I just bought a 87 Extra Cab this saturday.. This morning I noticed some white smoke out of exhaust it went away so I tried not worry about it.. But this afternoon I turned on the truck and it idles a little low at 1000rpm , I stepped on the gas a bit and when it hit 2000rpm the smokes starts again and check engine light comes on. I checked oil, didn't notice anything unusual other than its black and might need oil change... Im fairly new to this so i hope i posted this in the right place... Any help or tips would definitely help out .. I really hope I don't need a rebuild

 

ToyotaRon: you joined last month, so I'll bet you've read a dozen posts. You already know what we're going to ask, and what you need to do to get the answer (hint: codes)

White smoke is usually water; you're sucking coolant into the combustion chamber, or maybe only the exhaust. The most common cause is a blown head gasket, but the codes could help. So would a compression check.

 

Check to see if there are bubbles in the radiator as that would be a sign of exhaust and coolant mixing. Probably need a new head gasket, pretty easy to do.

 

I finally had time to take the truck to auto zone I thought maybe they could check and give me the codes I need but they said they didn't have equipment to read pre 96 vehicles and gave me a mechanics # ... It does look like my coolant is running low though

 

Sounds like a blown head gasket. I wouldnt drive the truck around until you get this figured out. You are only going to cause more damage to your engine. Do you have a 22re or 3vze?

Unfortunately, it sounds like someone pulled a fast one on you man.

 

^^^ Its a 22re engine... I think your right though... Is a head gasket worth the fix or should I go for a complete rebuild. Truck is at 232xxx miles... Selling is not an option I freaking love that truck, I went a whole year wanting to buy one, looking at all the cool rides on this forum... Im determined to get this thing back on the road and have a yotatech worthy truck lol

 

I'd go ahead and throw a timing kit on there as well. Espically since the motor will be open. Because if you DS chain guide isn't broken now, it will be.

 

Pull your codes first. It only takes a paperclip. No need for a code reader.

 

Ok have a new problem now... I was driving the truck as normal and when I went into 3rd it started running like crap and the rpms wouldn't go up.. Wont let me go into 4th.. Now when ever I go into third and hit the gas I get this grinding or growling noise... Looks like I took on one hell of project... Trans might need rebuild as well as engine smh.. Just my luck I'm not surprised... The bad thing is I bought the truck for 2900.. I wouldnt mind if i had gotten a better deal on it..

 

You'll never know how bad it is until you figure out the problems one at a time.

What was the code? You DID check for the code, didn't you?

Growling can be caused by lots of things (all the way from the distributor to the rear end), so don't buy a new transmission just yet. But if you've been driving for 3 weeks with coolant leaking into the engine, the transmission could be the least of your problems.

 

X2. The grinding could be main or rod bearings due to coolant in the oil. I wouldn't jump the gun on a trans just yet. But by the sounds of your new problems I would bet its a head gasket.