OK!! More @#$%* problems

I sealed off the water lines thinking this would correct my smoke problem from my new engine and rebuilt head. BUT NOOOOOOO! I pulled off the intercooler and started it-No smoke coming from compressor housing. Nothing but smoke coming from hot side of compressor housing. I pulled the plugs and all 4 of them are wet with black oil!!!! I pulled the head off once before because the machine shop put in the wrong springs and lash caps caps (to Tall and hitting roller rockers) and the pistons have no oil residue and no signs of piston wall wear! I put my flash light into the spark pl;ug holes and the cylinders look like they came right out of the box! Was my rebuilt short block bad? Is my head the problem? Whats the next step.

What color is the smoke? If it's blue (I'm guessing it is), then you're seeing oil that's been through the combustion process. That may indicate that your rings haven't seated yet (since it's a fresh rebuild). If you're running synthetic oil, they may never seat because synthetics work so well that there is insufficient cylinder wall abrasion to wear the rings in. Engine oil additives such as PTFE or MOS2 can have the same effect. The reason I bring this up is because you said that the cylinder walls look like they are "right out of the box". If they are glazed (improper break in) the rings won't seat and the engine will smoke.

If the smoke is white, then you have a lot of unburned oil hitting the exhaust manifold / turbo housing (or it's steam). I've seen this with broken rings and blown head gaskets. Badly worn valve seals will cause this too, but usually only at start up (oil accumulation with the engine off). Once the engine warms up the smoke will typically either turn blue or go away.

You said your plugs were wet with black oil (I am assuming that the crankcase oil is clean since the engine is fresh). That sounds like oil mixed with carbon (either from burnt oil or over rich mixture). Too much fuel (rich mixture) will produce black smoke. That could leave carbon residue on the plugs and they would probably be wet with gas not oil.

Do I need to let the car run at idle longer to break it in? I put 50% synthetic and 50% regular oil. Is this a problem. The oiul on the plugs is black, but the oil in the pan and on the dip stick is clean. Need more advice

I'd drain the oil and put regular non-synthetic oil in it for at least the first 600 miles. Assuming oil pressure and water temps are OK, drive the car. Keep varying the engine speed, don't drive at a constant speed. Don't rev it too high for the first say 50 miles but then occasionally, run it up a little bit more and more as you get miles on it. It should take very little time for it to stop smoking if it's just a matter of seating the rings. It can take awhile for rings to fully seat, but smoking should disappear relatively quickly. Expect it to run a little warmer than ususal for the first few hundred miles, it's tight and there is more friction.

I believe that most manufacturers say to use regular oil for the first 3000 miles or so for breakin, and I believe that synthetic oil makers say the same thing.

On the other hand, don't Corvettes ship from the factory with synthetic? I think I read that somewhere.

All I know is that I put Redline in my wifes new Mustang at the first oil change (3000 miles) and it runs like a champ.

FWIW, there's my 2 nickels. Two cents don't buy enough anymore. [Image: biggrin.gif]


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Joe F.

See my 87 TC page for my list of mods & upgrades

[This message has been edited by JoeCool (edited 08-03-2003).]

I think I fixed it!! I dropped the synthetic oil and put in regular 10W/30 and added this thick ring seal goo. It was still smoking but not as much. Then my father-in-law came by and put his hand by the tail pipe and says I am pushing to much fuel. So I turned the fuel pressure down to 34psi with the vac line hooked up. Sure enough it stopped smoking all together-even when I revved it up. What is the proper setting for a Bird with a 255lph in tank, A237 cam, ported head, gutted upper/profiled lower, high flow manifold, adj fpr, hybrid turbo, and 20 psi of boost. I actaully got better response at the 34psi setting. Whats a good average setting for this setup.

You ought to put in an A/F guage. Presure probably ought to be in the 39 to 44 psi range with the line disconected

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NATO Member. it's not a vice, it's an obsession
Letting the cat out of the bag is a whole lot easier than putting it back in.
88 TC X 2, 86 SVO, mods list at
http://www.turbotbird.com/showroom/pd_88tc.htm