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_cause_white_smoke_from_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]

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.

[PaHumBug]

Doh! I got it backwards...:twak:

[jsbihn]

Well this was a whitish smoke (almost thought it was from the brakes at first because it didnt seem so much like smoke as dust) and has a smell, though I am not sure if it is oily or not since i can only get it to happen when I cruising for a long person of time on the interstate and then exit off and slow down or stop.

I have read a few things saying that the engine valves might be worn and there might be enough vacuum to pull the coolant through and burn that when coming off a continuous run like that.
Most that have said that was the issue.
So i bought some oil additive to rejuvenate the seals, and we will see.

[Hellz]

what did you see when you popped the hood???

i know if i saw smoke from my vehicle.. i would be all over that bish looking for where the leak is coming from..

from the sounds of it, you should obivously see where the leak is coming from, the side, or the issue...

you may have to crawl underneath the H2 (Crazy.. i know!) to get a better view.

white smoke = water
the only thing with water in it is your washer fluid, and your anti-freeze...

so i would look at your coolant resivior, all the lines connected to it, and to the radiator.

the washer fluid tank might be a pain... but if you have a CAI installed, you might be lucky to see if it is leaking.

when you find out more, let us know....

[IRA51]

Well this was a whitish smoke (almost thought it was from the brakes at first because it didnt seem so much like smoke as dust) and has a smell, though I am not sure if it is oily or not since i can only get it to happen when I cruising for a long person of time on the interstate and then exit off and slow down or stop.

I have read a few things saying that the engine valves might be worn and there might be enough vacuum to pull the coolant through and burn that when coming off a continuous run like that.
Most that have said that was the issue.
So i bought some oil additive to rejuvenate the seals, and we will see.
Valve Seals / guieds will suck or leak oil maybe ,not antifreez. a bad head gasket or cracked head will leak antifreez. Are you useing oil or antifreeze ? Keep an eye on the oil level and the water level , the one that goes low will be he culprit . bad valve seals /guieds aint going to be fixed by some snake oil aditive.:raar: if you expose your cats to antifreeze you will need to repace them .

[jsbihn]

Ok, here is the latest.
Grabbed a bottle of engine seal renew stuff (cant remember the name right now) and mixed it in with the engine oil. The engine was cold and I checked the level before adding the "stuff". The oil level looked good. So I added in the "stuff". Ok it says it takes few days or a few hundred miles to really do what it needs to do, and I am still waiting on that to occur.

Given, based on what IRA51 said, my cats have been sounding like a Krylon spray can be shook up when the engine is running. I am going to try to dump the cats too.

So we shall see.

[IRA51]

FIX THE PROBLEM FIRST OR YOU WILL DESTROY THE NEW CATS . THE RIGHT WAY TO FIX THE BAD VALVE/BAD SEAL/GUID/HEAD GASKET/CRACKED HEAD PROBLEM IS TO TAKE THE HEADS OFF AND SEND THEM TO A MACHINE SHOP TO BE REPAIRED ,OR GET A NEW SET OF HEADS ..

[jsbihn]

ok but who said it is

"BAD VALVE/BAD SEAL/GUID/HEAD GASKET/CRACKED HEAD"

I mean the truck runs fine except when I come off throttle and slow or stop after driving at 80 for 1.5 hours

To me everyone that has had a similar problem whether it be on the H2 or a different car claims bad seals and/or a issue with vacuum (involving the coolant).

I would like to try to fix this issue with the "snake oil" first since alot of others have stated success with it, but if not then sure lets fix it..... just cant see jumping into a HUGE repair bill if it can be fixed cheaper or if it isnt all that (even in my practice, I tend to diagnose my patients with the lesser "what ifs" before I start going after the bigger "what ifs". No need to diagnose for a brain tumor when it could just be a headache from blood pressure. HUGE difference in treatment (cancer - well you know all they go through, headache - oxygen and a pill).

But I appreciate the help and ideas.
I will keep all informed

[jsbihn]

ok heres the latest
the oil additive didnt work. i found out today that there is something drpping from my engine and that is cause the white smoke to appear from behind (because of the forward motion)
I cant tell what the culprit chemical is, but if sitting still and i rev the car for a while there is no smoke, but underneathe i witness something drip drip dripping from the engine area.
(this would explain how once or twice i saw the white smoke come from the front and once or twice i saw it come from the sides)

so i am guess i have an oil leak even though it doesnt have a real oily smell to it, but a chemical smell with a hint of oil. i will try to get under there tonight

[IRA51]

So is the oil level low or the water level low ? If it is leaking it will make what ever is leaking low .:raar: