Moisture in exhaust (1 Viewer)

[Michael.lee]

Recently due to the colder temps, I have been starting my 60 in the garage (with the door open... I'm not daft) and letting it warm up for a few minutes.

I have noticed that where the exhaust hits the floor / wall of my garage, it is wet. It looks almost like splatters- I looked at my tail pipe and it looks like there is moisture in the exhaust. (sorry no pics, just occured to me today to post about it)

The truck has been running fine- but as they say, and ounce of prevention... Is this something I should be concerned about, or is it a normal thing.

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but as you can see I am still somewhat of a rookie.

Thanks-

 

[RockDoc]

hydrocarbons + oxygen = carbon dioxide (and carbon monoxide) + water

nothing to worry about.

 

[Michael.lee]

Thanks. Man- are you like ALWAYS on the forum RockDoc? You seem to respond to my questions almost as soon as I post them.

 

[cfdlighthouse]

your moisture is also a result of the condensing of the gasses via the restrictions in your exhaust( cat, muffler, bends, etc.). the combustion process, as has been indicated, introduces h20 into the system in the form of water vapor. as the exhaust slows and cools the water condenses and can be seen in your tail pipe and in the exhuast flow path (the principle reason exhaust systems rust from the inside) if it bothers you, a free flowing exhaust will minimize the condensation as the the condensing of the gases will occur outside of the exhaust system, it will also allow your engine to breath easier and give you a little more horses.

 

[Michael.lee]

Thanks cfdlighthouse.

 

[RockDoc]

Thanks. Man- are you like ALWAYS on the forum RockDoc? You seem to respond to my questions almost as soon as I post them.

I'm usually sitting in front of my computer at home or at school, and I have no life. Need to get out and wheel more, thank goodness River Shiver is this weekend.

 

[Michael.lee]

I understand that. I too spend way too much time at a computer. It seems like every weekend I plan on loading up Clifford and heading out to find some new backcountry wonder to explore on skis, but then by Friday night the crazy snowpack in Colorado goes from moderate to extreme avalanche danger and my plans fall apart.

Here's to Spring, Mud, and Fun right around the corner!

 

[forestdan7]

smoke too?

Good thread. I've been wondering the same thing when I see a little water under my tailpipe.

Seems like I read a post somewhere that mentioned that water in the exhaust could also come from head gasket issues, but then you would be losing coolant, your oil would look congealed, etc. Water by itself sounds like it's not a problem.

To keep this going, though, how about smoke? Mine smokes pretty good for a few minutes while it's warming up, but it goes away when I get on the road. Seems like it only does this in the winter. I have no other bad symptoms.

 

[RockDoc]

What color? Up here in the winter all of the moisture condenses as it passes out the tailpipe, and you get quite a cloud of condensation swirling around in the wake of the truck. On REALLY cold days, it is enough to obscure the view of those behind you.

Lets see IIRC white smoke is coolant, blue is oil, black is overly rich. White only when quite cold may just be condensation.... I think you are supposed to be able to smell coolant at the tail pipe too.

 

[cfdlighthouse]

smoke

grey smoke early upon start up that goes away is generally from valve seals gone bad. chevy motors are terrible for the valve seals degrading. my guess would be the same for you. constant smoke depending on color is burning oil (bad rings) or a rich condition( adjust carberator), again white smoke for coolant and you can smell it(head gasket) will be constant. white smoke on cold and humid days is condensation.

 

[forestdan7]

Thanks for the replies. I've got white or gray smoke, but I haven't noticed any coolant smell, and I've stuck my head in it a few times to check.

Hopefully it's just condensation. I'll pay closer attention when it warms up outside to see if it still happens then.

Could be valve seals, though. It's got 190K on the 2F.

I'll keep an eye on it.

