Ford F-53 Black Smoke

[jeremywatco]

Hi All,

Came back from a trip today and was climbing a grade at a pretty high engine RPM when the car behind us (caravaing) called to say I was blowing black then white then black smoke out the passenger side.

Once I got to the top of the grade it stopped and i couldnt get it to repeat itself again. Engine was purring away just fine entire time.

2014 Fleetwoo Storm on the F-53 Chassis.

Odd thing is that the exhaust is on the drivers side, so I am assuming just the road wind was sucking it back and out the passengers side.

Any ideas? Obviously will take to the dealership, but just seeing if right off the bad anything that would cause a gasser to be dumping smoke like that

[jerseyjim]

FUZZYKNIGHT: Your idea sounds good...but I thought Ford (having that problem in the very early years) re-routed the air intake to avoid just that.

[FuzzyKnight]

You said it was raining pretty good. With that information I am going to say you may have sucked in a bunch of water which momentarily made the engine go rich and the white smoke was steam as the water went through the engine.

[bshpilot]

check all the fluids ? including the coolant - white smoke (as reported) could be a sign of coolant being blow out the tail pipe or missing in the cylinder.

also check the (oil) dipstick for any signs of water or water bubbles.

[Oldme]

Black smoke indicates a rich mixture.
Going up hill adds stress and the motor calls for
more fuel.

Still possibility an overly rich mixture.
Several reasons for that. Ranging from just
normal enrichment for extra power to an injector
that passes too much fuel.

Personally, if it was only when under stress,
I would not worry about it. Just like then in old
days when you go out on the interstate and get an
"Italian Tune-up".

You say it is running good now.
Has the MPG dropped?

[Krusty]

I suspect the transmission got warm, expelling some transmission fluid from the vent onto the hot exhaust pipe.

[lrgbas]

turn off the cruise control going up steep hills

[LVJ58]

mabynack wrote:
Diesel or gas engine?

The Ford V 10 is GAS

[cbr46]

You can look up engine codes with a Scan Gauge (another benefit!). If there was a malfunction it should have a record.

Of course, lots of auto parts stores can look up codes also.

- bob

[mabynack]

Diesel or gas engine?

[dhicks0581]

Get it checked out for sure, any time you have smoke from the exhaust be it gas or diesel that means there is something not running correctly, the reason you are seeing the black then white smoke is the computer is increasing the fuel to compensate for the load of climbing the hill however because you are seeing smoke it is increasing it to far, once the o2 sensors respond and tell the computer that it quickly decreases it and you get the white smoke because it is leaning out the cylinders, most likely there is at least one sensor that while still working isn't sending the correct signal and the computer is struggling to find the correct mixture to run at, running a bit rich isn't a horrible thing other than bad gas mileage and possible fouling of plugs but lean can lead to a ton of problems most notably the spark plug issue that the V-10 has.

[crasster]

Did it throw any lights? (CIL or check engine?)

[JumboJet]

Soot buildup along the exhaust system?

[jeremywatco]

Everything looks great under the rig. I may take to dealer just to be safe.

[jeremywatco]

Dale.Traveling wrote:
Using my 2006 as a comparison, the exhaust tail pipe is on the driver's side but it runs down the passenger side of the chassis and crosses over just before the rear axle. Left cylinders cross over to the right just in front of the transmission torque converter housing. Climb under and take a close look at the transmission cooler lines and filter which on the right side of the chassis between the frame and engine. Also check the transmission oil level. The Ford transmission has the thermostat much like the engine that will open when hot, as with a hill climb, and send oil to the cooler to regulate the transmission temp. Hotter the transmission the more oil going to the cooler. Doesn't take much oil on a hot exhaust to make a lot of smoke.

Take a look at the catalytic convertor heat shields. You could have picked up some road debris, such as a piece of retread, that the hot convertor burned off.

Rather than an RV dealer find a Ford truck service center. Take it to the experts. In San Diego Miramar Ford Truck Sales might be a better choice for chassis related problems.

Thanks for the info. I never take it to the RV dealer. I've always taken it to the local ford dealer. However they seem to take a few tries to fix things. It's always been pretty convenient as they are 10min away. But I'd agree that the truck center is a better option.

Once the rain lets up I'll crawl under and take a look.