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87 CK5 Startin' to smoke n lose power...

PhredzK512

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Nov 29, 2011
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Holy Crap,..now my '87 CK5 is startin' to smoke n lose power,..it's even stallin' out now. I don't know what the problem is, but I sure noticed a cloud of white smoke comin' outta the exhaust when I start it now. What could be the cause of all this all of a sudden? Its gettin' near deer huntin' season and I don't need to be w/out my 4wheeler.:dunno:
 
Is it oil or water? Both are white smoke, but oil smoke hangs around a lot longer. Water vapor dissipates very quickly.
 
If it is oil...

...then when the smoke shows up can often answer some of your question. If it appears during deceleration, then it can be oil sneaking by old valve seals in the heads. If it appears during acceleration, then it can be old piston rings possibly getting worn.

However, the best test is a compression then leakdown test. These will tell you volumes about what might be going wrong and both tests can be done with basic kits that you can even buy from Sears/AutoZone/OReilly/etc..., if I'm not mistaken.
 
Is it oil or water? Both are white smoke, but oil smoke hangs around a lot longer. Water vapor dissipates very quickly.

...then when the smoke shows up can often answer some of your question. If it appears during deceleration, then it can be oil sneaking by old valve seals in the heads. If it appears during acceleration, then it can be old piston rings possibly getting worn.

However, the best test is a compression then leakdown test. These will tell you volumes about what might be going wrong and both tests can be done with basic kits that you can even buy from Sears/AutoZone/OReilly/etc..., if I'm not mistaken.

Oil smoke has a blue tint to it,

And you can rent the tools for a leakdown test at autozone. Its free when you take them back within 2 weeks
 
I've seen ethanol gas make "steam" clouds when an injector sticks or an engine floods before,bad enough to think it had blown a head gasket...sometimes smell is a better way to tell whats burning...

Antifreeze smells like burning sugar or cotton candy--gas will smell raunchy,like lighter fluid almost,and it stings your nostrils...

Oil smells like--well,burnt oil!..


if a fuel pump ruptures its diaphpram on a mechanical pump,it can fill the crankcase with gas and dilute the oil enough to make it smoke,and possibly ruin the bearings from lack of lubricity,and it'll wash any sludge into the oil and possibly clog things...smell the oil filler opening,or the oil on the dipstick,and also see if the oil on the stick lights easily with a lighter,if it does and smells gassy,thats probably the problem--but what caused it must be corrected or it'll just keep happening..

Also,coolant can often be seen on the sparkplug of a cylinder with a leaky head gasket or cracked head,block too--a friend of mine pinpoints a lot of bad gaskets by listening to how it cranks first thing in the morning after sitting overnight--if it spins over once,them hesitates a few seconds before making another revolution,then turns over normally,its likely one cylinder has enough coolant build up in it, to almost hydrolock it...by pulling the plugs out and looking for coolant on the electrodes,the guilty party is usually evident...
 

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