 

[cfdlighthouse]

stickin your head in the exhuast vapors prob. not so good for your lungs.

better way to check for coolant leak in the exhaust is spark plugs. the plug will tend to have white deposits on the electrode and insulator or the plug is cleaner than the rest. this will also tell you where you head gasket is leaking. if you still want to sniff your exhaust and your head gasket is leaking the coolant is forced out of the exhaust system it is usually heated by the hot exhaust manifold and the rest of the exhaust system. This results in a sweet smelling steam emanating from the tailpipe. The steam is rather persistent, that is it will hover in the air and not dissipate like the normal steam/ exhaust that comes from the combustion process.

 

[jeffsclan]

stickin your head in the exhuast vapors prob. not so good for your lungs.

better way to check for coolant leak in the exhaust is spark plugs. the plug will tend to have white deposits on the electrode and insulator or the plug is cleaner than the rest. this will also tell you where you head gasket is leaking. if you still want to sniff your exhaust and your head gasket is leaking the coolant is forced out of the exhaust system it is usually heated by the hot exhaust manifold and the rest of the exhaust system. This results in a sweet smelling steam emanating from the tailpipe. The steam is rather persistent, that is it will hover in the air and not dissipate like the normal steam/ exhaust that comes from the combustion process.

What if all the plugs have the white deposits ?

 

[cfdlighthouse]

What if all the plugs have the white deposits ?

the key when looking for a head gasket leak in the exhaust is differences in plugs. if they are all the same and you still suspect a head gasket leak there are several things you can do for example take out all the plugs pressurize your coolant system coolant from the leak will present itself in the affected cylinders. turn the motor over a couple times with paper towels by the spark plug holes and if the head gasket is leaking the towels will show evidence of coolant; or take cap off radiator when enghine is cool and start motor if coolant blows out under pressure after the thermostat opens then you are back feeding combustion chamber pressure into the cooling system; or take a sample of coolant to a rad shop and they can test it for oil

 

[jeffsclan]

the key when looking for a head gasket leak in the exhaust is differences in plugs. if they are all the same and you still suspect a head gasket leak there are several things you can do for example take out all the plugs pressurize your coolant system coolant from the leak will present itself in the affected cylinders. turn the motor over a couple times with paper towels by the spark plug holes and if the head gasket is leaking the towels will show evidence of coolant; or take cap off radiator when enghine is cool and start motor if coolant blows out under pressure after the thermostat opens then you are back feeding combustion chamber pressure into the cooling system; or take a sample of coolant to a rad shop and they can test it for oil

Thanks, this gives me more to go on.

 

[cfdlighthouse]

if you find a head gasket leaking. might want to consider having the surfaces trued. head gaskets can fail for a couple reasons, the gasket simply wears out, overheating of the engine( more common), improper head torque if gasket was replaced before or improper instalation. the concern is if the gasket failed due to overheating your block or head surfaces may have warped if thats the case then you will have trouble sealing them in the future. so check them out before slapping a new gasket on, also don't forget to replace the head bolts. i am not sure about the f series motor but most motors use a torque to yield bolt that can only be torqued once, makes good sense to replace them anyway.

 

[Michael.lee]

On mine- I notice that on the wall & floor in my garage where the exhaust hits there is some black splatters. My smoke looks like normal condensation and doesn't smell- but the splatters almost look like oil. What does that mean? I can snap photos tomorrow and upload.

 

[RockDoc]

On mine- I notice that on the wall & floor in my garage where the exhaust hits there is some black splatters. My smoke looks like normal condensation and doesn't smell- but the splatters almost look like oil. What does that mean? I can snap photos tomorrow and upload.

Mix of soot and water.

 

[Michael.lee]

Awesome. I like not reading "Oh man, your truck is messed up. You are gonna need this do-hicky, and that thing-a-ma-jiggy, and it'll probably cost like $500 and 15 hours of your time to fix."

 

[RockDoc]

Awesome. I like not reading "Oh man, your truck is messed up. You are gonna need this do-hicky, and that thing-a-ma-jiggy, and it'll probably cost like $500 and 15 hours of your time to fix."

Have you done the a front axle rebuild yet?