Grey smoke coming from underneath engine/water pump area

2001 FORD E-SERIES VAN
145,000 MILES • 5.4L • V8 • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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CLAYHICKS17
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Hello,

I have recently been working on replacing the serpentine belt and the spark plugs on my Econoline E250 5.4 Triton V8 van. I replaced three of the plugs but encountered problems getting the rest out. I put my van back together today and grey (maybe blue?) smoke started coming from under the engine/water pump area. There was also a slight crackling or popping noise. The van had been sitting for three months so there might be debris from bugs/animals, and the tree right next to where it is parked. Any ideas?
Jul 23, 2018 at 4:20 PM
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DANNY L
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Hello, I am Danny.

Just a quick question first. How long did you let the van run after starting and noticing the smoke? It does sound like debris/leaves burning off the exhaust manifolds possibly due to it sitting for awhile. Also, does it have an oil leak/accumulated oil underneath? Because that could be burning off as well. Yes, the spark plugs on those vans can take awhile to reach (I worked at an airport shuttle company on Ford vans) just have to be patient or flexible. Hope this helps and feel free to ask any further questions if needed. Thanks for using 2CarPros.
Danny-
Jul 24, 2018 at 4:26 AM