Momentary blast of steam/exhaust from engine?

futon · Nov 30, 2015

I purchased my first Ranger very recently, an '09 XL, manual transmission. It's not without its quirks, some of which may be problems, while others are just "normal" (eg. lingering RPMs while up-shifting). I'm still sorting those out.

This morning, I made a quick left turn at steering lock, in first gear. I (intentionally) overshot the turn, and had to double-back slightly, so the wheel was cranked.

The second I gave the truck some gas to initiate the turn, I noticed a quick blast of steam or exhaust coming from the passenger side of the engine bay. Afterwards, I noticed the layer of frost on the hood was a bit more defrosted in that general area (it was very cold this morning).

I suspect the engine mounts might not be great, as the transmission does like to rotate a bit when I accelerate. Could a momentary shift of the engine create a small exhaust or coolant leak resulting in what I observed this morning?

Thanks

RonD · Nov 30, 2015

Pretty much all manual trans vehicles now a days hold RPMs high when clutch pedal is pushed in and speedometer is above 5MPH, this does 3 things, better MPG, lower emissions and less clutch disc wear.
RPMs should drop after 5 to 10 seconds

You probably had some water or ?? in engine bay and when you made the sharp turn it moved over and ended up on exhaust manifold, causing steam.
When you shut off warm engine in cold weather there will be condensation collecting in engine bay as air cools down and can't hold moisture, like on the outside of a cold glass on a warm day.
And since you had frost on the hood then there has to be moisture in the air, so would be moisture in engine bay from night before.
If this pools somewhere it could spill over onto hot exhaust.

Or you could have a small coolant leak doing the same, are you loosing coolant?

futon · Nov 30, 2015

The level in the reservoir is well below the "low" mark, but the shop I took it to said there was likely no leak (they did not perform a pressure test). They topped up the level, but to my eyes it didn't change much.

I like your water/ice falling onto the manifold theory. I'll take a closer look to see if there are any likely areas where water may have pooled.

As for the slow RPM drop, I'm planning on cleaning the IAC just to see if it has an effect, and may look into a restrictor plate next near if it's still bugging me. The 1-2 shift is terribly slow. I need to hold the clutch for at least a two-count before the RPMs are low enough to shift smoothly.

RonD · Nov 30, 2015

Also add your engine model, that can effect answers.

futon · Nov 30, 2015

Thanks, Ron.

I had the truck in for new engine oil and tranny fluid. The tech tested the rad cap and found that it wasn't holding any pressure at all, so that's been replaced.

jeremysdad · Dec 1, 2015

'Lingering rpm' while shifting is normal. Makes clutch engagement closer to an automatic. Don't have to goose it when shifting like you used to. Never seen a computer controlled vehicle that didn't hold em up for you.

If it races 2k up, then you have problems that an IAC won't fix. lol

futon · Dec 1, 2015

I suppose I just like how it feels when I release the clutch at the point where the RPMs are exactly where they will be for the next gear.

Momentary blast of steam/exhaust from engine?

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