steam from rear of engine bay

[smegun]

got some steam from engine bay not at idle but after a short drive and temps are in the middle I get steam white smokey stuff think its coolant but little is shown out the bottle its doesn't seem to draw in any coolant as on the line ….fine white smoke what or where is it coming from ????
I put in a new quality thermostat and re purged it still same effect ...

I have also taken out the heater core out of the equation ( hot air )plugging the inlet on the thermostat housing and disconnecting the circulation motor keeping the heater core in a closed loop...also there is a weak dribble coming out the purge valve but I top off the main fill on the thermostat housing a couple times before a run to avoid the air gap

I wonder if I got a cotton ball in the cooling system or that I have a bad head gasket seal but after comment two people told me that its never a head gasket but more than likely a coolant line issue but where in the back of the engine would it be ?
Im not picturing a manifold because there is no water in the lower manifold but there is a big gap under it though
I could imagine a stuck thermostat that I changed don't really like the big thermostat design it feels like a ton to move I put in a new CARQUEST unit .. my next experiment is to put back the motor and heater valve circuit to original the car heats up fast to the middle line and you know what happens if there is any gap in the fluid level HOT

 

[smegun]

if you fill it turn it over a few revs then add some more coolant to top it off it wont overheat and embarrass you arse but im worried the last owner found out or otherwise high temps as boiling coolant becomes and immediate issue for improper coolant level ….

 

[capt fast]

lord knows I despise making assumptions, but, does the "white smokey stuff" smell like coolant or did I miss that?
I have an acquaintance who slobbered Transmission fluid all over the exhaust while servicing the trans fluid after trans filter r&r. got herself some white smoke at the rear of the engine bay. tell me that ain't so?
A pressurized cooling system won't boil-as in cooking rice-until somewhat higher temp; 230deg F?. If you have a coolant leak, then the system is not pressurized and coolant boiling temp will depend on your pressure altitude. because you have vapor at the rear of the engine bay, you may be suspecting the heater systems are leaking. the system for the heater has flexible hoses between the engine and firewall. the hot fluid ages the hose. the hose gets leaks. the leaks hit the hot exhaust. it flashes the leaking fluid to steam. If the coolant is hot enough and the system is holding some pressure, just hitting the outside air would flash it to steam. it could happen.
there is an O-ring on the nipple that passes fluid to the center of the water pump(low pressure area in the pump) and a tube from that, that runs thru the cylinder valley beneath the intake manifold and exits the rear of the block where it plumbs into the heater return line. there is a drain for the cylinder valley at the center rear wall of the valley . If your are sure the steamy white smoke is coolant, a careful searching inspection involving lights and mirrors (inspection camera if available) is called for. could be a failed coolant crossover in the intake manifold at the front of the manifold. you gotta look.

 

[smegun]

didn't notice ill check I managed to pick up an endoscope but I was in there they only thing I remember is that there is a sensor under the manifold I didn't change it I was a little concerned ..ive got a 2002 sport I havnt been driving it I know it has some kind of pressure if warm it spews coolant from the cap some kinda pressure but maybe pressures have to rise to leak ... im looking for a diagram of what your talking about from the pump nipple sounds like a possibility

 

[tireman]

Uhhh? Vehicle year model? Mystery smoke in my 01V6 came from the rear of the intake manifold valve, the o rings inside wear out allowing old oil to seep out and drop on the exhaust manifold, thereby burning up causing the smoke. look to your exhaust manifolds for white markings where oil has dripped on them and burned. could be a valve cover leak too.

 

[smegun]

2002 sport 3.9 I replaced my intake seals once under the manifold recently the valley didn't appear to be gooped up I do have some hesitations in throttle but since a brake booster job my vacuum is better but still a little jumpy might be right im accepting all considerations for the white smoke ... are we talking on the lines of a crack in the cylinder/head somewhere ? ?... no water in the oil or visaversa…. I could take a few photos of head work done on these to find common grounds (problems) to make assumptions EX: on the ford cologne engine expanded to a degree over the years leaving thin areas between the cyls that were prone to crack not until later mods and aftermarket castings was the cure

 

[Danbo9]

I had a similar problem on my 2004 V6 LS too. Like tireman posted, my problem was the O-rings in the covers for the two tuned intake port butterflies (not sure if that's the exact name for them). I was getting a burning oil smell inside the car when the fresh air vent was open. It was dripping some oil blowback from the intake down onto the exhaust pipes. If you feel around at the back of the intake on the passenger side there's two round covers. Check at the bottom of them and see if you have oil residue. Mine wouldn't leak while sitting in the driveway and running, only when I was on the road at higher rpm's. There's a separate o-ring under each cover, roughly 2 or 3 inch diameter. I read that you can take the covers off without removing the intake, but I wanted to put new coil packs on anyway so I replaced the o-rings during that process. I think I found them at Oreillys, 3 or 4 bucks each.