Smoke???

[jsbihn]

Ok so i am driving home this week and after about 1 hour or so on the road I exit off the interstate. I slow down and then stop, and I see from the rear view a whitish smoke. the smoke then moves to the front (remember I was stopping), and I could smell there was a bit of an odor to it.

The truck only does this when travelling for a bit of time at high speeds, around town it doesnt do it

Ok, so the car runs fine
I havent seen any issue with it.
I started to think, maybe it is the cats because those things are shot and are sounding like tin cans rattling around rocks.
But then I also wondered if the valve seals are leaking.

of course all of this may be wrong and it may be something else completely

I am wondering what you think it is
Also, if it is the valve seal, is there like a good additive that will refresh them until I can get the time or the money to get these done.
and if it is the cats, then thats cool because i was thinking of cutting them out and having a pipe welded in.

the truck has 107k on it

i appreciate your ideas

[jsbihn]

????

[PaHumBug]

I believe white smoke indicates oil is burning, which could mean your valves are leaking. The additive sounds like a good place to start.

[guruerror]

I thought burning oil typically put off black smoke...and white smoke was usually a sign of antifreeze/coolant burning..?

What do I know though...I'm an IT guy, LOL.

EDIT: Check this site out: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_can_c...om_the_exhaust
There's a lot of information, and some contradictions, but these two struck me as a possible culprit/fix for you...it sounds similar:

"- My problem with white smoke was whenever I would be going down the road at high RPM and let off the trottle. Then it was like a smoke bomb went off. Bottom Line.......... My Vacuum Modulator went bad on my transmission whenever high vacuum was created it was sucking transmission fluid into my intake manifold and thus into my combustion chamber creating white smoke. Replaced the modulator for $12 and everything is right with the world

- I had the exact problem with my Mazda down to a T. All we had to do was buy a bottle of engine sealant... it takes a full day to run thru so follow directions exactly. Now the car has no problems... full power is bacl no more "smoke bombs" and no more dying at strange times."

[IRA51]

White smoke water/antifreez ,blue grey smoke oil. check you oil level and your water level . The one that is low is probably the problem.

[HummerJim]

Originally Posted by IRA51

White smoke water/antifreez ,blue grey smoke oil. check you oil level and your water level . The one that is low is probably the problem.

Agreed, white smoke is antifreeze and should have a unique non oily smell.
Transfer case, engine, or automatic tranny fluid should smell like oil too.