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HELP! Truck Billowing White Smoke/Steam

2K views 12 replies 10 participants last post by  6.0Powerjoke 
#1 ·
So I have an 06 F350 Auto. I have the Edge Insight CTS, no muffler, no cat, 4 inch straight pipe and the DieselSite Coolant Filter kit. Still running Ford Gold but not for long. My truck smokes rather badly when first started up in the morning and whenever I turn it off and then back on like if I go to the store or something. It does not smoke when running down the road, boosting at an PSI or at stoplights/stop signs. It is eating a bit of coolant. I just checked today and the level is in the bottom of the degas bottle, after I have been driving for 30 min or so. My EOT and ECT are at about 9 degrees with normal driving. I run Delo and change it at about 3000 miles which is coming up soon. Truck runs great. Starts right up. I've kept it plugged in for the past couple of months (western Washington). The Insight diagnostic check shows a code for "FICM Performance" but I am not throwing a Check Engine Light even when I hook up a code reader. Any ideas?
 
#2 ·
So I have an 06 F350 Auto. I have the Edge Insight CTS, no muffler, no cat, 4 inch straight pipe and the DieselSite Coolant Filter kit. Still running Ford Gold but not for long. My truck smokes rather badly when first started up in the morning and whenever I turn it off and then back on like if I go to the store or something. It does not smoke when running down the road, boosting at an PSI or at stoplights/stop signs. It is eating a bit of coolant. I just checked today and the level is in the bottom of the degas bottle, after I have been driving for 30 min or so. My EOT and ECT are at about 9 degrees with normal driving. I run Delo and change it at about 3000 miles which is coming up soon. Truck runs great. Starts right up. I've kept it plugged in for the past couple of months (western Washington). The Insight diagnostic check shows a code for "FICM Performance" but I am not throwing a Check Engine Light even when I hook up a code reader. Any ideas?
If you're seeing the P0611, you need a new FICM (or try the fix). Also, are you losing coolant?
 
#3 ·
If you dont have an EGR Delete, park your truck nose down for a night. The next morning pull your EGR Valve out and see if it looks wet and gummy in there. If it is, go to bulletproofdiesel.com and buy their semi bullet proof kit, up graded turbo oil drain line and then run on over to a local Cat shop for a few gallons of Cat ELC. On your way home stop by lowes or some other hardware store for a gallon of simple green and i think you get the idea.
 
#4 ·
If your truck is BILLOWING white smoke, then coolant is burning and if it hasn't happened already, then you're about to blow your headgaskets.

I hate to say it so rudely, but you're paying the price for the Gold Coolant still being in there while you running hard tunes.

Do a cooling system pressure test. If it holds then great. If not, find out where it is leaking and fix it. If you're lucky then you just blew the EGR cooler and need to replace the oil cooler. If you're not, then you need headgaskets, oil cooler, EGR cooler and a partridge in a pear tree.

These trucks demand diesel coolant. Those who choose to not switch pay the price eventually. Do what Jayson41 said and post up what you find.
 
#5 ·
Sounds like a blown EGR Cooler to me.
 
#6 ·
Maybe billowing isnt the right word. It smokes quite a bit on startup. Thats it. The exhaust doesnt smell sweet either. It smells like typical diesel smell. I'm not running hard tunes either. And the fact that my EOT and ECT are within the 15 degree mark seems to tell me that I am good with my coolers. Right? My coolant filter is clean, no grit, no gunk, no oil nothing so it seems that that system is alright. I know I need to switch out the coolant too. My egr valve would cause my truck to run badly and smoke all the time I thought. I am planning on deleting it and rebuilding the oil cooler but I dont like the truck enough to do studs I think.
 
#7 ·
Also, this weekend seems like a good time to do the coolant flush.

Where do I get Restore and how much?

How many gallons of ELC do i need (concentrate)?

And I get the VC-9 from Ford right? How much do I need?
 
#10 ·
Not sure about the Restore, but you need 2 quarts of VC-9, about $25 each quart at Ford.

I think if you find the Restore, they have the Restore+ that is supposed to be like vc-9.

Try International shop, or a Cat shop around your area. For the Restore products.
 
#8 ·
my truck does that a bit too.... 06 with low miles, has a tow tune on it, when it just starts up it lets out some white smoke, when then only other time i see it is if im at idle and give it a little gas, like if im making a turnaround or something, in reverse, then drive, in reverse just off idle, i see it puff out a little white smoke.... been doing this as long as i can remember... I have EGR programmed off, never lost a drop of coolant from the reservoir????? since its been doing it forever and im loosing no coolant, i have not worried to much... always figured it was the tune... i should go back to stock tune and see if it does it i guess...... very interested to see if anyone else has advice.... I run my truck hard, towing 15k regularly in high temps(vegas summers)... if she was eating coolant, i would know.. if she was going to blow under pressure, well i give her the chance often!... subscribed..
 
#9 ·
Mine would blow white smoke (diesel smell) at startup when my FICM was putting out low voltage to the injectors. And also after it warmed up a bit it did not smoke anymore.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Mine blows white smoke when I make short trips in town. But once my temps are up and the motor has been running for a while the steam stops. I flushed the cooling system a month ago and used 7 pre mixed gallons of Cat elc. It's puked out of the gas bottle twice since then but I may have over filled it and I think its just finding its own comfort zone. Now my coolant level is at the low mark as I understand that's where it should be. Early morning temps in my area have been in the teens and high humidity. Perfect conditions for steamy exhaust.
 
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