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I have a 1991 4wd pickup with a 22re. I had the engine completely rebuilt(bored,decked,bearings,etc.) Around 5,000 miles ago.
I have an excessive amount of white smoke coming from the tailpipe when the engine is cold and a small amount of white smoke only while idling when it is warm. And I am also slowly losing coolant but there appears to be no leaks.
The spark plugs look like this.
don't know if the problem is related or not but I decided to take the intake manifold off and check the intake manifold gasket and found a small amount of oil in lower intake. I have checked the pcv valve and it still works. There appears to be oil in the hose coming from the front vent on the valve cover that goes to the intake.
The intake manifold gasket was a cheap paper one and it was damp and came apart when I removed the lower intake. I don't know if that could cause the issues I am having or not. I was just going to replace the intake manifold gasket but seeing the oil in the lower intake has me wondering about the head gasket. Could it be a head gasket leak? There is no water in the oil and the coolant looks normal as far as I can tell. Should I just go ahead and replace the head gasket?
Any advice is appreciated. Thanks for the help in advance.
Just because the PCV valve moves doesn't mean it's working like it was designed to. I am a big prominent for a OEM part here for two big reasons. First the after market stuff is sonic welded plastic, this has the inherent flaw of an inner seam that stops the valve from fully closing. Secondly the after market parts "fit" dozens of vehicles, specifically for example they spec the same part for a 22-re and a 22-ret. Spring pressure is important!
You shouldn't assume it's the head gasket. It could infact be the lower intake gasket. You have the upper intake off this is a good opportunity to test. Get those intake runners clean and dry and pressurize the coolant system then look for leaks in the intake. You have two large water passages that run through that lower intake and could introduce coolant to the combustion chamber/exhaust.
Just because the PCV valve moves doesn't mean it's working like it was designed to. I am a big prominent for a OEM part here for two big reasons. First the after market stuff is sonic welded plastic, this has the inherent flaw of an inner seam that stops the valve from fully closing. Secondly the after market parts "fit" dozens of vehicles, specifically for example they spec the same part for a 22-re and a 22-ret. Spring pressure is important!
You shouldn't assume it's the head gasket. It could infact be the lower intake gasket. You have the upper intake off this is a good opportunity to test. Get those intake runners clean and dry and pressurize the coolant system then look for leaks in the intake. You have two large water passages that run through that lower intake and could introduce coolant to the combustion chamber/exhaust.
The main reason I am dismissing the intake gasket leak is that the two cylinders that appear to have the most water by looking at the spark plugs are not the ones close to the water passages. Looking at my spark plugs it looks like to me that cylinder 2 and 4 are getting the most coolant in them and those are not the ones that are near those passages.
My pcv valve is a metal one not the cheap plastic ones. I will get an oem one to be sure though. Thanks for the tip on that. I have already ordered parts to replace the head gasket. I talked to a local mechanic that is familiar with 22re engines and he agreed that it is most likely a head gasket leak. I also have a leak on the egr crossover plate that will be a lot easier to get to with the head removed. I am 75% of the way disassembling anyway. Could a head gasket leak cause the small amount of oil in the intake or is that a separate problem? It appears that the oil is coming from the vent towards the front of the valve cover that goes to the intake.
are you certain that that's oil from a leak in the intake runners? could be excess fuel that condenses there (from the CSI) over time. could also be the result of the proper function of the egr and pcv systems, which direct their byproducts through the upper plenum. they accumulate over a long time (the "black goo" that coats the inner surface of the upper plenum is a good example).
Common to get oil and some moisture in the intake and hoses... depending on weather conditions.
I installed a catch can and was shocked at the amount of condensation I get in the can with oil... that's NOT going into my engine anymore.
are you certain that that's oil from a leak in the intake runners? could be excess fuel that condenses there (from the CSI) over time. could also be the result of the proper function of the egr and pcv systems, which direct their byproducts through the upper plenum. they accumulate over a long time (the "black goo" that coats the inner surface of the upper plenum is a good example).
