Sudden misfire/smoke/sputter

[tracymckibben]

Two weekends ago, I replaced the fuel filter, air filter, and PCV valve on my 93 Explorer (V6). I've been bragging for the past week about how much my gas mileage has improved (1/2 tank in 2 weeks, vs. full tank in 2 weeks before the change). Engine has been nice and smooth, no problems at all.

This morning, I leave for work, truck starts normally. I get less than a mile down the road, and sudden the truck starts sputtering, obviously misfiring on at least one cylinder. There's a cloud of blue/white smoke, and an overwhelming smell of gasoline. Over the next three miles to my office, I used a quarter tank of gas.

What the heck happened? Some things I've read say it's a stuck fuel injector, some say a bad pressure regulator, others say a blown head gasket. I don't think it's the head gasket, because I don't smell antifreeze, I smell gasoline. The only thing "unusual" today is the weather, it was damp & rainy for the first time in weeks.

Wife is bringing me a bottle of Seafoam to run through the gas tank, and she's going to follow me home, just in case. Where do I start looking for this problem when I get home?

 

[seth247]

The only way I see that you could use that much gas that quikly is a stuck injector or two.

But the blue white smoke, that's troubling, blue means oil and white means water.

Possibly ALOT of condensation in the gas tank cause of the cool rainy weather.

If nothing else works try siphoning as mch ofnthe tank as possible and check the gas for water.

 

[ricco750]

Pull the vacuum line off the fuel pressure regulator, and see if there's gasoline in it. With the vacuum line still detached, start the engine and see if fuel comes out the vacuum port. If yes to either, you need a new FPR. The FPR appears to have a MTBF of about 15 years...this is my observation from reading posts on this site. I just replaced mine last weekend...it was working fine, but I would rather replace things on my schedule, than on the failed device's schedule.

 

[tracymckibben]

It's definately fuel-related. When I left the office yesterday, it continued to cough & sputter, smoke, etc... I drove it about 1/4 mile to an empty parking lot and shut it off, so that I could look for any obvious visual clues, loose plug wire, leaks, etc... Some form of liquid was blowing out of the exhaust pipe, and it was wet inside, with a definate gasoline odor. Also, on the driver's side, the exhaust manifold was wet under the center spark plug. There didn't seem to be an odor to that liquid, but I couldn't get a real good sample due to the temp. Coolant level was perfect, oil level was perfect, no coolant smell or burnt oil smell.

I dumped a bottle of Seafoam into the gas tank (just over 1/4 tank of gas). When I started the truck up again, it sputtered for just a few seconds, smoked like crazy, BUT THEN THE SPUTTERING STOPPED!!! Revved it up a few times, then proceeded to drive home, smoking like crazy for about a mile, but then the smoke stopped as well, and the thing was running perfectly.

I'll pull the vacuum line off the FPR tonight, to see if that shows anything, but at this point, I'm assuming it was either water in the fuel, or a stuck injector.

 

[Red 93 L1 #3383]

When I was working in an automotive garge we replaced a few FPR on 4.0 X along with many other cars. Sometimes the reg. will stick & you'll have well over 100psi of fuel pressure & other times the diaphram will rupture spraying gas out of the vac. port. We also replaced a few inj. that had stuck open. The seafoam may have freed the stuck part, but it could happen again.

 

[tracymckibben]

Unfortunately, I think my problems are bigger than the FPR - the poor truck started puking an oily, watery sludge out the exhaust pipe Friday morning, and it pumping out a steady fog of oil smoke and steam. I believe the head gasket has given up the ghost.

Considering the engine has 200K miles on it, and I only paid $1500 for the truck, I decided not to fix it. I found another one today, a 2000 XLT, and purchased it. I'll try to sell Old Smokey, but may end up just junking it.

 

[XxxMonoxideChild]

make sure to post up some parts on here to help out other locals and so on before you junk it! you would be surprised how many trucks your truck can help save before you send it off. sorry to hear about your loss though.

 

[mawrazen]

Sounds like its running rich.

Look for:

Vacuum leak, bad tranny modulator valve or bad O2 sensors.

How many miles, any CEL?