2000 4.0 OHV Sudden amount of white smoke

[jhow1]

189,000 miles with no major work. Never uses or leaks any fluids - not a drop that I’ve ever found.
Done the upper and lower intake gaskets back in April to get rid of a CEL. Been running great since then. Yesterday I fired it up for work and it was running rough and pouring white smoke out the tailpipe.
I pulled all the plugs after running it for about five minutes and all were warm and normal looking except #4 (front cylinder, drivers side) - it was stone cold and wet.
I’m not losing fluid, nor do I see any milkshake fluid but then again I haven’t driven it in this condition so maybe those symptoms just haven’t had time to show up.

Is there a way to tell if it’s a failed lower gasket or if it is a head problem?

 

[vroomzoomboom]

do a pressure test on it. if the gauge leaks down, you have a problem. that and you can buy strips that you dunk into your coolant. it will change colour if there are exhaust gases in it

 

[974X4BLACKSPORT]

Turn the engine over with the spark plugs out and watch for coolant to come out that cylinder that had the wet plug, if so, than you probably have a failed head gasket.

 

[96eb96]

that certainly sounds like the OHV cracked head. Blow compressed air into the cyl and see if the coolant level rises. You can also run the engine with some coolant taken off the radiator neck and see if it rises or bubbles. I fixed mine with K-seal, YMMV though, no guarantees. If the truck is in nice shape you may want to replace the head.

 

[koda2000]

Either a cracked head or blown head gasket. The 4.0L OHV engine is prone to cracking heads.

K-Seal is good stuff. Worth a try when the issue is coolant getting into a cyl. As said, no guarantee though.