It is definitely oil. There was a small puddle in the #1and #2 runners that smell and look like oil.there is no gunk or grime anywhere else.
ThanksI have the head off now and will get all parts Wednesday. I am still worried about the oil though. Is there any way that a leaking head gasket could cause oil in the intake? I read that excessive crankcase pressure could push oil through the front vent hose and into the intake.
Common to get oil and some moisture in the intake and hoses... depending on weather conditions.
I installed a catch can and was shocked at the amount of condensation I get in the can with oil... that's NOT going into my engine anymore.
The main reason I am dismissing the intake gasket leak is that the two cylinders that appear to have the most water by looking at the spark plugs are not the ones close to the water passages. Looking at my spark plugs it looks like to me that cylinder 2 and 4 are getting the most coolant in them and those are not the ones that are near those passages.
My pcv valve is a metal one not the cheap plastic ones. I will get an oem one to be sure though. Thanks for the tip on that. I have already ordered parts to replace the head gasket. I talked to a local mechanic that is familiar with 22re engines and he agreed that it is most likely a head gasket leak. I also have a leak on the egr crossover plate that will be a lot easier to get to with the head removed. I am 75% of the way disassembling anyway. Could a head gasket leak cause the small amount of oil in the intake or is that a separate problem? It appears that the oil is coming from the vent towards the front of the valve cover that goes to the intake.
Thanks for your response I appreciate it.
None of those plugs look particularly steam cleaned from here. #2 is adjacent to the temp guage sender and the heater line comes up from the bottom there also.
Your egr cover plate leak is a concern that's direct to the water jacket of the head you could be sucking water out that way into the intake, or over pressurizing the coolant system and maybe even both depending on the leak and the valve position.
Oil coming thru the vent line isn't uncommon, that the only path out of the crankcase when the pcv valve is closed.
I don't think the little bit of oil you've got there is anything to be worried about. That's basically from the PCV system doing what it's supposed to. Which is directing blow by (fuel and Oil vapor) back into the intake. Generally, leaking coolant into the cylinder gives you a clean spark plug as the water cleans the carbon deposits off. When you removed the head could you see for certain where the gasket was blown? If not, have head checked for cracks. Also normal to have white smoke when it's cold outside as the moisture in the exhaust freezes when it exits the tail pipe. More so when the engine is cold but some white smoke at idle when it's cold outside is normal as well. Watch the car ahead of you at the stop light. Once they've idled a little while the exhaust starts to turn white as there's more moisture in it.
I don't think the little bit of oil you've got there is anything to be worried about. That's basically from the PCV system doing what it's supposed to. Which is directing blow by (fuel and Oil vapor) back into the intake.
I don't think the little bit of oil you've got there is anything to be worried about. That's basically from the PCV system doing what it's supposed to. Which is directing blow by (fuel and Oil vapor) back into the intake. Generally, leaking coolant into the cylinder gives you a clean spark plug as the water cleans the carbon deposits off. When you removed the head could you see for certain where the gasket was blown? If not, have head checked for cracks. Also normal to have white smoke when it's cold outside as the moisture in the exhaust freezes when it exits the tail pipe. More so when the engine is cold but some white smoke at idle when it's cold outside is normal as well. Watch the car ahead of you at the stop light. Once they've idled a little while the exhaust starts to turn white as there's more moisture in it.
Thanks for the reply. I appreciate all the suggestions. I did not see any obvious places the gasket was leaking when I removed the head. The head was checked for cracks when it was rebuilt so I hope it is not cracked🤞. I had not thought of the egr crossover introducing water into the intake. I am going to replace the head gasket with new head bolts,replace egr crossover gasket,and the intake gaskets as well as the iacv seal. I need my truck to go to school starting January 4th so I just decided to do it all so hopefully I don't have to go back in there again.
Any tips or suggestions for resealing everything are welcome.
Thanks for all the help!
12-27-2020, 02:26 PM
