Hey everyone, I need some help and guidance. I have a 1990 f150 lariat, not in the best condition but strong engine, never given me a issue. I changed the oil and filter the other day, now I am having white smoke come up from underneath the engine. It is close to overheating and I can't figure out why. I don't know if it's something I did during oil change or maybe seperate issue, it's now a daily driver so I didn't notice right away.
Thanks for your help
Dave

 

White smoke is coolant or water being burnt up. Sounds like you have a leak and need to track it down, your overheating confirms this. Check for puddles and they will give you a starting point on where to look. If you aren't getting white smoke out of the tail pipe that would lead me to believe that you don't have a hg issue.

 

I have been havjng issues with a power steering fluid leak. Could that be it? It's never caused any real issues before, smoke/steam appears to be coming off the engine block. Under the cylinders the metal around the spark plugs. It takes about 5 minutes to start smoking. I put cardboard under the engine to check for leaks but I don't really see any. And coolant fluids remain steady

 

It appears to be from intense heat in the area. Could it be that it isn't getting coolant?

 

Get a can or two of engine brite cleaner. Wash the engine off from the edge of the valve cover down and around the pan. Also carefully clean the PS pump and other stuff off. Maybe even spray some on the radiator and clean the fins real well. Then drive it and see where the leak is coming from.

 

Agreed, clean surfaces are easier to find problems on. What does the smoke smell like? Oil, trans/ps fluid, or sweet like coolant?

 

Ok. I am waiting for the engine cleaner to settle before I wash off. I noticed something odd tho. My radiator fluid tank is full, but the radiator under the cap seems empty, I disconnected the hose from the tank to the radiator and held it lower than the tank.... Radiator fluid should be freely draining from this hose now right? Cause I got nothing

 

Probably got crap in the bottom of the tank plugging up the hose.

 

SO then it's definitely a coolant leak that's burning up on the hot engine, you will need to track down the leak and fix it. Take a hose and flush out the cold fill tank, ream the hose out with a wire coat hanger (or something) or just replace it (only a couple bucks at the hardware store). Never judge your coolant level based on the cold fill (overflow) tank. Always check the actual radiator when the engine is cool, usually first thing in the morning is a good time.

 

Got a good amount of exploring done today and it was a clog in the radiator hose. I decided to just flush the whole system. After cleaning I found another issue tho. I have a fairly large exhaust leak at the flange just below the exhaust manifold on the driver side. I have seen flange replacement kits, is that a good repair option? I could also buy a replacement Y pipe but they aftermarket ones don't seem to have a spot for the O2 sensor. How bad is a leak there if it is not pumping into the cab? I assume if would cause the engine to overheat but I am not sure. Thanks again for the help