White Exhaust emission

[Stripe]

So, On my way to gas up before a solo camping run the 15th of July, the 'Goose' experienced this.....


this is what happens when I press the accelerator. And it only happens out the Drivers Side..  While going uphill at one point the RV died and I think that is when this began..

I'm hoping it's just a blown head gasket.

This morning I will be removing the plugs from the drivers side of the engine one at a time and inspecting the cylinder heads to check the condition of each.
(hoping I don't find a cracked or broken cylinder)

I will be using the Inspection Camera I recently purchased from Harbor Freight to do this.
As a test to see if it is the gasket I will be using a bottle of Bars to try and seal the leak.
I will also be draining the oil to make sure there is no coolant in it. And while I am at it I will replace the oil filter as well..

I will post pics if I can and hopefully this will help others later on..

[Oz]

If you get pulled over, tell them you're just testing your James Bond smoke screen or that it's a mosquito repellent.

[Stripe]

 :)rotflmao

[Rickf1985]

Looks like a head gasket to me, does it have a sweet smell to it as opposed to a burning oil smell? Oil is the only other thing that will burn that color and it will stay around for a long time. Antifreeze will dissipate rather quickly.

[Mr. T]

Transmission fluid burns white.  Hmmm, maybe the tranny vacuum modulator?


Don T.

[Mytdawg]

Burning anti-freeze (intake or head gaskets) has a smell like no other.  It's pretty identifiable with just a whiff.  Sickeningly sweet is the best description I can come up with, like someone is burning pears or something.  Depending on how bad it is you can usually see the anti-freeze dripping out of the exhaust as well.

I've had better luck with the Solder Seal type product than Bars Leak but YMMV.

[Stripe]

Rick, Mydawg, yeah, no oil smell, dissipates pretty rapidly and there is more liquid coming out of the pipe than is usual..  The passenger side  is just water..

Mr. T, I don't think it's T-fluid..  The smoke properties doesn't reflect this possibility.


To add to this post I am putting up pics of the spark plugs and the best shot of the interior of the combustion chamber and tops of cylinders I could get.

Cylinders one, three, five and seven looked good. 

When turning engine over to get better view of number three however, it spit water/coolant at the camera.
BINGO, there's the cylinder with the leak.

Number 7 Plug and Chamber/piston head
 

Number 5 Plug and Chamber/piston head


Number 3 Plug and Chamber/piston head


Number 1 Plug and Chamber/piston head


In the overall grand scheme of things, US$69.99 (on sale with coupon at Harbor Freight) is a small price to pay for a VERY convenient tool.

You can definitely see the difference between plug three and plugs 1, 5 and 7..

Going to research Stop Leaks.  Mytdawg, thanks for the input on the stop leak. I will post results as they come in.

[M & J]

Betty protested profusely out the tailpipe last week I think because she got jealous of the boat we bought.
We had some time together alone last night (fixed the stuck float on the front barrels of the carb) and she's all better now.
Have you talked to Goose lately? Anything he should know? 

[legomybago]

I wouldnt put any "stop leak" or anything in it Stripe...Buy a gasket set, and start cussing.... As of right now, you were able to catch it before it REALLY leaked bad and contaminated your bottom end too...Might not be so lucky in the future W% Or 300 miles from home....

[M & J]

I"m texting with stripe right now and just broke that very news to him.

[TerryH]

I'll probably get a few laughs, but here goes:
There is a process used on boats that sink, gas/diesel engine in fresh/salt water that may prevent cylinder and or bottom end damage. I've experienced it first hand, resulting in no need to rebuild. May not apply to you Fredric, especially if you avoid running the engine further. It is messy and somewhat time consuming, but should you find a fair amount of water in the pan you may want to consider it.
What I don't know is how it applies to coolant contamination.
Process is called "Pickling".
Link below refers only to a sunken boat, but if you read thru it you may come up with some ideas.

http://www.boatus.com/hurricanes/pickle.asp

Hope it helps.
Terry

[legomybago]

Stripes boat hasn't sank yet Terry

[pvoth1111]

Eat some Wheaties and pull the heads and do it right.

