1990 3.0L Help!

[Firespirit]

Hey all,

After searching for two years, I've finally found a worthy project to keep me out of trouble. The only thing is, I know very little about how to work on the SHO engine (seeing as I've owned my '97 Taurus GL [vulcan] since '98).

I've been reading this forum and some other SHO sites to get an idea of what I should do first, but I figure I might as well post too. Anyway, here goes.

I bought a 1990 SHO about a week ago. This SHO is in need of some help. The only thing that's really 'nice' about the car is the interior (which was half heartedly kept up). It smokes on and off, but never has a loss in power. Judging by the way the car looks to have been kept, I'm pretty sure no 60K or 120K services have been done. (This car has 156K miles on it).

I plan on re-doing the whole car and freshening it up quite a bit, but unfortunately, I can't do much because I can't get a license plate for it. It needs to pass emissions testing. And the way it spontaineously smokes, there's pretty much no way in **** that it will pass emissions testing. So I would like to know what steps I should take to try to figure out the smoking.

I've already changed the oil (which looked like tar) and changed the fuel filter - this helped reduce the smoking. I noticed that the engine coolant is pretty much all water, so that will need to be flushed soon.

Should I go ahead and try doing a 60/120K service or should I just go ahead and drop another engine into it?

 

[TRSCobra]

The smoking is most likely the valve stem seals. They're a bit of work to do, as you need to remove the cams and use special tools. Not too cheap either, at over $100 for both sets.

 

[F-22 Raptor SHO]

oil like tar does not make me feel good about the motor. I have 144k on my car. no smoke and runs like an ape on fire. Regular oil changes and all.

smoking could be valve stems, but might very well be the rings. Is it white smoke, blue smoke? is there black soot on the bumper? I dont like the fact that the coolant is mostly water.

If you are into swapping motors you can do that cheaply enough for another 3.0 with lower miles or even a 3.2 conversion (ideal considering the work). Isnt the emissions thing a matter of failing then paying them for a tune up? Its been 20 years since I've had emissions testing so I dont know.

 

[Whiner]

Yea, we need to know what color smoke.

 

[Firespirit]

Thanks for the replies. The color I'm noticing is a light blue. When I picked up the car, it was smoking both from under the hood and from the tail pipes. Now, I only notice it from the tail pipes.. Even more so when the idles get higher. However, the smoke also tones its self down after driving for at least 10 minutes.

Also, when I picked up the car (the guy I bought it from is a friend of mine. He bought this car off of Ebay from a guy in Michigan), I was told that the smoking could either be bad bearings or rings.

 

[SHOguy]

Blue smoke would be from oil. If it starts out pretty bad at first and then after about 10 to 15 minutes of driving it, that is most likely valve seals. Have you checked under the hood to see how much it is leaking and where it is leaking onto for the smoke there? Also, when the exhaust smoke happens, how thick is it? Did you already take it in for the emissions test and it failed? It may be a good idea to get it up to good engine temps before going in, that could help to burn off the oil from the seals. If it is failing emissions, it also may be more than just the oil, like ancient plugs, wires, air filter, etc.

 

[Rockledge]

It could indeed be worn valve seals, but before you go changing them out for the sake of passing an emissions test, I would first try a few things:

- Change the oil and filter immediatly and start using a "high-mileage" oil such as Valvoline or Castrol GTX. Drive around for a few weeks before you got for the test and see if things improve. If you have the time, do an Auto-RX treatment first and then go with the high mileage oil. The point is to try and get the seals back into decent shape.

- Check for oil or other fluid leaks underneath the car, and around the areas on the engine where the valve covers are and where power steering pump is mounted, and look over real good the timing belt covers, checking for oil possibly leaking and flowing down to the crank area. Maybe fluid from the PS pump/hoses or oil from the cam seals or even the valve covers is leaking down and making it's way onto the exhaust.

 

[Firespirit]

I changed the oil about 3 days after I brought it home. It fought me the whole way, and in the process, it also ran into my '97 GL.

But anyway, the oil was very tar-like. It took a long while for it to drain as well. I put Motorcraft oil in it with a K&N oil filter. That seemed to reduce the smoking to a minimum. Air filter was dirty, but I haven't picked that up yet. I also replaced my fuel filter (which looked original... )

While I was under the car changing the oil, I noticed that the subframe was grimey looking, so I took to it with a degreaser that I borrowed from work and a rag. It helped a little bit. I haven't been under there since to check up on oil leakage.

I did not take it in for an emissions test. I'm guessing by the way that it smokes that it will not pass. But you're right, it doesn't hurt to try, so I might go and do that soon. I do feel that this car needs a full tuneup, but I'm wondering if it's worth it to actually do the tuneup/60K's or just start with a fresh engine? I have access to a '90 3.0L SHO engine with 94K original miles - the car was rear ended.

EDIT:

I forgot to mention that there is oil on/in the plug wells. Which, by what I'm reading, means that it needs a 60K badly. Am I right? I can get pictures of everything on Sunday, as I'm working on both cars then.

 

[Blast7]

How do the valve cover seals look? Primarily the rear passenger side edge of the valve cover seal. How are the plug wells looking? Have you changed the oil yet?

 

[Firespirit]

How do the valve cover seals look? Primarily the rear passenger side edge of the valve cover seal. How are the plug wells looking? Have you changed the oil yet?

I mentioned that I have already changed the oil and that there is oil in/on the plug wells in my previous posts. I haven't looked at the valve cover seals.

 

[Blast7]

My bad. I get distracted very easily and only skimmed throught the last few posts.