Scratch the brown sludge under the oil cap, that is due to the design of the oil filler. Dodge tried to correct this by sticking a baffle in the filler, doesn't stop it just hides it so people don't get freaked out.

The missing coolant is really the only concern. The 3 years I owned my 02 I spent most of that chasing a coolant leak. I ended up replacing the coolant bottle due to a crack in it that stopped it until the heater core leaked. I replaced that and a few months later the head gasket and the rest is history. Just look for any leaks or evidence of leaks.

Do a tune up and look for any rust on the plugs. I averaged 14.5 on my 02 with a 2" level and 33" tires. How long have you had the truck? The overhead is affected by the type of driving the truck sees most. If you just bought it chances are the truck was test drivin short distances and probably in traffic and the overhead reflects that. Prior warnings I had was a week before all the smoke, only after the truck was allowed to cool down, when starting it would run rough for a couple minutes. I never has time to investigate as I was at work and by the time I was going to check the rough idle it started smoking.

My truck always did have a knocking upon first start of the morning, almost sounded like piston slap and didnt seem to hurt anything so I never worried about it.

Oh, and as far as being a traitor…I always was a Ford guy, and this truck came along at the right price. I've never owned a Mopar before and said what the he!!. I ended up loving the truck but it was becoming unreliable and major repairs were becoming the norm. If there was a way to fix the head gasket in a few days I would still have it. The situation I was in combined with my company offered x plan and I returned to my roots.

 

.From what you are describing to me it doesn't sound like a head gasket. I’ve had to do multiple head gaskets on different cars. One was doing what the video was doing; one blew on the water jacket side of the gasket but wasn't getting hot enough to smoke. It would just shoot water out the tail pipe. The others just had water in the oil. Change you oil and see if there is water in it. That’s a tale tell sign of a head gasket. If it is, I would do both heads since you already have the engine apart

 

I agree with you, I think it's just condensation. I've hear on other forums that the 4.7 is famous for white milky looking oil deposits (water) under valve covers and such from condensation I think from sweat acumilating under the valve covers but don't remember for sure. The puff of smoke he is describing sounds like good ole fashion mileage and valve guide seals from sitting over night and dripping down into the cylinder at start up. The truck in the vid looks to be worn rings or steam I can't tell...too much smoke continuing is not likely valve guide seals. I didn't read the title of the vid so? But I don't think I'd be tearing my truck down for that. May as well wait and save for a complete rebuild when the time is right. EDIT: okay, I see the title as a blown head gasket. But had it not said that, I've seen steam like that on a daily basis during the winter colds with good head gaskets and norm engine operation. Of course that is without water dripping out like you would see with a bLOWn HG

 

I haven't drained any oil from the bottom of the pan, but I've checked it after running for a while and it looks like regular oil. nothing milky or cloudy about it.

Still gotta find out where my gas mileage is going though

 

A leak down will tell you 100% if you have a head gasket problem, so go get that done and you'll have your answer.

The leak down percentage will also tell you how bad the leak is, which will tell you exactly how bad it is... Higher the leak percentage the worse the problem...

 

Yep, sounds like you might be jumping the gun just a bit. Sure a leak down test will prove/disprove it, but I think with the lack of symptoms, I'd probably just do an oil change and check the oil first. If no signs of coolant then I'd probably not bother with a leak down.

The crud on the cap is normal for a 4.7 ESPECIALLY if you tend to take shorter trips where engine/oil temps don't get hot enough, long enough to completely burn it off.

The MPGs might be nothing more than lack of maintenance, especially since the truck is new to you, you have no ideal how this was performed in the past. I'd start tackling the basic maintenance stuff a little at a time...

 

I agree. With fuels going to winter blends that will reduce mpg's. If you do much idling or a lot of in town driving, then the mpg's will not get much better than 12mpg. You can reset the overhead and see where the mpg's go from there. They are not always accurate so to be sure I would do the manual math using the next 2 fill-ups to see what you are actually getting.

 

First thing I need to do is find a place to get some rocker arms cheap, there is a knocking sound and after much searching I'm almost sure it's just loose rockers or something up there.

If I'm lucky I haven't dropped a valve seat but the engine is idling and running fine, there are no codes, no misfires or anything other than a knocking sound.

so anyone know where to get a set of rocker arms for a decent price? under $250?

 

sounds like you have quite a few problems with that engine.... if I was you I'd still do the compression and leak down tests to really see where it stands.

 

If you've dropped a valve seat YOU'D KNOW IT. Trust me...