head or gasket

[potif]

bit of an odd one . Noticed a bit of steam in exhaust on Friday but only for a couple of seconds then ok. Happened once more on Saturday so I topped up the coolant bottle to a marked level to see if it dropped at all.
ran for 20 mis on Sunday and checked Monday - no difference.
Anyway, drove from Swansea to Cardiff, with a small detour taking about an hour or so, on Monday - 80 on motorway with 4 in the car - no problems. Stopped off at Ikea for 30 mins and when i started off there was a white smoke screen behind me for 2-3 mins until we reached my daughters house.
Checked coolant level -ok.
Stayed there for about 3 hours - started car - no smoke. 2-3 mins later white smoke then after another 2 mins clear. drove all the way back same as journey down and got back ok. Checked water level today - ok.
The only thing that was unusual is that i was getting a lot of codensation on the screen from the heater which annoyed me at the time having just replaced the matrix a couple of months ago. Maybe pressure build up in coolant system?
if thermostat had failed surely I would have seized the engine under those conditions.
Ran it again today and exactly the same - no smoke / whit smoke for a couple of mins until up to temp / no smoke when hot.
any and all thoughts welcome.

[Sancho]

If you're not losing coolant (I presume you've checked under the rad cap, not just the expansion tank), then it's happy days and the white smoke is just condensation from the cold and damp weather.

[potif]

yes - full under rad cap - hasn't been that cold here though. could the thermostat have failed/blocked to cause some excessive coolant pressure. It just seems odd that my new heater matrix is leaking as well. Is it possible that the head gasket is passing when the engine temp is building up and then pulling up the gap as everything expands. I've read that there was an issue with some of the Toyota head bolts stretching
sorry to sound paranoid but i've read so many horror stories I'd hate to ignore this and find that taking some remedial action now could have saved my head or engine in a few weeks

[Sancho]

Sorry to bang on but, if your coolant's not going down, you haven't got a leak. Start it up and smell the smoke. Does it smell sweet at all? If not, it might be something else - actual white smoke is nothing to do with coolant. What most people call 'white smoke' is actually steam.

Are your carpets (passenger footwell) wet at all?

[potif]

smoke/steam did smell sweet like antifreeze and when i got someone else to rev the engine with my hand on exhaust it was very wet and a bit sooty on my hand - thats what had me worried but i think it might be related to my little experiment in turning off the turbo boost to lean out the mixture. i've turned it back on now and the smoking seems to have stopped - didn't help with fuel economy anyway.
I've only just fitted the new heater matrix and no, the carpet isn't wet but when the first one started to leak the carpet wasn't wet initially.I still have some slight misting on the screen but this may just be outside temperature related

[docklands]

Exactly the same problem here. A bit of a black smoke on start up (seems normal to me for a 15+ y.o. Diesel engine) and then white smoke/steam. When the engine warms up, the steam disappears. Mine loses coolant as well and I'm really panicked. I changed the rad cap yesterday and am praying it's the cause coolant not being sucked back from the expansion tank. It's pretty cold here in Bulgaria at the moment but I don't think the steam is weather related as if so it wouldn't disappear after the engine warms up. Other thing I think of - it might be a condensed water into the exhaust...or water in the diesel (you never know).

Another thing is, most of the UK SURFs had their heads replaced. As far as i know, when you put a new/refurbished head, you should re-tighten the bolts (holding the head to the engine block) one to two weeks later. It's because the gasket seats up and the bolts become lose. Had anyone thought of this one?

Sorry for bad English, did my best.

[Sancho]

Well, it sounds like whatever you'd been playing with was causing a bit of over-fuelling. If you're not losing coolant, you're just suffering from 2.4 paranoia. It's normal.

[si tate]

Sorry to butt in on this thread but this is coolant related.

Since owning my truck ive done all the regular servicing, oil, filters & what not. I have to top up my coolant every 3 months or so, not alot maybe only a cup full, is this normal or should i not be using any.

I do cover alot of miles, around 1000 a month + with shooting the engine does sit idleing for long periods, should i be concerned?

[roylittle0]

My head has gone in the past and believe me you know this by the amount of steam behind you, i do not loose any coolant any more but still get an amount of white smoke (steam) on start up, this is normal and is just down to the condensation build up within the exhaust system, i agree with Sancho, if you are not loosing coolant, don't worry.

[RodLeach]

Well, it sounds like whatever you'd been playing with was causing a bit of over-fuelling. If you're not losing coolant, you're just suffering from 2.4 paranoia. It's normal.

Yeah, but its horrible having to suffer with it..

[Sancho]

Sorry to butt in on this thread but this is coolant related.

Since owning my truck ive done all the regular servicing, oil, filters & what not. I have to top up my coolant every 3 months or so, not alot maybe only a cup full, is this normal or should i not be using any.

I do cover alot of miles, around 1000 a month + with shooting the engine does sit idleing for long periods, should i be concerned?

Not really, as long as you keep topping it up, but you have a small leak somewhere, probably the water pump.

[BUSHWHACKER]

Sorry to butt in on this thread but this is coolant related.

Since owning my truck ive done all the regular servicing, oil, filters & what not. I have to top up my coolant every 3 months or so, not alot maybe only a cup full, is this normal or should i not be using any.

I do cover alot of miles, around 1000 a month + with shooting the engine does sit idleing for long periods, should i be concerned?

Thats normal to be honest, considering the miles you clock up and sitting in traffic, although you shouldn't lose any coolant really if everything is in tip top condition. How old is the rad cap? if it's old and the rubber seal is perished then you may be losing some coolant there as the temp gets really hot such as in traffic.

[si tate]

Thats normal to be honest, considering the miles you clock up and sitting in traffic, although you shouldn't lose any coolant really if everything is in tip top condition. How old is the rad cap? if it's old and the rubber seal is perished then you may be losing some coolant there as the temp gets really hot such as in traffic.

The rad cap has been on since ive had the truck, so 2 years+ but rubber seal is in good condition & there is no chalky residue around it. I'll keep an eye on things anyway & if it does get worse i'll have a good snoop around the engine bay.

Cheers chaps.

[BioHazard]

The best way to confirm of discount the head is to get the coolant checked for exhaust gases, as it will detect the smallest crack .