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Hello ETCG and forum members!
I am having a problem with my recently purchased 1998 Chevrolet K1500 Silverado. It’s got the 5.7L Vortec 350 V8 engine. Automatic transmission. We drove it back from another state even towing a trailer no problem.
However it sat for a week about a month after getting it home and driving it regularly, and now it’s blowing white smoke/steam out the tailpipe. In fact, I made a YouTube video showing the issue (starts billowing at about 20 seconds in):
http://youtu.be/kQoUaWy_Qi4I have checked various things to try to figure out the problem. Coolant looks fine, and doesn’t bubble. It’s green coolant, not Dex-Cool which it originally came with, which is a good thing I guess. The oil on the dipstick looks fine, in fact we changed this pretty much immediately after driving it back, with conventional oil. Temperature of the truck seems normal, as does oil pressure.
Consensus online seems to point to head gasket(s) or (lower?) intake manifold gaskets. This is quite a significant undertaking and I’m wondering your thoughts on what could cause the white stuff and what some good troubleshooting steps are to find the exact problem. Thank you!
PS: Only codes we’ve had relate to catalyst and O2 sensors which we think will be resolved when we finish welding the exhaust leaks, because California emissions requirements.
I’m a computer technician, not a car guy 🙂 This is all new to me! First car (well, truck) so I have nothing to compare to, so I can’t provide any data like “it sounds or feels different than XYZ”…
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How cold is it where you live? That looks more like normal steam.
If the engine seems to run OK and you are not losing fluids like antifreeze, I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
I have a mercury cougar that throws more steam than that and I had to add about one quart of antifreeze in the two years/18,000 miles I drove it. That’s nothing.But yeah keep an eye on the coolant level and all that but I would hardly think that is “billowing” and I would not go throwing head gaskets at it unless you start getting solid symptoms (probably not). EDIT – if your truck was doing this – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaxmFdEvRvo then there would be REAL cause for concern. Those guys are screwed.
Oh also you said it sat for about a week? Well then, the engine is probably just coughing out the little bit of condensation or whatever.
Yes it is stressful when our cars (or trucks) act stupid but I think you might be a little over-concerned.
I can live with it being normal 😀
Now to fix the things that will cause me to fail smog.
I took the screenshots using the BT ScanTool from my phone.Do you think welding exhaust leaks and replacing O2 sensors will do the job or do I need new cats as well? Direct fit ones are very expensive and universal fit are a bit cheaper but apparently not easy to weld in on this truck due to their location and the design of the exhaust system.
Are these the correct O2 sensors? (copy+paste from Rockauto website, I will buy them wherever cheapest). And how many do I need? I think I need four, 2 of each type, is this correct? Also, will I need the Oxygen Sensor Socket Wrench thingy? I already have a regular socket set. As far as brands I’ve already been informed that I should purchase the AC Delco ones not the marginally cheaper Bosch ones they have on Amazon.
ACDELCO Part # AFS105 {#19178918, 25312200}
SENSOR,HTD OXY(POSN 2) w/4-SPD AUTO TRANS(M30); PRE CONVERTERACDELCO Part # AFS106 {#19178116, 25312201}
SENSOR,HTD OXY(POSN 3) POST CONVERTER (DOWNSTREAM)Regarding the catalytic converters these are on Amazon and are supposedly OK in California. However, Amazon claims “This does not fit your:
1998 Chevrolet K1500”Thank you very much for your time and input.
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