Well this beast has been through it all. The latest is during startup, seeing a lot of white smoke initially, but have running a while it dissipates. Also, every now and then when I attempt to start it, it won't crank. It's almost like it is a hydrostatic lock. Usually after a couple of turning the key off and back on it will start. Just for clarity, it is indeed actuating the starter, but it is like something in the engine preventing the motor from turning. Yesterday it did it again after shutting down from a 10 to 15 min. drive. About an hour later I tried to start it and no go. I tried recycling the key off and to start but would not start. Popped the hood and twisted the coolant cap off the reservoir. Man was there a lot of pressure in their. Tried to start it and started right up. I'm convinced there is a correlation between the starting problem, the white smoke at startup and the enormous back pressure in the Res. What is it?

 

Its could be a few things. First off white smoke can be fuel or coolant.
Fuel related problems. Fuel injector could be stuck wide open.
Fuel injector could be loose or have bad seals letting fuel pass from the rail into the cylinder.
Coolant. Could be from a craked EGR cooler leaking down the passengers side up-pipe and into which ever cylinder is setting with exhaust valve open. Or it could be cylinder head gaskets.

When you walk by it does it smell like a old diesel or karosene heater that burns your eyes? If so its a fuel issue.

 

Thanks for the response. Head Gaskets R&R'd three times with ARP's installed the last time. It has always spit coolant out the res. even with studs. Running "street tune" from Innovative and I rarely dog it. Run the Lucas Diesel additive in every tank in hopes of keeping it clean. Installed the coolant filtration system and change filters about every six months. Opened up the front of the stock air filter box for greater air passage and bowed to the God of the West. I have a modded EGR cooler sys. in my Shop, but haven't installed yet. I'm thinking my engine is telling me it's time to change or should I bow in another direction?

 

Probably either headgaskets or egr cooler. Was the oil cooler ever rebuilt or replaced when the gaskets were done? Were the heads decked before the studs were put in?

 

Oil Cooler replacement yes, but years back. Heads decked, no as it was done under warranty and of course they said heads looked good. Therefore heads were not decked.

 

Probably headgaskets again... I went through this same crapola.

 

I've been looking at going with the complete egr delete and oil cooler replacement package through Sinister with hopes that the ARP studs which are currently installed are doing the job. I haven't seen any moisture/fluid loss out the exhaust so I'm hoping that everything from the heads down are still intact. I have no intentions of pulling the cab only the hood and suspend myself over the engine through meditation... Ya think it'll work? Not. I'll figure something out on how to pull all the garbage off and get to the oil cooler as that'll probably be the hardest. Turbo, intact and all the other bolt-ons along the way. God, I need a beer already.

 

I have an 04 in the shop right know that was smoking bright white and knocking. Once shut off it hydro locked. #7 fuel injector came loose and fuel was rolling right past it.
Found out it had heads done at another shop 4 months ago. When the injector was reinstalled it wasn't torqued right and backed loose.
Just because its white doesn't mean coolant.

 

Correct, with what jagsdiesel said. Figure if it's coolant or fuel first, that will lead to two different outcomes here.

I didn't realize you had the EGR cooler still intact as well. Pull the EGR valve and look in the intake manifold, see if it looks wet in there... let us know.

 

White smoke on first start up during winter is normal?