White Smoke out driver's side Exhaust!

[Moose]

Well, I took the truck in for an exhaust leak on the pax side Sunday last week. Was a gash in the manifold and the head. Got the head planed and a new manifold put on. Well went to pick it up today, and low and behold there is now a leak on the driver's side, and it is blowin white smoke out the tailpipe. Oh and the lifters are knockin on the driver's side too!

Seems to me that the mechanic that did the job didn't either torque down the lifters correctly, or didn't torque em at all. As far as the white smoke, I believe he messed up the head gasket on the driver's side while either removing or installing the intake. the exhaust leak could be coinsidental I suppose.

What do you guys think? Is there anything I'm not considering here? Any help would be appreciative. I don't want to tell someone they screwed up if in fact they have not, but the truck sounds and runs worse than when I took it in for repair.

Thanks,
Moose

1972 Ford 100, 360cu engine

[fordman]

what i would do is to replace the head gasket for sure. while the head is off i would have it checked fo rcracks. (magnifluxed). then i would put it back on and then see what to do about the lifters. maybe they are loose maybe there is water in the oil i dk. i havent seen it.

[Moose]

thanks, thats exactly what I thought.

[OldRedFord]

Id do a compression check first. If its low its a head gasket. If its in speck it could just be the intake manifold gasket.

[knightfire83]

Maybe I'm a little slow today but.....

Well, I took the truck in for an exhaust leak on the pax side Sunday last week. Was a gash in the manifold and the head. Got the head planed and a new manifold put on.

You had the passenger side head removed and planed for an exhaust leak? To me this would mean resurfacing the head to block mating area. I imagine you mean you had the pass. side head removed and resurfaced the exhaust ports on the head??

Well went to pick it up today, and low and behold there is now a leak on the driver's side,

Perhaps it was always there, but you couldn't hear it over the pass. side leak, or u thought it was coming from the pass. side? If you have an exhaust crossover from the drivers side to the pass. side, the movement in the pipe induced by removing the pass. side exhaust manifold could have damaged the dr. side exhaust donut.

and it is blowin white smoke out the tailpipe.

Which side?

Oh and the lifters are knockin on the driver's side too! Seems to me that the mechanic that did the job didn't either torque down the lifters correctly, or didn't torque em at all.

Likely from an improper rocker shaft installation. (mechanic didn't torque them down correctly as you said, he could have bent the shaft.)

As far as the white smoke, I believe he messed up the head gasket on the driver's side while either removing or installing the intake.

The head gasket wouldn't have sustained damage from the mechanic if the dr. side head wasn't taken off.

From what I understand of your post you only had one head removed and resurfaced. What exactly was resurfaced I cannot tell from your post. If you resurfaced only one head, on the block to head mating surface, then one head will be higher than the other possibly causing problems with the intake manifold to head- gasket sealing area.

the exhaust leak could be coinsidental I suppose.

Yes.

What do you guys think? Is there anything I'm not considering here? Any help would be appreciative. I don't want to tell someone they screwed up if in fact they have not, but the truck sounds and runs worse than when I took it in for repair.

If I would have found these problems with my truck after taking it to a mechanic, I would have taken it right back to them the same day. They are paid to fix things, not make them worse. You need to bring these concerns to the shop that did the work, give them a chance to make it right. Now their reaction to your concerns will dictate if you will give them return business or if you will never go back to that shop again. If they don't want to make things right, it'd be time to talk about a refund and go somewhere else.

[Moose]

Thanks a lot knightfire83! Your answer was very thorough and exact. I have loaded the truck on the trailer and am taking it to the mechanic first thing in the morning. He does know it is coming back, so we will see what kind of business man he really is.

[Moose]

By the way, the head ports were planed to connect to exhaust manifold. FYI thanks