# Ih 656 gas white smoke from exhaust



## Gemini1 (Jul 28, 2011)

Hello all, I,m looking at ÌH 656 gas tractor, Which I haven,t actually seen yet. The description says it has white smoke coming from the vent, which I think means the exhaust. I,ve asked for clairification. My question is, what are the probable causes for the white smoke. I should add that the ad says the tractor starts and runs well.
Thank you for any advice you can give.

UPDATE........ heard from the owner, he says smoke comes from vent not the exhaust. I don't
, t know what vent he refers to. Thank you.
.


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## HarveyW (Sep 15, 2014)

Hello Gemini 1,

Welcome to the Tractor Forum.

White smoke coming from the exhaust generally indicates a head gasket leak (possibly a cracked head) where coolant is getting into one or two of the cylinders. The coolant burns with white smoke. 

Had this happen with my truck a few years back. The engine ran OK as I recall, but had white smoke out the exhaust. You may be able to smell the coolant in the exhaust. In my case it was a head gasket.

It's easy to check...pull the spark plugs. If you find one or two plugs that are very clean, those are the cylinders burning coolant.

Good Luck.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

Could be blow by coming out of the oil filler tube. Might be in need of piston rings. Is it using a lot of oil as well?


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## Gemini1 (Jul 28, 2011)

*IH 656 gas white smoke coming from exhaust*

Hi guys, thanks for the replys. Emailed the owner and he says the smoke is coming from the vent not the exhaust. He didn,t say what vent. I may get to look at it today if the rain stops. Will update after that. Thanks, Hector


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## Gemini1 (Jul 28, 2011)

*IH 656 gas white smoke coming from exhaust-UPDATE*

Hello again all, well I got to see the tractor today. A couple of things, the white smoke is coming from vent pipe, a steady stream when it,s running. Also, there is water in the oil. The tractor has run 4/5 hours since the white smoke started according to the owner. Says he hasn,t added any water/antifree and you can still see coolant ln Rad. I found an engine oil test on the Internet and tried it on the Ford 4400 I worked on this summer and it proved water in the oil not antifreeze. Turned out it was condensation. Tested the IH and proved out to be water and there is antifreeze in the tractor. SO IS THIS CONDENSATION AGAIN? The asking price is $3800. It has a loader, a 7 foot snowblower with hydraulic chute, cab with heater. It has 8000+ hours. I don't know if it,s been swaped out or rebuilt. Is it worth the price even if have to do an engine rebuild. Would really appreciate your thoughts. 
Thank you, Hector


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

8000 hours is quite a bit of operating time. If its the original engine, it has to be well worn. A complete engine rebuild at a shop will probably cost you about $3.5K in my area. 

I checked prices for IH 656's at tractorhouse.com They have many listed in the $6K to $7K range. Dealer prices. Must be a popular model.


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## Fedup (Feb 25, 2014)

It's obvious from the photos that the head has been off at least once during those 8000 hours. Your photo of the breather shows a significant amount of crankcase pressure being vented, that's a fact. I'm not sure if I buy the "condensation" theory as a reason for water in the oil, but I guess it's possible. An oil change, coolant level check and an hour or so of run time would go a long way towards confirming that in my opinion. 
I don't deal in snow blowers, but I would guess the loader and equipment should be nearly worth the asking price. 
As for the engine condition, I guess that's a judgement call. If it runs on all cylinders, develops enough power to operate effectively, and the water/oil consumption is within acceptable limits, then you may get a season out of it as is. If not, then you get to make choices. You can overhaul it(if you do your own work) for probably under $1000 in parts. If you have to farm it out, that's another story. 
You could look for another tractor that you can move the equipment onto then peddle this one or part it out. 
Bear in mind, however you decide, these gas powered tractors were not known for fuel efficiency. In those days, gas was 30 cents a gallon.


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## RM-MN (Sep 11, 2015)

How much the tractor and equipment costs is a factor as it how you will use it. Are you planning to farm with it, pulling equipment all day long or will this be for incidental use, maybe move a bit of dirt from one area to the other and blow snow when you get a bunch. If the former you might want to keep looking but if you don't intend to use the tractor a lot it could be fine. I have a tractor that blows condensate and burns oil. I work it hard for hours. I have to add oil regularly. I should rebuild the engine but it isn't a priority yet. If you buy that tractor you might need to do the engine overhaul but you might be able to put it off for many years depending on how you use it.


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## Gemini1 (Jul 28, 2011)

*IH 656 gas white smoke coming from exhaust*

Thanks for the quick replies. Before I buy the tractor I would do the oil change, compression test and check the spark plugs to try to eliminate some possible issues. The tractor won,t be doing any really heavy work. No farming. Moving round bales to the barn, snow blowing, a few odd jobs for the neighbours and general playing around the property. The engine rebuild, if needed, I would do myself with the help of my brother in law, who is a diesel mechanic. Could this rebuild be done in-fame. What is a good technical manual to help with the rebuild. After the above mentioned tests and checks I would make my decision. Appreciate your thoughts and opinions.


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## bbirder (Feb 26, 2006)

Gemini1 said:


> Thanks for the quick replies. Before I buy the tractor I would do the oil change, compression test and check the spark plugs to try to eliminate some possible issues. The tractor won,t be doing any really heavy work. No farming. Moving round bales to the barn, snow blowing, a few odd jobs for the neighbours and general playing around the property. The engine rebuild, if needed, I would do myself with the help of my brother in law, who is a diesel mechanic. Could this rebuild be done in-fame. What is a good technical manual to help with the rebuild. After the above mentioned tests and checks I would make my decision. Appreciate your thoughts and opinions.


If you and your BIL can handle the rebuild, it sounds like a pretty good deal with the equipment that's on it. As someone mentioned you may get away with some time before it has to be rebuilt. You stated that the asking price was 3800. Sounds like he may be open to some negotiating if its blowing. I'd sure go with cash in hand and try to get it cheaper due to what it will cost "*to have it rebuilt*" :usa:


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## Gemini1 (Jul 28, 2011)

*IH 656 gas white smoke coming from exhaust*

Hello bbirder, yes I think cash might make a difference. If I can run it for the winter and do any repairs next fall, that would be good. I,ll know in a few days. Thanks for the reply.


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## Gemini1 (Jul 28, 2011)

*UPDATE: IH 656 gas white smoke coming from exhaust*

I Did an oil change on the IH 656 and a compression test. I don't know what the compression of should be for a C263 engine. I looked online but have found nothing so far. The test results are as follows: #1 - 145 lbs #2 - 135 lbs #3 - 140 lbs #4 - 145 lbs #5 - 0 lbs #6 - 150 lbs. And still getting water in the oil. Spark plugs: Two plugs were clean, sort of a sand colour, #'s 4 and 6 I think. I should have made notes. #5 was wet with heavy deposits. The tractor starts easily, and seemed to me to idle pretty well considering #5 cyl. But, I don't have a lot of experience with this. Worked the tractor for an hour pushing/blowing snow. The snow wasn't wet/heavy but the tractor didn't have any problem with the work. 12/14 inches of snow on the ground this morning. So, your thoughts please. Thank You


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## Fedup (Feb 25, 2014)

Cylinder #5 has zero compression? No way that engine can run without a dead miss on #5. That does not constitute "starts and runs well". Add that to finding water in the oil again and you have a problem. The miss is questionable (I guess?) but the water in the oil can/will lead to bearing failure sooner or later, probably sooner. No telling how long this condition has existed already. My advise is to make your next move based on not operating the tractor as is, but either plan on an overhaul or pass on it completely.


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