so my 08 has always puffed a white puff at first start up of the day. kinda looks like an older 350 that has leaking valve guides. it goes away like 1/2 second later.

So this morning the boy and i were headed to go moto, temp was high teen low 20's the first 15 miles was flat ground, truck up to temp.

then the decent happens, it's about 20 miles long. i notice out the tail pip every now and then white smoke. puff here puff there. sometimes a longer trail. 300 yards long. has to be in the shadow to see it. in the morning sun it's non detectable. so my thought was the cold air temp maybe? or is it time to buy injectors? do i have to have a dealer set the codes? or can a local mechanic shop do it for me. i asked one, he said for Some of them he can. i was not crazy about his responses to my questions. anyhow.

anything else i should check.?

Oil level is fine. doesn't smell of fuel,

mpg's are ok. got 18 round trip today. with two bikes in the bed and loaded of gear. runnin 72.

 

Looks like a leaky injector to me.

Check antifreeze maybe, air in fuel?

coolant doesn't bubble at idle or at rpm, but I do have a parasitic leak some where. i'v added about 1/2 quart in 12K miles.

i'm not sure if it'd be worth it and just pulling the head, and throwing new injectors in. not sure i trust my wrenching abilities in doing so. so it'd be a shop. and so far the 4 i've talked to around here, leave a little to be desired. no straight forward answers.

 

can i do the injectors my self? or do i have to have a shop set the trim codes?

NO one can answer that one for me. yet...

 

If you're losing coolant, and not leaking  on the ground chances are: head gasket, cracked head, oil cooler.

Sorry I'm not an expert on the newer motor, but I don't see why you couldn't do injectors yourself if you have basic mechanic skills and some tools. If you take the head off make sure to take it to the machine shop and magnaflex it, and more than likely they'll have to shave a little bit off. If you have a lot of miles might want to do the valve job, guides and hardened exhaust valve seats. While you're at it get a set of ARP head studs.

Take the oil cooler part back, it would leak on ground. Another place is turbo, if it gets cooled by antifreeze. 

Edited February 7, 20178 yr by Dieselfuture

i'd deliver the truck to Mike and pay him to do it, but i think with his obligations to MOparMom, it's not something he can take on right now.  i'll keep searching for a competent mechanic.

If you are not seeing water in the oil or oil in the water I dont think I would pull the head. If it is injetors you dont have to pull the head as far as I know, but I dont know how to diagnose them. Pulling the head just opens a whole new pocket in your wallet.