Found my leak! This can't be good??? pic

[chatas17]

So I started the car and tried to figure out where the oil leak was coming from. Within seconds there was smoke pouring out of the driver side heat exchanger. First, is there suppose to be a hose connected to the aft side of the exchanger on the driver side (photo)? Second, does this mean I have blow by in excess? This is suppose to be a rebuilt engine with only 400 miles on it. I was told that the car wasn't used regularly over the last couple of years. Any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

[john walker's workshop]

smoke out of the exchanger just means that there is oil in there, and it's burning off. nothing to do with blowby. anything above the exchanger that leaks can cause it. return tubes, head to cam tower leaks, oil line, head to cylinder leak, valve cover....
yes, a hose should be on there. maybe it was removed because of smoke in the cabin.

[unclebilly]

firstly, you probably just have oil in youe heat exchanger from a leaking valve cover.

There should he a heater hose connected to the back of that heat exchanger. It runs from your heater blower on the left side of the engine.

Blow by means you have a broken piston or bad rings. This is combustion gases getting into your crankcase by leaking past the pistons.

[tcesar888]

Yes, there is supposed to be a foiled accordion hose that travels to and up thru to the upper engine compartment, then connecting to the heater blower. There should be two of these, one coming from each exhaust heat exchanger.

Go to our host's parts area and view the OE diagrams. The heater may have also been disconnected alltogether; thus these would no longer be required...

The experts will chime in...

Good luck!

Tom

[ossiblue]

Your question has been answered about the hose attatched, but not about why there is oil inside the exchanger. I have followed your posts from the start, and it seems that you have run the engine enough to burn off residual oil inside the exchanger. If it not, then more running should burn off all the excess. If it doesn't, the question remains as to how oil is continuing to enter the exchanger. It's probably leaking in from the places mentioned in the above posts, and running down the exhaust manifold into the exchanger. Either that or so much is leaking that it is pooling on top of the exchanger and running into the small gaps where the manifold comes through.
Looks like you narrowed down where the smoke is coming from, but not where the leak(s) is(are.) Keep at it, progress is being made.

[chatas17]

The car came with new gaskets (should be a sign) and I think I will tackle the valve covers on the bottom side. It looks a little wet around there anyway. L.J., I guess you are right, progress is being made! I am slowly learning about these cars. If I had a perfect one, then I wouldn't gain much knowledge. At least that's what I keep telling myself! Thanks