[M & J]

Ya. It's a ground ship.

[legomybago]

Ya. It's a ground ship.

[Stripe]

Well, the ssssteam  has stopped and it is definately a temp solution. It will keep coolant out of the engine at least.

I did a oil change at the same time and there was NO coolant in it, Whew!

I followed the instructions on the product to the letter.  Even the idle at 1500 RPM for 15 minutes part.  No over heat whatsoever. In fact the temp gauge barely hit midway and in this heat wave we are having I am impressed. The 'Goose' is happy and knows I will be getting new gaskets ASAP and doing the true repair in due time..

Here are a couple pics..

No white clouds.. The wet spot dried up as the engine idled.

The temp gauge during 15 minute 1500 rpm idle.

Barely hit 50% mark..

[Stripe]

Also, Thanks for all the replies!!

[Froggy1936]

FYI A coolant leak into a cly being repaired with stop leak is not very reliable Once the engine is worked hard / heated it will fail again And you will not be at home ! The leak could still be either a cracked casting or a gasket The only lead you really have is you know wich cly is suspect  Frank

[MotorPro]

In more years than I care to admit to in the engine business I have never seen a cracked BBC head or block ( that didn't come from a engine explosion or freezing). You can bet it is a gasket.

[Rickf1985]

PLEASE tell me you did not use water glass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No matter what you used as soon as you load it hard to go up a hill it is going to let go. Those sealants are good at repairing radiator leaks but head gaskets are dealing with thousands of pounds of pressure as opposed to 15 lb.s on a radiator.

[Stripe]

Water Glass???

Anyway, I read all your responses and I know that the gasket sealer is a temp fix. But it worked.  It got me where I needed to go and back again and up some pretty spooky scary hills BTW.. Bar's Head Gasket and Coolant repair product worked. I followed the instructions to the t and so far no more steam and no overheating, and that includes the 45 minutes I spent in blocked traffic on route 512 today in the blistering heat. (I eventually got off the highway and just took all the back roads home, which took an hour but at least I was moving)


NOW,

With that being said. It is for all intent and purpose a temp fix. I will be getting my new head gaskets next week.  In the meantime I am youtubing the HECK out of head removal videos for the job ahead. 

And know that YES I WILL be posting a thread on THAT job!  It'll be the first time doing it for me, but I know I can do it.

[M & J]

We have faith you can do this. Hollar if you need anything.

[Rickf1985]

Look up "Water Glass" and you will see what I am talking about. It is a sodium silicate and it will work great.............. for as long as it takes to sell the car. Silicate is the key word here, silicate is sand in the short and sweet version. A head gasket will usually put some water in the oil. Hence the silicate gets in the oil. Need I say anymore? I have replaced a lot of engines that people bought in cars that were water glassed, some even sued and I had to go to court to testify as to what the damages were. I will look up what you used and see if that is one of those products.

Rick

[Rickf1985]

 It is water glass, all you can do is hope that it did not get into the oil. When to do the head gaskets you are going to have to be sure to get all of the repair gunk off of the head and block before replacing the gasket. It will not be easy to get off nor will it be easy to see if it is all off so you are going to have to take your time and use a lot of razor blades. Pack the cylinders and intake valley with rags, you do NOT want any of this stuff inside of the engine! When you pull the heads you are going to get antifreeze in the oil, no way to avoid it. It will not hurt at this point as long as you do not start the engine. water is heavier than oil so it will go to the bottom of the pan. When you are done the job and buttoned back up the first thing to do is change the oil. It will push out the water that is laying in the bottom of the pan as the oil comes out. Do NOT even turn the engine over until you change that oil. Personally I use store brand oil for the start up and run it for an hour and then change it again with another new filter with a good brand after that. The first change rinses out any garbage left over from the work. Yea it is a little pricey but how much is another engine?

Rick

[Stripe]

Groovy, thanks for the encouragement and the heads up!
Good thing I just bought another 5 quart jug o oil. Plus I'll need another two to top it of proper like...