smoke underneath my ford explorer(video included)

[xz96]

sorry post same question again, it's kinda like an update though



it,s a 1999 ford explorer 4.0sohc, it has240k miles on it.

It happened while i was going up hill, the video was recorded after I turned off the engine.

there's a slight burning rubber smell

air conditioner was turned off, after I went downhill, the smoke's nearly gone(i didn't hit gas pedal at all while downhill), so my guess it's some problem related to gas or engine, but i have no idea what it is..

elevation 6000feet, outside temperature 80, i was climbing for like 40min, 20miles.

the repair shop already checked seals and fixed all the leaking but the smoke's still there

When it's on flat road, there's a very very small amount of smoke, i can barely see it

what might be the cause of the smoke?

is this smoke normal consider the elevation and climbing?

Can I live with it? Or should I ask the mechanic to dig deeper and find the problem?

I have a long road trip coming up soon..

truck seems running fine to me

thank you all

 

[ThreeJs]

that's the catalytic converter smoking. Possibly getting oil sucked into the exhaust, Valves or valve guides? Clogged or broken down catalyst? Too much fuel overloading the cat? Coolant getting sucked into the exhaust?
Only things that come to mind at this point.

 

[koda2000]

that's the catalytic converter smoking. Possibly getting oil sucked into the exhaust, Valves or valve guides? Clogged or broken down catalyst? Too much fuel overloading the cat? Coolant getting sucked into the exhaust?
Only things that come to mind at this point.

i think it's more likely something is dripping onto the catalytic converter. probably engine oil or trans fluid. if coolant or oil was getting into the exhaust would smoke, not the outside of the converter.

 

[xz96]

that's the catalytic converter smoking. Possibly getting oil sucked into the exhaust, Valves or valve guides? Clogged or broken down catalyst? Too much fuel overloading the cat? Coolant getting sucked into the exhaust?
Only things that come to mind at this point.

thanks, i did some research on that.

Do you think i should replace a smoking catalytic converter asap? it only causes visiable smoke on high elevation and climbing...and im kinda on budget..Do you think there's a high possibility that this bad catalytic converter will cause more problem on a 4000miles road trip?

 

[xz96]

i think it's more likely something is dripping onto the catalytic converter. probably engine oil or trans fluid. if coolant or oil was getting into the exhaust would smoke, not the outside of the converter.

The mechanic said the same thing but they fixed the leaks and there's still smoke,

I forgot to mention that the temp gauge was in middle when the white smoke come out(after going uphill), and the temp gauge was low when the smoke was barely visible.(after downhill)

does it sounds like a bad catalytic converter?

 

[1998Exp]

I am with Koda on this one. If that smoke was coming from the inside of the catalytic converter you would see much more of it out of the tailpipe. You would probably also hear some nasty noise if that converter was damaged badly enough to leak.
Something is dripping on the outside surface of the catalytic converter, probably coolant or transmission fluid. The leak may not be visible with the engine off. There is no pressure in the transmission cooling lines when the engine is off, so a leak from there might have been missed. Did the mechanic pressurize the radiator to check for coolant leaks?
Incidentally, I hate to even think of something like that, but your EX is not losing any brake fluid, is it?

The mechanic said the same thing but they fixed the leaks and there's still smoke,
I forgot to mention that the temp gauge was in middle when the white smoke come out(after going uphill), and the temp gauge was low when the smoke was barely visible.(after downhill)
does it sounds like a bad catalytic converter?

 

[lobo411]

Go by the smell. Exhaust fumes have no smell. Dripping oil or trans fluid is going to smell like burned oil/rubber. Dripping coolant is going to smell like pancake syrup.

It's really easy for oil to leak down from the upper engine and accumulate on the cat, so I'd bet it was that.

 

[xz96]

hmmm guess i gotta ask my mechanic to check leaks again

 

[Tommylee1282]

I hAd a thermostat leak the spit coolant over the top of the engine below the intake manifold and it would pool up until I got to a hill then it would smoke a lot on that same cat and my transmission I only found the leak when I did a pressure test and felt the air escaping the with a flashlight I spotted a pool of coolant all I did was open the thermostat and apply more Rtv sealant to the gasket

 

[ranger7ltr]

Looks like a rear main and/or intake/valve cover gasket leak...

While my 99 has the ohv 4 liter that was typical of an oil leak from the valve cover/intake manifold gasket leaking...If there is oil pooling on the bellhousing then I would look at the rear main seal again...

Can't tell from the video though...Seems minor but any oil hitting the convertor could be a problem... And this is an external leak from the smoke I see in your video...BTW it could also be tranny fluid dripping instead of engine oil...

Please let us know what you find out...

 

[Flash]

You said your mechanic fixed all the leaks but have you gone under your car and looked?
My Ex smoked exactly the same way from a rear main seal leak. Also check check the pan and cam covers for leaks.

 

[xz96]

While my 99 has the ohv 4 liter that was typical of an oil leak from the valve cover/intake manifold gasket leaking...If there is oil pooling on the bellhousing then I would look at the rear main seal again...

Can't tell from the video though...Seems minor but any oil hitting the convertor could be a problem... And this is an external leak from the smoke I see in your video...BTW it could also be tranny fluid dripping instead of engine oil...

Please let us know what you find out...

mechanic checked it again, he said there's just a old buildup, let it burn for like 10 days and there should be no more smokes