Cold Start smoke. . .

KPSquared · Jan 12, 2012

Hey guys, I know this has been discused a lot, but before I tear into things and start hunting, I just need to make sure I'm hunting in the right spot.

2001 7.3 with Full Force stage 1 singles, DP tuned.

when I fire it up, it smokes like crazy. Grey, hard on the nose smoke. Unburnt fuel, right?

So, I need to check glow plugs? How do I test the relay? How much power should be flowing through it? And the glow plugs should read 0 ohms, correct?

It just feels like way more smoke than normal and doesn't go away until the truck is at operating temps. Worse when it's not plugged in.

Let me know what you know!

silverpsd_06 · Jan 12, 2012

Mine does it too and i know for a fact that my glow plugs work so i think it just that the cylinder temps have to come up in order to get rid of it. Mine goes away after about a half mile of easy driving. Mine does it any time its below 60 it seems like maybe its just exceptionally cold blooded??

KPSquared · Jan 12, 2012

I guess if it's normal, then I can just let it go. If it's not normal, I'd like to do something to tone it down a bit. I have to park at the far end of the lot at work just so I don't choke out half of my co-workers. . .

obs7.3 · Jan 12, 2012

do you run an additive in your fuel?

4cstr · Jan 12, 2012

I wouldn't worry too much about it. I've got 166k on my 99 with 160cc singles, and am running a Power Service/2-cycle oil mixture in the tank. After a couple minutes of idle time...or a minute of easy driving...it goes away. Just cold cylinders and a nature of the beast.

woodduck97 · Jan 12, 2012

Yeah it is normal. Two other trucks have had my old stage ones in them and all of them smoke as you state. Also no additives seem to help. Try having a big injector with fuel side mods. It always hazes.

BlueWaffle · Jan 12, 2012

normal with larger injectors and tuning...

oldschool · Jan 12, 2012

how cold is the temp? the colder, the worse it'll smoke and rattle till it gets warm. Make sure the block heater is working also.

Grizzdog · Jan 12, 2012

Mine does the same thing.

I have new glow plugs and stancor relay.

It always goes away after about 5 mins of idle.

KPSquared · Jan 12, 2012

I run Stanadyne fuel conditioner every tank. I'm gonna check the plugs at some point. I figured it might just be the singles and the tuning. The power at work doesn't come on until -15° C (5° F) so it's not plugged in until that temp. At home it's plugged in every night. Hardly any clatter but lots of smoke. Temps in the winter from 0° C to -40° C (32° F to -40° F).

Guess I'll just keep parking at the far end. . .

sethc24 · Jan 13, 2012

I wish mine smoked white on startup. Mine smokes blue and uses oil. ARHH!

mandkole · Jan 14, 2012

You can certainly try to pin out the GPs, but I don't find that very reliable. We did my neighbors SD a year or so ago and it started fine on the heater but not on its own. I came to realize that if the ohms were basically zero, the plug was dead. There were 4 dead ones.

If the GPs have a lot of miles on them, perhaps they are ready for a change.

All of this said, my truck hazes blue for a few minutes but goes away once the engine heat comes up and I use a little premix oil. High idle is my friend...

KPSquared · Jan 14, 2012

I'm going to add a pan heater as well. Not gonna help at work but probably nice for the injectors to have warm oil on start up.

200,000 kms on original plugs. Maybe just replace then either way and throw a Stancor relay in there.

sniper_101 · Jan 14, 2012

Mine smokes blue (uses no oil), raw eye watering smell when below freezing. New glow plugs, stock GPR, few month old Stage 1's, but also did it with my stock sticks last winter. I plug it in almost every night it dips below freezing to reduce warm up times and stink I stay in town, but it'll fire at -25*C without being plugged in 9maybe colder now, haven't tested) so that's all that matters to me.

KPSquared · Jan 15, 2012

Ya, I run 0w40 synth for the winter. It'll start in any temp, which makes me think the GP's are fine. It's a hard start at -25 but it'll go. Lots of smoke and loping for a bit, but it goes. Dad's truck with 15w40 has no chance unless it's plugged in. I really would like to get this pan heater installed soon. Seems like it would be so much better for my new injectors. (not to mention my Reg. Return . . . why isn't there more hours in a week?)

sniper_101 · Jan 16, 2012

Keep an update when you get the pan heater in. Always wish my truck had that, I think it would make a pretty noticeable difference, maybe not it the overall temp the engine gets up to plugged in, but I think it would heat up a bit quicker (not to mention the faster cranking).

When I plug my truck in at night, and start it in the morning, the EOT sensor shows the oil at pretty close to the same temp as the coolant, but as soon as it fires and circulates that cold oil from the pan through it drops about 10-20* lol.