Ford Truck after oil change a week ago, now has white smoke from exhaust and suddenly runs hot - what could cause this?
White smoke is usually an indication that your cooling system is leaking into one or more cylinders. I would suspect a bad head gasket, which should not really be related to an oil change.
The fact that the engine is running hot is also an indication that this could involve the head gasket. I suggest that you check your motor oil for evidence of contamination with coolant, i.e.–a milky appearance. If you observe that, bearing damage will result very quickly.
Improper oil refill could cause it to run hot which could cause the head gasket failure which causes the white smoke (steam, btw). Or it could be coincidental. Can you clarify the order of the issues?
I Think This Is “Water Over The Dam”
Unless hbl623 knows exactly what is going on (and if he/she did they wouldn’t have asked), I would not drive this vehicle until it’s fixed! A normal repair could turn into a very major repair right before the eyes.
Don’t run it!
Realbinky raises a very good point. I was assuming that the person who did the oil change was competent, but if it is running on a very low oil level, all kinds of very bad things could happen. (Hmmm…Was this vehicle serviced by Jiffy Lube or one of its clones??)
Can hbl623 verify for us whether the dipstick shows a normal level of oil–as well as whether it is of a milky appearance?
And, csa is correct that this vehicle should not be driven until the OP really knows what he/she is dealing with.
I Reread The Question
Sorry, for some reason I was thinking the owner changed his/her own oil, but this is not necessarily the case, in which case an improper oil change theory is worth persuing. Only the resulting damage is the same, either way.
Don’t drive it!
I’m leaning towards blown head gasket. Is this truck an F-150 with the 4.2L V6 or a Ranger with the older 2.9L V6 by chance?