Smokey situation

[Lifted]

I have a 99 2 door tahoe. When I start the truck up in the mornings everything operates just fine with typical morning light exhaust smoke that fades quickly. On my drive to work there is no smoke at all. After my 10 mile commute I park my truck in front of one of bay's and leave it there for about 10-20 minutes until a parking spot frees up. Once I start it up again an excessive amount of white smoke billows out, enough to send everyone nearby running and killing off every mosquito around for weeks. After 30-45 seconds go by all is clear again. Should I worry? Coolant levels are fine and color is perfect. Oil looks good too.

 

[IOWNJUNK]

White = water. What does it smell like? Antifreeze has a distinct odor.

 

[great white]

It is normal for some white "smoke" (really water vapor) on startup in cold temperatures.

When you shut the truck down hot, water condenses in the hot exhaust system as it cools. When you start up again it can cause a puff of white "smoke".

Now, the larger cloud you describe after a drive and shutdown/restart sounds a bit atypical. There is potential for it to be a year gasket going south.

Monitor your coolant level and if it consistently drops a head gasket is likely, as long as there are no leaks present in the cooling system.

A coolant system pressure test can also be used to help diagnose a head gasket that is leaking from a coolant passage to the combustion chamber.

I wouldnt panic just yet, but its worth watching your coolant levels for sure.....

 

[Lifted]

Update. I rechecked the radiator in the daylight and found some grey sludge in there. Checked oil and it was 1/2 full but clean. Is this a head gasket problem or worse?

 

[great white]

Update. I rechecked the radiator in the daylight and found some grey sludge in there. Checked oil and it was 1/2 full but clean. Is this a head gasket problem or worse?

As I said, monitor your radiator fluid level. If you need to keep adding fluid and it's not leaking on the ground somewhere, head gasket is suspect.

What you have given says nothing about anything except you are half full of oil and there's some crud in the rad bottle....

 

[Lifted]

Yeah the overflow tank is empty. An no leaks from below.

 

[IOWNJUNK]

5.3 Vortec? Could be a crack in the head near one of the head bolts. Seen a few do this, but dont recall if any were 99's. Cooling system pressure test will answer a lot of questions. Pull any plugs? I'd bet you have a few with some discoloration.
Any moisture under your oil filler cap?

 

[great white]

Yeah the overflow tank is empty. An no leaks from below.

Top it off and watch it for next next couple days/week. The other option is a coolant system pressure test...

 

[Chewy1576]

My '90 350 TBI will smoke a lot when cold and if it sits idling for a while. I suspect the overcooling problem I'm having is making the ECU think it needs more fuel to help warm up. Next thing I'm going to check is the intake and head gaskets.


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