my truck was built in LATE 1998. with 128,000 miles on it.


I just got my new muffler installed on friday (flowmaster 40 series), so i was in a good mood, untill now.

When i started it up cold, i noticed white smoke comming from the exhaust. when the engine completley warmed up, it stopped, so i didn't think anything of it.

Well today, my knowledgable neighbor informed me that he noticed the same smoke, and that it smelt of anti-freeze. he also said it was moisture based, not oil based... it vaporized in the air.

He says i probably have an anti-freeze leak. He told me to let the engine cool, and make sure the coolant level is filled to the line. He then said to drive it around and let it cool again, and then check to see if the level was the same.

he said that if it leaked, i should put this stuff in there (it's something like a whole bunch of metal shards) that will clog the leak. If that doesn't work, then he said i probably need to change the intake manifold gasket, or maybe even the head gaskets.

Ofcoarse, my immidiate thought was about the gasket problems with the early f150's, but mine was built after that trouble area, so i'm thinking it's not too serious, i just need to get the **** changed.

So what i'm asking is, is he accurate? and is there anything you nice people would like to add? thank you very much.

 

okay, i just started it up cold and it was running a little rough. it's been idiling rough for months now, but i think that's due to oxygen sensors and what not. but this time, when i was moving it was a little rough. and the exhaust smelt sweet i think, is that a bad sign? hahaha. i guess what i'm asking is, if i go in there and change all of the gaskets, i'll be fine? if it was the same exact problem as the 97's had, wouldn't it happen all of a sudden and hydralock? i haven't noticed any smoke in a few days, but it was there, so something had to leak? right? even if it was jsut a little? if it is leaking it is leaking very little, and not all the time? please help, i don;t want to **** up the engine!
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Do you notice the coolant level in the reservior dropping? Keep an eye on it and if the level does drop, it just might be the gasket. Definatley have that checked out man. Even if you have to pay someone else to do it. Because itWILL cause other serious damage to your engine if left unrepaired.

 

aaaaah! i just found out my truck was really built in december of '97. Well, we put a presuizer thing on the radiator to test for hose leaks, but there were none, but it was leaking. Sure enough, we try to crank it and it won't go. so we took off all of the spark plugs, 2 were mildly wet. We then cranked it a few times to get the coolant out of there. We're gona do a compression test tomorrow to make sure it's not the head gasket, and then we will tear it down to put some new manifold gaskets in there. Good thing we caught it in time. Thanks for the input guys.

 

Yep, you caught it before it hydro-locked. Good deal. And good luck fixing your engine.

 

i don't know what the **** i'm doing, but i'll give it a shot anyways.... can't be too hard, right? just a few bolts here and there........ right?


...........ha.

 

It wouldn't hurt to go to Advance or Autozone or somewhere like that and pick you up a Haynes manual for the f150. It might help.

 

we did a compression test!

good news: it's not the head gasket

bad news: i have low compression in one of the cylinders

all of them ranged around 175... some were about 200, but one was 150... The guy that did the test said that if i run it easy, it should last another 3 to 5 years. He said it would be better just to run it till it ****s up and buy a new shortblock from a junkyard. If it's the piston rings, wouldn't it e cheaper/easier to go in there and change them out? r should i just wait till it dies and redo everyhting? what if it is cause of an intake or exhaust valve?

he thinks this is why it idles rough, let me know if it sounds like it. at idle, the engine will be purring normally at 700 or so, sometimes it does it at 1000-1100, anyways, alof a sudden, bam, it goes down to 500 and vibrate alot, and then after driving some, it'll idle at 15-1600. It doesn't die or anything, it's just annoying at idle. Can you think of something else it might be? i jsut changed the sparkplugs and wires recently.

 

My Mom had a Durango that idled fine when I started it up, but after a second or two it would spit and sputter and the rpm's would drop to about 200-300 then it would clear up. But it always did it when you first started it up, or when it has sit and cooled of a few minutes then started back up.Found out it was a crankshaft position sensor. I have heard of a TPS (Throttle Position Sensor on these trucks going bad and causing what you described. Might want to check that out. Do a search on TPS sensor and crankshaft sensor and see what turns up. Also it could be your IAC valve is gummed up and it could be sticking. It sits piggy back on top of your throttle body and has a wire with a connector going to it. Take it off, clean it with carb cleaner and put it back on and see if that helps. If it does, I'd look into buying a new one just to keep the problem from reoccuring again. That really sounds like the problem.

 

wow, thanks for the info, i wasn't expecting that, haha. I'll try that out after i get her running again!

 

Let me know how it goes.

 

it was jsut now takin' to my mom's boyfriend's shop. it was sad to see it towed away by a sliverado ...

 

What are you having done to it? Sorry if you said what was gonna be done but I just dont see it..