OT - 89 GMC 2500

[JCinKY]

Dads got an 89 GMC 2500 with about 130,000 on the clock. It was my grandfathers and well looked after.

It has always puffed a little smoke on startup. Now he says it's blowing white smoke constantly. I burns very little oil, and I immediately assumed water.

Told him to watch the coolant and report back. Other than head gasket, cracked head what other issues are out there? I've read everything about injectors, fuel pressure, valve train, etc.

Im going to check the plugs, compression, and leak down test this weekend.

Oh yeah I think it's a 5.7 (350 equivalent?) with TBI. Original motor.

 

[Hobo,NC]

All good older chebbys puff a little smoke on start up its the nature of the beast... Figger out what the smoke is (oil are coolant) before you waist time chasing your tail...

Don't rulel out intake gaskets mother nature works 24/7....

 

[JCinKY]

(quoted from post at 18:18:59 03/12/14)
All good older chebbys puff a little smoke on start up its the nature of the beast... Figger out what the smoke is (oil are coolant) before you waist time chasing your tail...

Don't rulel out intake gaskets mother nature works 24/7....

Thanks Hobo. I was hoping you'd chime in. At 53 his eyes aren't what they used to be.

Condensation was my first too since we went from 75 to 30 in about 12 hours. But I though that would clear up as the engine warmed up. He said it was constant.

Its do for an oil change and it does burn some oil. When I used to drive it a little puff of blue was normal. Nothing I worried about.

 

[oldtanker]

(quoted from post at 18:33:11 03/12/14)

(quoted from post at 18:18:59 03/12/14)
All good older chebbys puff a little smoke on start up its the nature of the beast... Figger out what the smoke is (oil are coolant) before you waist time chasing your tail...

Don't rulel out intake gaskets mother nature works 24/7....

Thanks Hobo. I was hoping you'd chime in. At 53 his eyes aren't what they used to be.

Condensation was my first too since we went from 75 to 30 in about 12 hours. But I though that would clear up as the engine warmed up. He said it was constant.

Its do for an oil change and it does burn some oil. When I used to drive it a little puff of blue was normal. Nothing I worried about.

Yep! Don't forget that intake. If oil it could be as simple as valve seals.

Rick

 

[Anonymous-0]

sorry to say white smoke aint good. smell them exhaust as it is running. smells sweet it is more than likely anti freeze. catch some condensation out tailpipe a couple of drops taste sweet again anti freeze. my '87 has a intake leak that drove me crazy with the above symptoms then it developed a miss at the #7 cylinder not a hundred percent sure that is your problem but troubleshooting from Oklahoma that is my wag. good luck

 

[ericlb]

i had my 88 pull the white smoke thing, turned out it was a bad intake manifold gasket, it let vacuum pull antifreez out of the engine and burn it, smoking on initial start of is pretty much standard chevy most of them do, nothing to worry abourt unless you going to have the engine apart anyway then put some new valve guide seals in her

 

[JCinKY]

Thanks Eric.

Since so many have mentioned the intake gasket, that is going to be one place I'm definitely going to look.

I told him to watch the coolant level. If it is white the only place I know it could pull water into the cylinder is head gasket or, now, the intake.

Has always blown some condensation and blue smoke on start up. Nothing I was ever concerned about, but if it is blowing white constantly like he says, I definitely want to get the jump on it.

Will it be easy to tell that the intake gasket is bad? Kind of the way a head gasket will look?

The only one I've done was in a 2005 Chevy 1500. Just cause the guy wanted it done(similar situation). I didn't think it necessarily looked bad.

 

[JCinKY]

Not that I'm in a hurry to do it, but I've heard you don't even have to remove the head to do valve seals.

Could such be the case???

Just wondering.

 

[Tiger Joe]

Yes they make the tools

you need one tool to fill the cylinder with air and hold the valve up (screws into spark plug hole) and another tool to compress the valve spring.

 

[Hobo,NC]

(quoted from post at 16:15:56 03/13/14) Not that I'm in a hurry to do it, but I've heard you don't even have to remove the head to do valve seals.

Could such be the case???

Just wondering.

I would not waist my time going after valve seals on a chebby unless I were already there... If it were bad enuff I would remove the covers and make sure the oil return holes in the head were not stopped up...

 

[JCinKY]

Don't worry. I am not that rambunctious.

Only thing I'm going to look at this weekend is the plugs, compression, fluids, and possibly an intake gasket.

Of course, thats all dependent on further diagnosis. He did tell me today that he still has constant white smoke. So something is up, just not sure yet without seeing it.

 

[Hobo,NC]

(quoted from post at 20:29:56 03/13/14) Don't worry. I am not that rambunctious.

Only thing I'm going to look at this weekend is the plugs, compression, fluids, and possibly an intake gasket.

Of course, thats all dependent on further diagnosis. He did tell me today that he still has constant white smoke. So something is up, just not sure yet without seeing it.

If I were suspicious it was coolant I would go straight for a cooling system pressure test... If runs good I would skip a compression test... Let you nose lead you... Steam/white smoke will dissipate,,, oil smoke will float around awhile..

 

[JCinKY]

Just got an update. He said he does now remember smelling antifreeze a little recently.

Well that helps narrow it down...Duh

I'll have to dig my pressure test stuff up and see what the rad tells me.

 

[Duallie]

Those were known to have poor intake manifold gaskets, and
some of them had headgasket problems, too.

 

[JCinKY]

(quoted from post at 13:31:47 03/13/14) Those were known to have poor intake manifold gaskets, and
some of them had headgasket problems, too.

'Nother update...

Talked to him after work. He said coolant was pretty low. Still smokin'.

I priced out all the parts and found my misc. pressure test caps. I hope its intake manifold gaskets. $16 for the pair ain't bad at all. Head gaskets were $18 each.

We'll dig into it on Saturday. We can get either one or both done in about a days time anyway. Won't have time to get the heads checked though. My sister is driving his other 'good' truck.

 

[Hobo,NC]

(quoted from post at 00:31:47 03/14/14) Those were known to have poor intake manifold gaskets, and
some of them had headgasket problems, too.

I have never seen them be a problem on pre vortec engines other than nuttin last of ever...