auscal

When i start my truck in the am it dumps white smoke. A lot of it. Once it warms up it goes away, after about 10 mins. My water pump recently went out and coolant was going everywhere. This started happening after I installed the new water pump. Could this have something to do with it? It's a lot of white smoke. Any ideas help and are greatly appreciated thanks guys.

rworegon

Sounds like accumulated condensation in the exhaust system burning off. Normal in cooler months.

If you are not using coolant, all is likely good.

NewToYota

I'm inclined to agree with rw until you show any other symptoms such as an excessive loss of coolant in the system. Had a couple of trucks that for whatever reason and no matter what changes I made to the system always seemed to capture and hold water in exhaust while sitting. This is the right time of year for it to be at its worst. I do have one question though. You have never experienced any start up smoke in previous years during cool weather months?

auscal

I don't see an excessive amount of coolant being lost. However the water pump did go out and coolant was pouring out of the water pump so I'm think it could be build up from that? this is the first winter I've had this truck but i live in southern california so its not really winter haha.

scope103

A little white "smoke" on start up is normal, and it's not even accumulated condensation. Instead, water vapor is a combustion product, and it condenses in the "cold" exhaust system. Once the system warms up, the water vapor makes it to the great outdoors without condensing and you can't see it.

But that's a "little," not a "ton." I would guess you have coolant getting into either the oil or combustion space when cold. I'd start by pulling the dipstick every time when it's cold, and look for any sign of water. It's not "build up" from anything; at operating temperature the motor is hotter than the boiling point of water, so unless it is in a closed, pressurized system (like the coolant system) the coolant will boil off in a matter of minutes.

auscal

Yeah its tons. fills up the street haha. Ill keep my eye on the coolant level and see if i can find any water too.

auscal

Okay so I just check my coolant level and it is low. I drained it all a few days ago when I put the water pump in. I filled my radiator and now it's low. Also overheated when I just tried to drive it right now. I got a new thermo right now and more coolant the head gasket had been replaced about 6 months ago. Any other ideas why it could be overheating and why the excessive white smoke when it warms up?

rworegon

Uh oh, not good. Billowing smoke, overheating, coolant loss is pointing to HG or cylinder head damage. When the HG was done six months ago, what was done, if anything, to the head or block?
Did the billowing smoke just start suddenly?

auscal

Just the head gasket and timing chain. Yeah the smoke just recently started it did it once before, like a day before my water pump went out. Now its been doing it in the morning when i start it.

ksti

White smoke, running hot, coolant loss, might want to do a compression test also.

jennygirl

Oof not good.

The smoke probably smells like chemical cough?

Sorry to hear about your luck. Seems like it's probably the head gasket again

Maybe it's something blocking flow, which could both drive the water pump too hard and cause the engine to overheat? I know silicone can get gummed up in the passageways... I found a couple of leech looking things the other day when I replaced my ECT. Get outta there!

rworegon

It's best to take the head into a machine shop and have them pressure test it for cracks and resurface the head so it's nice and flat. Overheating can warp the head and lead to premature HG failures.

auscal

If it is the head gasket, wouldn't it smoke all the time? Cause it goes away once it's fully warmed up.

rworegon

Possibly the metal expands enough after it's warm up to "seal" the leak.

auscal

Makes sense. Alright thank you for the help you guys rule!

auscal

I let my truck sit for a day. I replaced the thermo and there was a gasket in housing where the thermo sits. I put the new one in and tightened it back up and it started leaking from the housing so I look up that gasket and no one had one so I tried running it without it and it's sealed no leaking. Started my truck and no white smoke (It was sitting for a day). drove it around the block and is now idling and hasn't overheated (fingers crossed.) could that gasket be the problem to the smoke? Idk how that would affect it but there was no white smoke when I started it without the gasket and the new thermostat. What do you guys think?

auscal

Now it's making a humming noise when I accelerate almost like I have a really cheap exhaust on it

NewToYota

If the thermo wasn't sealed properly that could certainly account for the white smoke. Also, I personally wouldn't run without a gasket. I would just make one. Buy some fiber gasket maker at auto parts store (usually less than $5 for decent portion), trace your thermo onto a piece of paper, transfer to gasket material and carefully cut with exacto and you will have an OEM fit gasket. Sounds like you are reasonably handy so you can also speed up the gasket making by taking your housing against the material and lightly tapping with a ball peen hammer around all edges. It makes a clean cut at all edges. Also, pretty handy the next time you want to tape off anything to paint. The humming is interesting, lol. Do you have any idea where it sounds like it is coming from? BTW, the white smoke issue may not have been the gasket. I was waiting a couple of days to see if it wasn't the residual coolant working its way out of the system and all of the cracks and crevices it pools in. So that is a possibility as well.

NewToYota

Hey Auscal, just wondering if you had gone with a gasket yet? I was thinking about your "humming" and it occurred to me that if every metal surface is not smooth and level where the thermo sits and or the head your noise could actually be a very fast vibration of metal on metal. You know, like where the thermo sits. It's possible as well if your head isn't smooth and level as rworegon pointed out you could be getting the slightest bit of high pressure air escaping creating your noise. Just curious how it was coming along.