engine, seems to be truly and neccesity!
thanks
january

[Lakeshow23]

I hope you plan to sue them. For fraud. And lying to you. Check the other thread, where we all told you that there is no way that a bad timing belt can damage your engine. When you go back the mechanic, don't say anything other than making them put in writing the specific explanation of "bent valves, smashed valves, from bad timing belt." Then take that shop to court and get your money back. That's just ridiculous that the shop would lie to you that way. You spent 10 grand on a 5 grand truck because mechanics have been lying to you. And you've been paying the consequences. Sorry for the bad news...

If there is a lot of white smoke, then your engine would need a rebuild from lack of lubrication of moving parts as a result of having a blown head gasket. But not bent and smashed valves from a timing belt. Nah, not that.

Originally Posted by wildlysmiley

hi guys,
I haven't been able to respond for a couple of days, getting an error message, don't exactly remember what it said, but
i am not sure if i have the terminology right
i know that the valves will all be taken out and taken to a machine shop, where they will re-bore them? is that right
anyway
i saw the truck today, when I had to go and trade keys, as my house key was on the key ring they have...it is so sad to see her all taken apart like that!
and I didn't realize how much I missed driving this truck until I had to drive my husbands truck today (a ford ranger, work truck)...they say it will be at least a week, and I don't mind being stranded at home all this time, cuz I live on a lake and it's beautiful this time of year and there is always so much to do in this fixer upper....but I need my truck
i sure appreciate all of your guidance and words of wisdom and advice..i need to know what to do next, and it seems like all there is to do is keep her for awhile
i will now have 10grand in a 5 grand truck
what else can I do?

I guess I need to be really aware of what else needs to be updated at this almost 100,000 mile mark (she has about 91k right now).
keep posting your thoughts...they are helping, if nothing else I am getting more educated about my engine, which, with this engine, seems to be truly and neccesity!
thanks
january

[wildlysmiley]

I wish I had kept this all on one thread, it would be so much easier to keep track of
tell me again the difference between heads and head gaskets??!!
I have had 3 people try today and none of it made it through my noggin

if my head gaskets were in trouble for some reason, could this be unrelated to the timing belt problem?
i really need to know before I go accusing this man of lying to me

I REALLY appreciate your help!!!
I have learned a lot so far, I hope to keep learning.
i feel like screaming right now...I hate not being in control!!!!!! f*%^!

[wildlysmiley]

Below is a quote from the other thread about this truck...I hope it will provide some clarity and lessen any confusion I may have caused...I feel bad, I was just stranded at home that day and not getting any response, cuz I am sure you all have jobs during the day and I needed to make some decisions and thus I started more than one thread in the hopes that I would get a response...I am lost here folks!
thanks for your time!!!!!

oh man i have confused everyone!
here's how it went down

truck was runny fine (although hubby had seen this white smoke)
and then on tuesday, i went to start her and it would start but not stay started
and each time i tried the engine to start, a horrible loud sound came out

eventually the tow truck came
i rode with him to the shop
it was late in the day (like almost 5pm)
the mechanic determined that night that my timing belt was off
the next day he told me that it was off by 4 teeth
he said he had to order a new belt, it didn't come in for 2 days
once he replaced it, he did a compression test (ostensibaly to find out if there was vavle damage, according to him and the shop owner)
during the time that he took the engine apart to replace the timing belt, he noticed that the bolt was loose(noting that it was pssoble that the last person who worked on it had left this bolt loose)
he then did the compression check and it held nothing

so from that he determined that the valves were damaged
and needed to be repaired
gosh I hope that clears up any misunderstandings I might have portraired
that is about as clear as I can make it
this mechanic never worked on the water pump
he has never worked on this truck at all
i hope he knows what he is doing
i would love to hear your thoughts now and I am sorry for any confusion!!
jan.