white smoke at start up

[mstweety36]

I have a 1989 chevy s-10 with a 2.5L 4 cyl. engine & manual 5 spd tranny. I have noticed some oily rust colored stuff floating in my radiator and then yesterday morning when I started the truck, a big cloud of white smoke came out of the exhaust. Once, i started driving to work the smoking seemed to subside as far as I can tell. I'm thinking it's the head gasket .....any thoughts? the engine has 160,000 miles on it.

[Mikado14]

Sounds like a head gasket to me. Are you prone to the disappearing antifreeze syndrome?

[mstweety36]

i have not been losing any coolant - truck has not been overheating - check engine light comes on every once in a while.

[vtmecheng]

white smoke=water in combustion chamber
blue smoke=oil in combustion chamber

You are getting water in your cylinders, which is probably from the head gasket. You can tell which cylinder is getting the water with a compression test.

[STOVE BOLT]

Originally Posted by mstweety36

i have not been losing any coolant - truck has not been overheating - check engine light comes on every once in a while.

VERY FAMILIAR SITUATION. I, ALSO ONCE OWNED AN 89 . 2.5. 5 SPD.HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. YEP... THE HEAD GASKET IS GONE. IF, AND WHEN, YOU GET IT APART, I BET IT`S BLOWN BETWEEN CYLRS., 1, AND 2, OR 3 AND 4. NOT UNCOMMON MY FRIEND. NOT HARD TO FIX EITHER. WHITE SMOKE, IS UNDOUBTEDLY ANTI FREEZE. WATER WILL NOT COMPRESS. DON`T WAIT TO LONG. GOOD LUCK.
PS... THE MUCKY STUFF IN THE RADIATOR IS ENGINE OIL.

[BlazerLT]

Originally Posted by mstweety36

I have a 1989 chevy s-10 with a 2.5L 4 cyl. engine & manual 5 spd tranny. I have noticed some oily rust colored stuff floating in my radiator and then yesterday morning when I started the truck, a big cloud of white smoke came out of the exhaust. Once, i started driving to work the smoking seemed to subside as far as I can tell. I'm thinking it's the head gasket .....any thoughts? the engine has 160,000 miles on it.

What you are seeing is completely normal and is only the water condensation in the exhaust system evaporating off when the engine is warming up.

You don't have a blown head gasket.

The check engine light should be looked into and fixed for sure.

Have you jumped the codes?

[OverBoardProject]

If you can talk a mechanic into giving your engine a leakdown test it'll tell you if you have a blown head gasket.

[BlazerLT]

No testing is needed, she has the normal condensation and water vapour escaping when the engine is warming up like all vehicles.

Normal.

[cobra1]

Originally Posted by BlazerLT

No testing is needed, she has the normal condensation and water vapour escaping when the engine is warming up like all vehicles.

Normal.

you think so huh?

tell me this..... Do you see this from your vehicle in 60 degree+ (F) weather? i sure dont, and considering she's in Florida where the temp at 5am on this date is 62f and a dew point of about 60f, she shouldnt either. so in that case, it needs to be checked.

[vtmecheng]

Best thing for to do is a compression test on each cylinder. This will overrule any guessing we can do on this forum.

[STOVE BOLT]

Originally Posted by BlazerLT

What you are seeing is completely normal and is only the water condensation in the exhaust system evaporating off when the engine is warming up.

You don't have a blown head gasket.

The check engine light should be looked into and fixed for sure.

Have you jumped the codes?

IF SHE HAS "OILY RUSTY LOOKING STUFF" IN THE RADIATOR, PLUS WHITE SMOKE .COMING OUT THE EXHAUST, (cause by anti freeze in the combustion chamber), SHE "DOES" HAVE A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. NO OTHER WAY FOR OIL TO GET IN THE COOLING SYSTEM. UNLESS SOMETHING IS CRACKED.

[BlazerLT]

Hey, sorry for lending an opinion.

But no one here knows if the white smoke goes away.

[STOVE BOLT]

Originally Posted by BlazerLT

Hey, sorry for lending an opinion.

But no one here knows if the white smoke goes away.

