smoke, smoke d@mn smoke. (LONG)

[dweymer]

My car has smoked since I bought it in Oct. I have replaced t-stat oring, breather gasket, oil pressure light switch. During my valve adjust I retorqued(sp?) the heads(some were loose) no broke studs. I also tightened the rocker shafts, and all the case bolts I could see/get to. I rebuilt CIS, replaced points, and adjusted the timing. Now the car runs great, but still is burning oil from somewhere. I drove about 10 miles, car was up to 200 degrees, and when I stopped it smoked a little. I then got on the highway and got into it for about 7 miles, going 75. Car pulled well all the way up, and no problems. I got off an exit, and had to stop at a light. The smoke started pouring from the trunk lid, it was pretty bad. I don't listen to the radio, and I heard a kid in the car behind me scream "that cars on fire!", luckily the light turned green and I made it for the next gas station (nearest place to pull off) opened the lid, NO FIRE. Just a lot of smoke from inside the fan shroud. I closed it up and drove to Home depot, ran in and out then drove home without any more huge clouds of smoke. The engine temp never rose above 210. I got home and parked in the garage turned it off and looked all around, it looks like my heat exchanger was burning oil toward the front(cylinder 3) on top, I could not see any dripping oil. When the car sits it does not leak huge amounts. How long would it take to burn off all the oil? Any ideas about where this leak is from, assuming I did not fix it by the above? I can't drive the car smoking that bad.

[Beethoven]

What color is the smoke, and what does it smell like?

[gsxrken]

Are you sure all the breather hoses for your year are attached to your air cleaner housing? You may some blowby at highway revs that is misting all over your engine.

[dweymer]

All hoses are tight. Greyish smoke, smells like burnt oil. No visible oil on the motor(without removing CIS). I think I might remove the alternator tonight to see whats in there. I am thinking a lot of oil from whatever the leak was got crusty and built up on top of the cylinders, don't know why it would be worse after highway speeds though.

[curiousone940]

Assuming it is in fact oil burning and assuming further that it is not being burned internally in the engine, there must be oil leaking onto the exhaust from some source above or close to the exhaust. There's just so many external oil connections in close proximity to the exhaust, some of which are going to be difficult to examine with the engine in the car. The oil line from the tank to the oil cooler would be the easiest to check....I'd check the connection on the oil cooler for proper fit. IF you are sure that you correctly installed the breather/thermostat gaskets and sending unit (and, all were properly torqued when re-installed), then you might attempt to check the seals on the oil cooler itself. The oil cooler is mounted on four 13mm studs with three seals (located on the right side of the engine behind cylinder #6)....not an easy chore with the engine in the car. Have you looked under the car for any evidence of burning oil to determine which side of the engine this leak may be originating???

[john walker's workshop]

smoke from oil in or on the exchangers comes out through the fan, and through the heater vents. an old 2.7 drops oil from everywhere there's a junction between two parts. it's just old and tired, as described from you having to retorque the heads. the leaks undoubtedly decreased from tightening things up though.

[dweymer]

It's on the 1-3 side towards 3.

[dweymer]

Yes JW, I am just trying to put off my rebuild as long as I can, but I really can't drive the car if it's going to cause that at every light. I need to look harder I think, and clean everything again.

[john walker's workshop]

you can fab a oil deflector from sheetmetal that directs dripped oil away from the exchangers. kind of a trough, close to the bottom of the cam tower, with a couple of tabs that hang on the valve cover studs. i make them for customers occasionally.

[Walko]

Don,

So that you can determine where your oil/smoke is coming from I would thoroughly degrease the motor.

I have done this to all my 911's and once you get them clean you will be able to spot the leaks fairly quickly.

So first off by 6 to eight cans of pressure pack degreaser I always buy the ones for $1.99.

If you can put the car on jack stands the process is a lot easier.

Slide under the car and spray every thing you can see you will probably use one to two cans of degreaser on both sides (4) in total. make sure you spray up ontop the cyclinder fins and around the cam boxes.

Secondly spray the degreaser into the engine compartment mainly concentrating on spraying into the fan/ cooling assembly so the degreaser will go down on the top of teh case and cyclinders.

Leave sit for ten minutes and wash off with water. When washing teh degreaser off make sure you start at the top so the junk/ old oil keeps falling downwards.

Start motor up after the wash and let idle for five to ten minutes and then drive for a further ten minutes. You make get some bad degreaser smells for the first drive.

Repeat if necessary

IMHO this has always been the fun part of buying my cars as I get to have a clen engine and can tell fairly quickly if I am going to need a rebuild.


Michael

[Early_S_Man]

For leaks around cyl. # 3 ... oval breather cover and oil return tubes are about the only choices, with an outside chance one of the forward valve cover studs is dripping and running down on the exchangers.

[steven polaski]

You might want to check to make sure your cis is working properly,does it idle o.k ? Sometimes it dumps fuel into the engine and mixes with the oil if it sticks giving you a wrong mixture and overflow of oil/gas mixture ( happened to me ) the oil/gas being thinner came out every little opening ( being thinner ) and out the breather.just start it at sunset to keep those sqeeters away.

[dweymer]

I just rebuilt the entire CIS, it runs very well.

[rcwaldo]

main case through-bolt leaking? Just a thought.

I agree with others. Spend some serious time degreasing everything possible. Get it clean and dry and start it up, let it idle. Watch for leaks with a flashlight.

Best would be to pull the CIS and fan shroud off the top of the engine and have a good look around.

Good luck!

Chris