Hey everyone,

Okay so my 22RE has some problems. Not only do I have a large crack almost the entire diameter of my exhaust (part going from the engine to the cat just above the driver's side torsion bar) but it's spitting loogies out of the exhaust. It's black and it's pretty wet but doesn't seem oily. Also smells like I'm burning a bit rich.

I'm not sure what kind of problem I have but here's some more information - during the clutch work we thought we might be burning some oil but at this point I'm not sure if I'm burning or if I'm leaking. I made a 300 mile drive from Pismo to San Diego no problem, with the current issues.

There was also some speculation that the previous owner may have had a friend do the smog 'cause it really doesn't look like it'd pass. It wouldn't surprise me if the cat was completely gutted.

Another thing to note is that my mileage is pretty bad. I think the last time I checked I got close to 12 MPG.

Any suggestions people?

 

Do you have visible oil leaks? Is the black exhaust constant or only on start up?

 

The loogies are on start up from what I can tell.
The rest of the time the exhaust looks white-ish

No visible oil leaks - when working on the clutch I found that the entire oil pan was held up by bolts that were not tight at all. Once I tightened them up the leak has all but disappeared - there was still some leaking on the way down but the runner hasn't moved in about 2 weeks and the ground underneath it is pretty dry. You could tell it leaked some oil a while ago as it is still somewhat fresh but it's definitely not new.

 

Actually, don't hold me to that. I have yet to see if I'm getting it when I'm revving the engine. The stuff is spewing up to 1 1/2 feet from the exhaust.

 

maybe check the timing. You can get a new muffler for 80 bucks (the tail part) Try some sea foam. I see you have over 4000 posts so you probably have set the timing, know how cheap mufflers are, and a least though about using sea foam. Sorry i cant help but post the solution when you figure it out.

 

Read all the spark plugs and let us know, w/pics if possible.

 

4000+ means that I like to talk

I actually have a Magnaflow sitting in my garage so I may put that in. I've seen all those posts lately on the sea foam stuff so I may give that a try.

Timing, sheesh, I think I may just leave that alone.



You know, I was actually thinking about doing this today but didn't have free time until after the sun was already setting. I may get to this task on Monday. Some guys did mention that I may have a valve problem and a compression test might be in order.

Just a matter of finding the time to get to it

Anyone else who might know what's going on?

 

IF the crack is before the O2 sensor it will make the engine run rich

 

If its got a loogie problem just feed it two advil cold and sinus tablets every morning via the gas tank.:bounce2:

 

So someone mentioned replacing the muffler.
Not that I know all that much but I've never heard of a muffler going bad. Granted this is an 18 year old vehicle, it still has a flowmaster aftermarket.

Is the muffler going to be responsible for the loogies?

 

I don't think this is a muffler problem. Someone correct me if I've got this backward, but black smoke is gas, white is oil? Check the plugs for fouling, would indicate you're running rich. The comment about the O2 sensor sounds like a good idea too.

 

I thought blue smoke was oil?

I am going to take the runner into a muffler shop and get that exhaust problem taken care of sometime within the next 2 weeks. Sounds like I should definitely check the plugs though.

 

a little oil will burn blue, but a lot of oil will burn more whitish

 

I can take pictures of my truck's door where it got sprayed.

The amount of smoke was not indicative of a headgasket leak, if anybody was wondering. Pete's got a brand new all pro rear bumper and where the exhaust exits, the bumper was covered in soot. You'd think it was a diesel.

 

yeah, it's a bit hard to tell what color the smoke from the exhaust is - it's a bit whitish but not noticeably so. You'll totally miss it if you're just casually looking at the truck running.

Thanks for the clarification Steve.
Sorry about the loogies on your clean white panels

 

The black smoke sounds like carbon build up in the engine. Try some seafoam or bg 44.

 

White smoke is generally coolant, black gas, blue oil. I would rule out the muffler as a cause if you are sure it is a Flowmaster because Flowmaster mufflers are baffled, no packing. A couple questions: Have you noticed any coolant loss? Any unusual amount of oil consumption? Overheat the car recently? What was the last thing you did before this started?

I am leaning towards the crack being infront of your 02 sensor and you are getting lots of unmetered air which is causing you to run pig rich. However, it could be something more serious like a cracked head for instance. Get the exhaust fixed and reset the computer, then go from there. Good luck.

 

Yes, I'll definitely get my exhaust fixed before anything else.
I'm pretty sure it's a Flowmaster as that's what it says on the muffler itself Dunno how old it is though.
Any unusual oil consumption - that's hard to say. I just recently got an oil leak taken care of.
Overheating? No way, either my thermometer is broken or it takes a LOT to overheat my runner. Even after 5 hours of traffic and driving to Pismo from San Diego I was reading maybe 1/2 on the guage - if that.
What was the last thing? Fixing the clutch Actually, I did rev it to probably red line (no tach) when I was on the dunes.

I was going to start it up today and see if I could make some more determinations but the runner wouldn't start I'm thinking alternator as I have a nice new Optima sitting in there. Funny thing. After sitting unused for 2 weeks after Pismo I start it up just fine last Friday. I try it again 2 days later and not a single crank. The clock and the lights work just fine though.

Bob,
Okay, pulled the plugs today but it was dark so I couldn't get any quality pics. I do have, however, this pic:


My plugs looked a bit like this except with a little more carbon deposits. I didn't remember to look at the gap though :pat:

More accurately, the plugs look a lot like the one in the Haynes manual next to "Carbon Deposits."
Nothing horrendously bad, thank goodness

Actually, there is one thing I noticed. Plugs #2 and 3 had a notch on the electrode. Is that part of normal wear and tear? Do I have debris in the cylinder? And how do I clean it out?

Thanks everyone, the input is all very good so far

 

BUMP

I'm still kind of hawkin' out loogies - doesn't smell as rich though. I'm also getting carbon flakes on my hand when I hold it in front of the exhaust... is that something a simple as a carbon build up?

I'll have to start looking for Seafoam.

 

I'd say check the throttle position sensor first thing. Then after making sure it is working right and is set correctly, pull the o2 sensor and clean it. By now it is so covered in junk that it will read a lean condition and have the ecu crank more out of the injectors and the problem will only continue to get worse. While you are at it, do new spark plugs and you may want to run some type of engine cleaner like the Seafoam people talk so much about. The loogies are likely all over your pistons and valves too.
Definitely a problem to get ahold of fast because if the cat isn't gutted now, it will be once it gets full of half burned fuel, gets hot and ignites <--unhappy cat