eratic iddle and white smoke
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From: Brussels, Belgium
eratic iddle and white smoke
Hi,
This is my first tech post on this forum, be gentle
I bought my truck a few weeks ago and it had engine troubles when i bought it. The seller said it was a leak somewhere around the intake and all of the symptoms were pointing towards it. I changed the intake seal and backplate seal and put the intake back on, but it still gives me the same problem and it blows out a lot of white smoke true the exhaust and there's a lot of pressure coming out of the right valve cover but allways in puffs at crankshaft speed
. I checked the spark plugs to see what color they have and the spark plug on cylinder 6 is blackened and oily, cylinder number 8 (the one next to it) has the same color but less oil on it. I'm assuming that it's a faulty head gasket on that side, but i have no pressure on the cooling system, no bubbles, nothing. I drive this truck on a low pressure gas system, and it runs fine on the gas (well, eratic but lots of power), once i switch over to fuel there's one or two cylinders that doesn't fire. That could mean a faulty injector(s). I'm about to run a compressiontest (had to borrow a tester from a friend, he just delivered 
), so that will bring me closer to the problem.
Anybody has a suggestion?
Thanx,
Bigster
This is my first tech post on this forum, be gentle
I bought my truck a few weeks ago and it had engine troubles when i bought it. The seller said it was a leak somewhere around the intake and all of the symptoms were pointing towards it. I changed the intake seal and backplate seal and put the intake back on, but it still gives me the same problem and it blows out a lot of white smoke true the exhaust and there's a lot of pressure coming out of the right valve cover but allways in puffs at crankshaft speed
. I checked the spark plugs to see what color they have and the spark plug on cylinder 6 is blackened and oily, cylinder number 8 (the one next to it) has the same color but less oil on it. I'm assuming that it's a faulty head gasket on that side, but i have no pressure on the cooling system, no bubbles, nothing. I drive this truck on a low pressure gas system, and it runs fine on the gas (well, eratic but lots of power), once i switch over to fuel there's one or two cylinders that doesn't fire. That could mean a faulty injector(s). I'm about to run a compressiontest (had to borrow a tester from a friend, he just delivered ), so that will bring me closer to the problem.Anybody has a suggestion?
Thanx,
Bigster
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Joined: May 2008
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From: NH
It does sound like a cracked head(between the valves) or blown head gasket. Are you sure the white smoke isn't just smoke from condensation. You should also replace the plugs and wires and get alot of Techron + and throw it in the tank and run it and see what happens.
Last edited by zman17; Nov 8, 2008 at 12:22 PM.
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From: Brussels, Belgium
I just did the compression test (i should have done it yesterday, but the misses needed a little more attention 
).
As i suspected, cylinder number 6 has no compression at all, the rest of the cylinders have very good compression. This means i have a very bad head problem (the engine's head, mine will probably follow when i get billed for parts...). I squirted some oil in the cylinder to check for any difference in compression but it still gives me zero compression, wich in my eyes is good news. At least i don't have to pull the engine out for new piston rings.
I'll take the head off this afternoon and check the damage, i'm very curious how they look right now.
I'll keep y'all posted about the progress of my engine!
Greetz,
Bigster
).As i suspected, cylinder number 6 has no compression at all, the rest of the cylinders have very good compression. This means i have a very bad head problem (the engine's head, mine will probably follow when i get billed for parts...). I squirted some oil in the cylinder to check for any difference in compression but it still gives me zero compression, wich in my eyes is good news. At least i don't have to pull the engine out for new piston rings
.I'll take the head off this afternoon and check the damage, i'm very curious how they look right now
.I'll keep y'all posted about the progress of my engine!
Greetz,
Bigster
Legend
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 7,843
Likes: 13
From: DFW, Texas
Belgium! Holy crap!
He even got the apostrophe position correct in y'all!
How good are you at rebuilding heads? You can buy a better casting at www.hughesengines.com for $400 bare or $800 built. No idea what the shipping would be to Belgium.
He even got the apostrophe position correct in y'all!
How good are you at rebuilding heads? You can buy a better casting at www.hughesengines.com for $400 bare or $800 built. No idea what the shipping would be to Belgium.
Captain
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 540
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From: Fargo, ND
Did you buy the vehicle for a daily driver or is it for work? Gas prices in Europe are killer!
Make sure you crack open a Koningshoeven Tripel to keep your head clear and mouth wet while pulling that head :P
I'll bet you're the only kid on your block with a Dodge Ram pickup :P
Chris
Make sure you crack open a Koningshoeven Tripel to keep your head clear and mouth wet while pulling that head :P
I'll bet you're the only kid on your block with a Dodge Ram pickup :P
Chris
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From: Brussels, Belgium
@ Squirrels: Yeah, my English is pretty good, it's a hobby
I've allready rebuild some heads but only one mopar blok. But no stress, read below...
@ Ophidia: Koningshoeven? That's dutch damned
If you have the chance, try out a nice Leffe trippel or a good Chimay, then you'll know the meaning of beer
I bought the vehicle for daily driver, i use a liquified petroleum gas system (costs 3 times less then a liter of fuel witch costs about 1.4 € or 1.77$ per liter and gas costs .57$ per liter) and runs great. I am the only 31 year old kid in town who owns a ram
So, i removed the head where i suspected a problem and when i inspected the head gasket, it was missing a piece of one and a half inch long... i think i found the problem. The missing piece was on the upper side of the head, right above cylinder number 6 and was actually making pressure below the intake, blowing out all pressure out of the opposite valve cover! I still have to check the head surface for straightness but i think i'm out of the woods for now.
Just a thought, if i change my head gasket, should i also replace the other head gasket or isn't that neccesary?
Thank you guys for the support!
Greetz,
Bigster
I've allready rebuild some heads but only one mopar blok. But no stress, read below...
@ Ophidia: Koningshoeven? That's dutch damned
If you have the chance, try out a nice Leffe trippel or a good Chimay, then you'll know the meaning of beer
I bought the vehicle for daily driver, i use a liquified petroleum gas system (costs 3 times less then a liter of fuel witch costs about 1.4 € or 1.77$ per liter and gas costs .57$ per liter) and runs great. I am the only 31 year old kid in town who owns a ram
So, i removed the head where i suspected a problem and when i inspected the head gasket, it was missing a piece of one and a half inch long... i think i found the problem
. The missing piece was on the upper side of the head, right above cylinder number 6 and was actually making pressure below the intake, blowing out all pressure out of the opposite valve cover! I still have to check the head surface for straightness but i think i'm out of the woods for now.Just a thought, if i change my head gasket, should i also replace the other head gasket or isn't that neccesary?
Thank you guys for the support!
Greetz,
Bigster
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From: Brussels, Belgium
Hey charlie,
That's on the to-do list, the plan is to bring the head to the machine shop tomorrow morning.
I just ordered all the necessary gaskets and bolts to do the repair, let's hope that rockauto delivers fast!
Greetz,
Bigster
That's on the to-do list, the plan is to bring the head to the machine shop tomorrow morning.
I just ordered all the necessary gaskets and bolts to do the repair, let's hope that rockauto delivers fast!
Greetz,
Bigster
Hall Of Fame
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 12,204
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From: Gainesville, Ga.
hey and welcome to df. nice posts. considering the age of the truck, i'd go ahead and pull the other head, and take both to a machine shop for checking/rebuild. you'll want to replace seals for sure, possibly guides, and check for flat. while you're in there, if you don't already have an aluminum plenum belly plate, go ahead and replace that too. you can get it from hughes or aps. while you've got it apart, hows the water pump, timing chain, and front and rear seal ?