White smoke on start up.

[Sgt_Lemon]

Every time I start the engine cold I get a lot of white smoke coming out the exhaust and a strong smell of burning coolant. I need to do my second oil change after changing the head which stopped this problem last time. Once the engine has gone a mile down the road the smoke stops. Should I be concerned or just keep an eye on coolant levels?

[Sgt_Lemon]

Bump

[Gambit]

are you sure it aint just moisture/steam

[Sgt_Lemon]

The temperature has been way to warm for that. I am also slowly losing coolant but no noticeable leaks.

[Wayne]

Get the head gasket checked / tested.

[gazareth]

you could also have an over rich fuel mixture and a small coolant leak hidden away somewhere. did you have the head skimmed before fitting and was it torqued down right? could also be a crack in the head but that's not very common.

[Sgt_Lemon]

Yeah the head was skimmed, had to remove the head though after initial fitting due to snapping a pencil in the fist cylinder like an idiot. However the engine was never run the first time so the gasket should have been fine.

[gazareth]

Yeah the head was skimmed, had to remove the head though after initial fitting due to snapping a pencil in the fist cylinder like an idiot. However the engine was never run the first time so the gasket should have been fine.

how on earth did you end up with a pencil in your engine? anyway I would try retorqued the head bolts first just for the ell of it. start from the middle bolts. crack each 1 off slightly then retorque working your way outwards 1 at a time. not a guaranteed cure. but worth a shot.

[Wayne]

Yeah the head was skimmed, had to remove the head though after initial fitting due to snapping a pencil in the fist cylinder like an idiot. However the engine was never run the first time so the gasket should have been fine.

It will have been compressed so that could be causing you problems

[Sgt_Lemon]

how on earth did you end up with a pencil in your engine? anyway I would try retorqued the head bolts first just for the ell of it. start from the middle bolts. crack each 1 off slightly then retorque working your way outwards 1 at a time. not a guaranteed cure. but worth a shot.

I was setting the timing and wanted to check that cylinder one was at tdc. I thought what can I push in the hole that won't scratch my shiny piston. As the cylinder came round to tdc the rubber end of the pencil cracked and fell into the cylinder. Because it was the rubber end with the metal I had to remove the head again haha. I will try retorquing the head.