White smoke when starting

Tiny
CHRISTIAN22
  • MEMBER
  • 2005 CHEVROLET SILVERADO
  • 5.3L
  • V8
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 300,000 MILES
When I start the truck there is a massive amount of white smoke from the tailpipe and fumes in the cab. Doesn't happen every time just after it sits for a while. Older truck with a lot of miles but if there is a way to fix this I would love to know.
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021 AT 12:24 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
SQM
  • MECHANIC
  • 6,383 POSTS
Hello,

There are a few reasons why you will get white smoke out of the tailpipe.
It could be due to a blown head gasket, cracked cylinder head, intake manifold gasket leak.

Here is a helpful guide goes of the basics:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/white-smoke-or-steam-coming-from-the-exhaust-pipe

One of the common reasons is blown head gasket. This allows coolant to enter the engine and that creates white smoke. If the leak is minimal, it can only do it after it sits for a while but burns off after startup.

It will be a good idea to do a blown head gasket test.

Here is a guide showing what to check for:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/head-gasket-blown-test

This way you will be able to check this off the list of possibilities.

I have attached the head gasket replacement procedure below.

Please let me know what you find or if you have any questions.
Thank you.
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Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021 AT 7:16 PM

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