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91 Prado 2LTE extraordinary quantity of white smoke on starting

Risteard R

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Hi there
I am new to this site and forum
Appears that there is a great deal of technical knowledge in this forum
In short: Living in the US, I bough on impulse a 91 Prado 2L TE (engine) RHD 6 months ago. Give the the performance of my FJ40 of the past 5 years I was comfortable taking on this project. I was wrong!
I have experienced ongoing smoke issues upon startup (cold start style). Its basically a white cloud that can last up to 5 minutes with an extraordinary quantity of smoke pouring out of the tailpipe. After 3 mins of driving it is completely clear. I have changed glows, filters, new fuel lines, checked timing, eliminated air in all lines, rebuilt the fuel pump, check wiring harness, bypassed EGR and much more. Zero improvement. At present I am getting an error code DTC 4 (engine coolant tem sensor). I need to trouble shoot but have no manual to diagnose.
Can anyone help with sourcing diagnostic code manuals and generally does anyone have an idea of where I should be headed generally with the smoke issue. Attached below is a youtube link that paints the picture
thanks much
 
Surely your losing coolant so at best a failed head gasket and at worst a warped head , Cruisers are tough we have heard here of some running for a year or longer with a damaged head .

Edit

Does it have a turbo , if so is the turbo water and oil cooled ?
 
yes the turbo is oil cooled, had a thought that oil was leaking past a blown seal but the smoke does is white and a little sweet. would have thought smoke would be grey to black? the head is newly replaced although not by me. Did cylinder compression test though and results were 1. 438, 2 -360, 3-400, 4-395
thanks
 
OK i don't know your engine but i was surprised to learn my 1kz-te had coolant and oil flowing through it , i'm now inclined to think this is typical Toyota .

This suggests you have the same https://www.amazon.com/EPMAN-Toyota-Turbo-Coolant-Flange/dp/B07GT71TM5 so i'm wondering if maybe you have a crack in the turbo housing , i can't imagine how else coolant would get in there to be fired out of the exhaust . After 5 minutes of driving the turbo would be so hot the water would be vaporized to nothing = invisible . But are you losing coolant ?

A quick but not definitive search suggests yours is a CT20 turbo .

I'm no expert by the way i'm just thinking aloud to provoke thought and perhaps comments from those with more experience .
 
I like your line of thought. I will take a look at the turbo and coolant
thanks much
 
Please report back if you find a solution because so many don't and the whole point of the forum is to pass on what we have learned and help save the next Cruiser to suffer a similar problem :thumbup:
 
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will do,
btw I checked my notes below and had eliminated the turbo months back
perhaps others can also weigh in based on the video. I know a picture tells a thousand words!
thanks


here's a list of work carried out
91 Prado 2LTE 66K miles. hard to start and large volume of white smoke (gas smell) on startup. Smoke disappears after 2-3 minutes of driving. Drives very well, no power loss. See video below of current level of smoke
Work to date
1. New head (1 month before I bought)
2. Replaced air and fuel filters
3. Engine thermostat replaced & turbo disconnected to check for involvement. still smoking (gas smell)
4. Injectors rebuilt seals replaced. checked function 3 times.
5. Timing checked. ok
6. Fuel pump rebuilt and tested. ok
7. Fuel lines replaced- tested for air intrusion. ok
8. Cooling system tested for hydrocarbons. ok
9. Cylinder Compression test (1 -438, 2-360, 3-400, 4-395)
10. ECM tested. Ok
11. wiring harness tested. ok
12. engine run on nurse tank. no change in smoke issue
13. glow plugs tested twice. ok
14. EGR bypassed
15. pump timing checked. ok
16. two error codes DTC 5 (pump resistor) cleared. DTC 4 Engine coolant currently an issue.
 
1. New head (1 month before I bought)

Is it fair to assume it ran fine until the head needed replacing ? and the one who paid for replacement sold the truck a month later ?

Would an internal leak allowing coolant to mix with fuel in the chambers actually alter compression test results ?

Given all you have invested so far i think you should get the head off for a look .

I like additives such as steering or transmission leak stop but coolant leak stop i would never use . If the block is cracked though what do you have to lose ?
 
Sometime back I had the same problem but not on the same model of engine but before you start tearing the head off, etc it may be worth checking the wiring to the glowplugs. We found that although everything appeared to be operating properly actually the wiring to the g/plugs was at fault and they were not getting enough to heat them as they should be. We replaced the wiring on that circuit and have had no more white smoke on cold start ups.

May be worth a try and a lot cheaper to do.

Regards,

Rodger
 
Is it fair to assume it ran fine until the head needed replacing ? and the one who paid for replacement sold the truck a month later ?

Would an internal leak allowing coolant to mix with fuel in the chambers actually alter compression test results ?

Given all you have invested so far i think you should get the head off for a look .

I like additives such as steering or transmission leak stop but coolant leak stop i would never use . If the block is cracked though what do you have to lose ?
Sometime back I had the same problem but not on the same model of engine but before you start tearing the head off, etc it may be worth checking the wiring to the glowplugs. We found that although everything appeared to be operating properly actually the wiring to the g/plugs was at fault and they were not getting enough to heat them as they should be. We replaced the wiring on that circuit and have had no more white smoke on cold start ups.

May be worth a try and a lot cheaper to do.

Regards,

Rodger
Good though and not difficult to check
will take a peek
thanks
 
Wherefore art thou Beau didn't you run for a year with an internal coolant leak that defied all investigation until it didn't want to start ?
 
Is it fair to assume it ran fine until the head needed replacing ? and the one who paid for replacement sold the truck a month later ?

Would an internal leak allowing coolant to mix with fuel in the chambers actually alter compression test results ?

Given all you have invested so far i think you should get the head off for a look .

I like additives such as steering or transmission leak stop but coolant leak stop i would never use . If the block is cracked though what do you have to lose ?
Several folks have suggested a warped head. I am trying to eliminate smaller potential items first but the head may be the best call. Will let you know
thanks for the assistance
 
Update
Finally a breakthrough. Cut out cylinder # 2 (low compression) and did a 10 second cold start. NO SMOKE. Repeated several times. Head has to come off. Mechanic says 30 hours of work. Many $ later I am way under water but now I will have totally new fuel delivery system and new head. Will have to drive this thing for 3 years to get my $ back!!
 
Life can be a bitch but so long as you get what you want in the end its all worth it , thanks for letting us know how you got on and i hope you continue to visit us here :thumbup:
 
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