7.3 diesel blue smoke with park brake set - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

07-16-2003, 10:12

We have acquired a 1997 Ford E350 Ambulance with a 7.3 Powersroke. With the parking brake applied and the transmission in park, blue smoke will come out of the exhaust and the engine at a high idle of about 1000 rpm will run rough. At normal idle and at road speed the exhaust is clear of blue smoke. also the engine runs fine. I can run the rpm's up with the throttle, the engine runs fine and no blue smoke. I found no codes stored with the Prolink. All test have been clear of any problems. I only have a problem when the parking is applied and the transmission in park. Does anybody have any ideas.

big1 · 07-17-2003, 13:09

Your problem is more than likely worn valve guide's or bad valve guide seal's. Do a cylinder leakage test and I believe it will bear me out.

351w · 09-02-2003, 21:19

i am not sure i follow what you are saying!
what type of parking brake are we talking about?
sounds to me like a bad cylinder could be the culprit which you will find with either a leakdown test as stated by big1 or a compression test.
(351w+ does not have a leakdown tester)
i would hope that a 97 deisel would not have bad seals already.

351w · 09-02-2003, 21:31

second thought on this subject.
just for the

of it take the air cleaner apart and start the engine with no air cleaner and see if the smoking stops.
what i was thinking is you have a rich condition when the rpm is low and there is no boost from the turbo so maybe an air restriction is the problem and this restriction is being overcome at higher rpm by the boost from the turbo.
please let us know what you find out.