Oil and leaks and smoke

[autobahnsho]

Blow Head Gasket? (formerly oil and smoke)

I already posted this @ the shophoenix site. Thanks JD for the response:

OK, so in January I sucked the oil out of the spark plug wells (the plugs were totally immersed), put new valve cover and plug well seals on.

Car started running like crap. Like 2-3 cylinders were missing. The plug wires were cracked, see
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for some pictures of the mess. I replaced them about a month later (I had to save the money.)

This month I replaced the cam seals, since I had oil dripping from one of them. I messed up the front bank, so drove it leaking massive oil for about a week and a half. LOL- I had to put a drippan under it at night, which collected a cup or two, and I went through 2 qts. of oil during that time. I got it replaced last Friday.

Saturday I was driving and I put the clutch in to coast to a stop off the highway, engine died. I put it in third and pop-started it, then a few lights later the idle was really low (maybe 200 rpms lower than usual) and the RED oil light was flickering. I also heard some knocking, like a diesel engine or something. I revved it up and it went away, but a few moments later it came on SOLID, with the CEL. I pulled over and stopped. Checked the oil level and it was FINE. There was SMOKE coming out of the dipstick tube- burnt oil. Re-started and haven't seen the oil light again.

Now I'm also seeing a lot of smoke (whitish) out of the exhaust almost all the time. It might have been happening before last week, but I didn't notice it.

There is a 'tapping' sound coming from the engine- in all the work I've done the valve lash hasn't been checked yet. It sounds like it's coming from the top, but I'm not for sure it's not coming from the bottom of the engine.

I was low on oil today and added a quart, there was also smoke coming out of the add oil hole.

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I think the motor's on the original rod bearings. I want to replace them ASAP. Do you think I 'spun' one already? It still drives fine.

What's causing the smoke in the exhaust? Price to fix??

Registration is due May 5, I have to buy new rear tires and clean all the oil off the underside to prove it doesn't leak now. Am I going to buy tires only to have the engine blow up in the next few months??

Thanks for any ideas or help,

 

[autobahnsho]

Anyone have any ideas??

:shameless bump:

 

[sdpatt]

sdpatt's first post in the new Forum

If you have smoke coming out of the crankcase (dip stick tube) or valve gallery (oil fill cap), there is significant exhaust blow-by getting past the piston rings. Sorry.

 

[autobahnsho]

Besides pulling apart the ENTIRE engine, anything I can do about the rings??

Am I right in assuming that it needs a rebuild? Is this something that I can do?

I have a garage available where I can get any tool imaginable. I have done considerable work on the car so know where a LOT of (not all) stuff is located and how it comes apart. Maybe I could take a week of leave and do a rebuild, but if it's too technical I'd be hesitant.

Will the blowby affect the quality of the oil?

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ON the plus side, there's a guy here who's ready to retire, I'm scoping out his '92 blue SHO that has a TON LESS wear and miles on it than mine, for a cheap price...

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

1. You can try tto minimize the blowby by making sure your PCV system is intact and working correctly.

2. Yes, it needs a rebuild. No doubt about it.

3. Yes, blow by will effect the quality of the oil.

 

[autobahnsho]

1. You can try tto minimize the blowby by making sure your PCV system is intact and working correctly.

2. Yes, it needs a rebuild. No doubt about it.

3. Yes, blow by will effect the quality of the oil.

I don't know much about the PCV system, I'll have to read up on it.

How long can I go between oil changes?? (Not like it will last long if I'm burning it off..)

Anyone know of anyone that's done a rebuild?? I assume there's no way to remove the crankshaft and get to the pistons w/out removing the engine from the car...

So this SHO is pretty much toast, unless I suddenly become rich or mechanically talented......

 

[autobahnsho]

Udpate

I ran the compression yesterday. Besides a problem w/ the thermostat housing starting to leak, I had everything apart/ back together pretty quick.

There was some fluid (oil I think) puddled in the intake. Still smoking like crazy.

And I'm a little confused. I ran each cylinder then ran them again.
The Compression was between 210 and 220 for all the cylinders except #6. It was 195-210. The spark plug is really fouled and the intake (header) is really cruddy on that cylinder.

Someone said to squirt some tranny fluid into the cylinder and try it again. If it changes it means there's a ring leak. I did, and it didn't change.

So now I might actually suspect the cylinders/rings/pistons might be good. Except when I pull the dipstick (Car off) there is a small amount of smoke coming out, but when I opened the oil cap (car running) there wasn't any.

Maybe the rod bearings are not allowing oil flow and so it's getting burnt up, the smoke comes out of the dipstick?


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They have a 'leak test' tool that you plug up just like a compression tester and injects air in. Supposedly you turn the crank until the valves are closed on the cylinder in question and can listen for leaks out the exhaust or intake.

I'd probably have to pull the valve covers off to see when the valves are closed and to hear any leaks.
Would this be worth my time?
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I KNOW The car has never had any valve work done the last 3 years/ 35k miles. I suspect that since it didn't make any noise when I bought it (2yrs/ 25k miles ago) and had plenty of power that it DIDN'T get any valve work before that, either.

A mechanic said valve stem seals can leak a lot of smoke like that. I can deal with doing valve work (lash and new seals,) but I don't want to get it all done and find out still that the cylinders/rings/pistons need work. I'm not up $$ or time-wise to taking it out of the car and to a shop.
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Pistons or valves?
I'm hoping to high heaven it's NOT a cylinder problem, but unfortunately it feels like it is.
At least the safety inspection/registration are good thru May05 now...

 

[SHO_OT_ME]

Same Problem

I had the same problem with a Honda years ago. Compression check was fine. I was losing oil into the intake about a quart a day for a week. Turns out I holed the piston between the compression ring and the oil control ring. The combustion would pressurize the crankcase and cause all those symptoms just like you have. Everyone said I would need a total rebuild cause the cylinder would be scarred. I wanted to see for myself so I took the head off and got the oil pan down, removed the piston thru the top and found no cylinder damage. I proceeded to replace the piston and rings, just in that cylinder after lightly honing the cylinder with a drill hone. Put it back together and drove it for years. Only cost me $100 and my time... Maybe yours will be lucky too and not be totally screwed.

 

[rangerj]

Autobahn,

You've got mail. See your PM. rangerj

 

[autobahnsho]

Total engine failure- new info!

To be continued....

http://www.shoforum.com/showthread.php?t=30407