white smoke behind turbo

[dlovesfuel]

hey guys, just a quick question on a 95 7.3. i have noticed and extreme loss of power lately and then went to start it yesterday and would only turn over and after about ten seconds white smoke started billowing out of the tail pipe. i shot it with just a touch of ether and boom it fires up. well i go to close the hood and notice smoke coming out behind the turbo. after closer llook i think it is coming out of where the metal clamp is holding the exhaust and turbo together. not sure if there is a gasket in there or what. i tightened it up and still leaking. the truck has 165k on it and i live in arizona so it was about 60 degrees outside. not sure what happened. if the glow plug relay went bad would it keep it from starting, if so where can i get the best replacement and is it real hard to change. thanks alot.

 

[Crumm]

White smoke could possibly be a bad GPR. You can pick them up at NAPA or other auto parts stores. Check out the thread entitled "Glow plug relay" for part numbers. The Stancor relay is also listed in that thread which is the best way to go. The relay is very easy to change.

There is not a gasket between the turbo and downpipe just a flange on the end of the downpipe. The flange may be cracked but I would guess that it probably seals up once the engine warms up.

The loss of power could be many things. Start by checking the fuel filter and air filter.

DO NOT use starting fluid in a glow plug equipped diesel engine. Extreme engine damage can occur.

 

[DaveBen]

I totally agree with what Crumm said. DO NOT USE ETHER ON THE 7.3 ENGINE. The glow plugs can and will set it off before you want it to go off. You can destroy your engine. OR hurt yourself with a nasty burn.

Dave

 

[95_stroker]

The white smoke you are seeing under the hood in the turbo area might be up-pipe gaskets. The other two fellas have already addressed your GPR issue and I can only reinforce the notion to not use ether on a glow plug equiped engine. If you want to use ether, you MUST disable the GPR so no current can get to the plugs. But, the simpler remedy is to replace the relay. Its about 22 dollars at NAPA or you can get a GOOD one from Allied Electronics for around 45 dollars.

Welcome to the site by the way.

 

[hheynow]

The loss of power could be many things. Start by checking the fuel filter and air filter.

A leaky donut on an up-pipe can cause a power loss too w/o back pressure.

 

[dlovesfuel]

thanks

yea all i did was a little shot before i even tried to start it and then turned it over and it fired up. i will try changing the parts you listed and do a little more investigation on the leak and let you know. thanks again

 

[Crumm]

all i did was a little shot before i even tried to start it

That is all it takes to create a big bang when it hits a hot glow plug during cranking.