Topic: Can I do this??
in Forum: C3 Engines
So I have smoke coming out of my exhaust. I can't really tell if it's blue or black, but since the car is losing oil and there's none on the floor, I'm guessing it's burning oil. When I first turn on the car there is a cloud, and there is a nice puff everytime I down shift or excelerate.


Moderator
My opinion is, I would pull the engine and do it right. There's no telling what else might be ready to take a doo-doo on it. The cylinders need to be measured for out-of-round & taper, as well as bore size, and then compared to the size of the pistons. It may be that the cylinders are too large(bore size) for the pistons. Cheap rings will cause it too, but normally won't live 5 years before having a problem.
I'd say pull it and start over...just my .02.....

Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56
My Link
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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"
Well, five years doesn't really explain it. It was in storage for a few years, then it took over a year to paint, etc. So I figure that I have less than 200 miles on the car since the rebuild.
From what I'm reading, it appears that this is more than I can do.

Moderator
It could be that the rings have never even seated from the rebuild. Depending on what type they were, it may take even more steady driving to get them seated properly, if they even will at this point. Fresh engine re-builds will usually burn/use a little oil until the rings get seated...
Some quality moly/chrome moly rings take a long time(relatively) to seat properly, and even that depends on the quality of the surface in the bores, as in how they were finish-honed.
I might suggest at this point having a leak-down test done, and compare the leakage across the board on all cylinders. If one or two leak considerably more than the others, then it would be best to pull and start over. If they all leak about the same, then it may just need some driving miles to seat the rings better.
Does the engine run ok, other than the smoke?
Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56
My Link
(click for Texas-sized view!) NCRS
"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

Moderator

Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56
My Link
(click for Texas-sized view!) NCRS
"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

I concur with both Joel and Scott on the valve seals and possibly the valve guides gone south. Compression test wet and dry should tell you which,Valves or rings..
I assume the cam and lifters were seasoned properly with a run up to 2200 rpm or better for a minimum of 15-20 minutes...and a ZDDP oil or additive used for flat tappet cams.