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Full Version: It's Always Something on a Resto... (White Smoke or Steam)
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I tossed my dash frame back in this morning. Then reinstalled the speedo/tach. It was nice to see nice bright lights for a change. Now my blinkers and fuel gauge aren't working. Thinking the copper strips I thought we're all tacked back down where the harness plugs back in to the speedo weren't. Guessing the one for the blinker got pushed back instead of staying put and connecting. It's caused not just the blinkers on the dash not to work but the exterior blinkers or hazard flashers. Would those not work because of the harness not being connected to the indicator lights on the back of the speedo? I'm about to the point to not try and nurse this circuit board back to full life. One or two more attempts and then I'm getting a new circuit board or hardwiring it myself.

More importantly when I fired it up today it started right up. When I shut it down I had a light, white smoke or steam coming up from behind the engine around the bottom. To give some insight I have removed the inspection plate and my rear main is dry as a bone. My oil pan does leak around the gasket. My exhaust manifold seems fine but I cannot vouch from where to manifold connects to the pipes on back. The white smoke or steam doesn't seem to have any smell. Atleast not of oil, gas, or exhaust.

To give you a time line... I'm in the process of welding in a new full floor pan. Haven't started yet. Just got the pan. Next is to restore the oil and tranny pans and install new gaskets. Afterwards the manifold's are coming off. Getting restored or replaced by headers and of course will have new gaskets. I do know the pipes and mufflers are in dire need of replacement. They are all rusted out.

So could any of those be causing that white smoke or steam? I've never seen water or milk in the oil. This only seems to happen right after shutdown. I also wonder about the head gasket or some hole in a line running back to the heater. I rule the later out since it seems to be stronger on the driver side. Would also like to add that the engine only ran for a few minutes before it was shutdown. I waited for the smoke to clear. Started back up. No smoke. Did the same thing after shutdown.

I'll have to investigate further it's exact location. Curious if anyone else has had this. Should I just wait until I get the pans and manifold gaskets replaced and the new exhaust on?
I think that you'll have to investigate a bit more and tell us what you come up with.

Sounds more like steam than smoke. Are your heater hoses still connected?
(05-28-2016, 07:14 AM)ejnonamaker Wrote: [ -> ]I tossed my dash frame back in this morning. Then reinstalled the speedo/tach. It was nice to see nice bright lights for a change. Now my blinkers and fuel gauge aren't working. Thinking the copper strips I thought we're all tacked back down where the harness plugs back in to the speedo weren't. Guessing the one for the blinker got pushed back instead of staying put and connecting. It's caused not just the blinkers on the dash not to work but the exterior blinkers or hazard flashers. Would those not work because of the harness not being connected to the indicator lights on the back of the speedo? I'm about to the point to not try and nurse this circuit board back to full life. One or two more attempts and then I'm getting a new circuit board or hardwiring it myself.

More importantly when I fired it up today it started right up. When I shut it down I had a light, white smoke or steam coming up from behind the engine around the bottom. To give some insight I have removed the inspection plate and my rear main is dry as a bone. My oil pan does leak around the gasket. My exhaust manifold seems fine but I cannot vouch from where to manifold connects to the pipes on back. The white smoke or steam doesn't seem to have any smell. Atleast not of oil, gas, or exhaust.

To give you a time line... I'm in the process of welding in a new full floor pan. Haven't started yet. Just got the pan. Next is to restore the oil and tranny pans and install new gaskets. Afterwards the manifold's are coming off. Getting restored or replaced by headers and of course will have new gaskets. I do know the pipes and mufflers are in dire need of replacement. They are all rusted out.

So could any of those be causing that white smoke or steam? I've never seen water or milk in the oil. This only seems to happen right after shutdown. I also wonder about the head gasket or some hole in a line running back to the heater. I rule the later out since it seems to be stronger on the driver side. Would also like to add that the engine only ran for a few minutes before it was shutdown. I waited for the smoke to clear. Started back up. No smoke. Did the same thing after shutdown.

I'll have to investigate further it's exact location. Curious if anyone else has had this. Should I just wait until I get the pans and manifold gaskets replaced and the new exhaust on?
Sounds like the leak, be it oil or water, is small enough that the air being moved by the cooling fan is dissipating the smoke when the engine is running. Are the exhaust pipes new? The oil on them left over from manufacturing the pipes sometimes takes a few minutes to burn off. Something dripping onto the exhaust pipe? Good luck. Dave R.