BLAZER, NO NEED TO BE SORRY... I JUST THINK THE PROBLEM IS BEING ENLARGED BY GIVING MISLEADING ADVICE. I AM NOT A KNOW IT ALL, BUT, JUST CONSIDER THE INFORMATION GIVEN. RUSTY LOOKING OILY STUFF IN THE RADIATOR. WHITE SMOKE FROM THE EXHAUST.
1. THERE SHOULD BE NOTHING IN THE RADIATOR THAT LOOKS OILY.
I HAD THIS PROBLEM MYSELF. OIL WILL GET INTO THE WATER JACKET "IF THE HEAD GASKET IS BLOWN". OR, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, SOMETHING IS CRACKED.
2. WHITE SMOKE IS THE TELL TALE SIGN OF ANTI FREEZE IN THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER. IT`S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE, IT`S JUST SIMPLE EXPERIANCE. ALL OF WHICH I HAVE PERSONALY BEEN INVOLVED IN. THE QUICKEST WAY TO ESTABLISH THIS AS " FACT", AND NOT JUST THEORY, IS TO TAKE A COMPRESSION TEST. OR, RUN A "BLOCK CHECK".
I PREFER THE LATTER, BECAUSE COMPRESSION TESTS ARE DONE AT ENGINE CRANKING SPEED. "BLOCK CHECK" IS DONE UNDER ACTUAL OPERATING CONDITIONS.MORE ACURATE IN MY OPINION.
IN CASE YOU DON`T KNOW WHAT A "BLOCK CHECK" IS, IT`S A FOOL PROOF WAY OF DETECTING A BAD HEAD GASKET. IT IS SCREWED ONTO THE TOP OF THE RADIATOR WHERE THE CAP GOES. THE ENGINE IS RUN FOR SEVERAL MINUTES TO ENSURE OPERATING TEMPERATURE IS REACHED. THE PIECE THAT SCREWS ON, HAS A CLEAR PLASTIC TUBE ON TOP . INSIDE THIS TUBE IS A LIQUID CHEMICAL, THAT IS USUALLY BLUE IN COLOR, AND, IF, EXHAUST GASES ARE MIXED IN THE RADIATOR COOLANT, THIS FLUID TURNS GREEN. NO QUESTION ABOUT IT, THE HEAD GASKET IS LETTING EXHAUST GAS INTO THE COLLING SYSTEM. I HAVE SEEN THIS WORK, HAD IT DONE ON MY OWN TRUCK, AND SURE AS GOD MADE ITTLE GREEN APPLES, I DID IN FACT HAVE A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. IT USUALLY LETS GO BETWEEN 1 AND 2, OR 3 AND 4 CYLINDERS. WHY? BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE THERE IS THE LEAST AMOUNT OF FORCED CONTACT, SUCH AS IS GIVEN BY " HEAD BOLTS. CHECK THE HEAD BOLT PATTERN ON ANY CHEVY 4 BANGER. IT IS THE WEAKEST LINK IN THE CHAIN. NOW, HOW LONG THAT WHITE SMOKE CONTINUES TO COME OUT THE TAIL PIPE, IS REALLY IMMATEIAL . IT SHOULD NOT BE WHITE. IT MAY CONTINUE TO COME OUT FOR QUITE AWHILE AFTER THE GASKET REPAIR HAS BEEN DONE. KNOW WHY? BECAUSE IT LAYS IN THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, AND WILL KEEP SHOWING IT`S UGLY SELF, UNTIL IT IS BURNED OFF. NOT A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, BECAUSE ANTI FREEZE DOES NOT EVAPORATE. WATER DOES. HOPE THIS SHEDS A LITTLE LITE ON THIS SUBJECT.

[BlazerLT]

Please stop typing in capital letters for me please, it is really hard to read.

I understand but some people might just have rust in there cooling system seeing they need a cooling system flush and the white smoke when they start up is condensation.

When antifreeze is burning in the combustion chamber, the engine will run like crap and the exhaust will not be white wispy vapour but thick thick white billowing smoke. And will get even thicker when accelerating and driving.

I am just saying that before you have this person ripping off the top end of there engine to have then monitor it a little bit.

It might be indeed a blown gasket but with the little information we have been given, neither side can be sure.

Keep the options open guys, we are all in the same boat here.

[cobra1]

Originally Posted by BlazerLT

Please stop typing in capital letters for me please, it is really hard to read.

I understand but some people might just have rust in there cooling system seeing they need a cooling system flush and the white smoke when they start up is condensation.

When antifreeze is burning in the combustion chamber, the engine will run like crap and the exhaust will not be white wispy vapour but thick thick white billowing smoke. And will get even thicker when accelerating and driving.

I am just saying that before you have this person ripping off the top end of there engine to have then monitor it a little bit.

It might be indeed a blown gasket but with the little information we have been given, neither side can be sure.

Keep the options open guys, we are all in the same boat here.

so in posts #6 & #8 you were certain she has no problem, but now theres not enough information to be sure.

which is it?