Hmm, Oil problems and Blown Headgasket, any ideas?

GreenChevelleSS

GreenChevelleSS

Danny
Dec 17, 2005
515
0
0
Tulsa, okiehoma
www.cardomain.com
Well Thursday when I was coming home from school the car started Idling rough and smoking alot well I was like oh shit here goes the headgasket.
Ever since ive gutted my cats the car smoked, from oil and I always thought that it was the turbo seal that I didnt replace when I rebuilt the turbo, meaning that oil was leaking into the exhaust and causing it to smoke.
I started pulling plugs to see what they looked like and see which cylinder had the BHG. I also looked in the radiator and saw that quite a bit of water was gone (I drove it about 5 miles home with the BHG)
No. 1 plug was covered in water, its the one with the leak.
No. 2,4,5,6 plugs looked normal.
No. 3 plug was so covered in carbon that you couldnt tell that there was a plug there.
This started worrying me alot. Started thinking, shit, damn(and all those other cuss words) ive got a damn broken ring. theyve only got 1500 miles on em. This isnt right. Well I went in and left the car setting over the weekend.
After I cooled off I started wondering if a bad valve seal or maybe even a BHG could cause the oil leak into the cylinder. Since there is a oil port right there at number 3 cylinder. So I started praying that, that is what it is. And ill find out more when I get the head off and looking at the cylinder for scaring.
Tonite I finally got the guts to go back out there and work on it some more (the truck Im driving has 190000 miles and tranny is about to go out). When I got the upper Plenium off (upper intake manifold) and saw a pool of oil in all the ports on the lower plenium. number 3 cylinder had a Big pool in it, a whole lot bigger than all the other ports. So this has me even more wondering what could be causing the excessive oil build up in number 3 cylinder.
Maybe no. 3 cylinder hasnt been firing much at all and all the cylinders are getting oil so that no. 3 just didnt get cleaned off?
What else would be causeing the oil fouled plug?
Could it be a ring? or something else?
Just looking at opinions here.
Hopefully Ill get the head off tomorrow (ran out of daylight)
 
3p141592654

3p141592654

90T
Oct 11, 2005
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Thousand Oaks, CA
I'm a bit confused. Did you already rebuild the head? Its hard to believe you could fill the intake ports with oil from a leaking valve seal. I guess it is possible that the seal is not on properly for one of the #3 intake valves but even with no seal the valve stems are a pretty snug fit in the guides.

As far as I know, the only source of pressurized oil to the head is through the small hole at the front of the block. All the other holes are drains to the sump and are not under pressure.

My first reaction is oil coming into the throttle body from a bad turbo. Is you intercooler full of oil?

Some pictures would help if you have a digital camera.
 
3p141592654

3p141592654

90T
Oct 11, 2005
3,819
20
38
Thousand Oaks, CA
He says he has oil pooled in his lower intake plenum. A leak that big should be creating clouds of smoke and have an obvious source. What failed gasket are you thinking it might be?
 
supra90turbo

supra90turbo

shaeff is FTMFW!
Mar 30, 2005
6,152
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what? lol
You can't lump foreign cars into such a vague generalization.... IMO that's what you get for buying a $90 Yonaka gasket kit off eBay.
I bet the rings somehow spun and all aligned their gaps, causing a TON of blowby. It happened back in the older GM 4.3's so don't think its just a foreign thing.

Pushrods are for those who fear change!!! lol (joking!)
 
GreenChevelleSS

GreenChevelleSS

Danny
Dec 17, 2005
515
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Tulsa, okiehoma
www.cardomain.com
What does the gasket kit have to do with anything other than the BHG and all the leaks? I wouldnt be so ticked off if it would have been as simple as a valve seal and a blown head gasket. But a damn ring and a scored cylinder thats shit. I checked all the ring gaps and everything and this was not the first engine ive built. This is just plain stupid what would cause something like a broken ring? It was bored and new rings and pistons. I just fell like sledgehammer time but I know that that will just make things worse and make me feel bad, sad, mad later on. I just want to go sit in my chevelle and cry...but wait I dont even have a seat or a body on my chevelle. maybe ill just crawl up and hug the engine.
Damn I want to do that soo bad...:nono:
 
Justin727

Justin727

T-virus infected
Mar 31, 2005
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GPT/BILOXI, Ms.
www.crescentcitysupras.com
Justin727 said:
what kind of pistons and rings did you use for your rebuild???
Click to expand...

theres many factors in this. I got a JDM motor. Evidentally it was rebuilt before i got it. well they didnt gap the rings. Motor ran flawless until I pulled it. So even if you didnt gap the rings i dont see it failing so soon being a problem. It would overtime and eat up the cylinder walls. Mine did show slight marks. I drove on this motor for a year without any problems. maybe it was the brand you used.
 
I

IJ.

Grumpy Old Man
Mar 30, 2005
38,728
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I come from a land down under
What were the end gaps set to?

What sort of Ring Compressor was used to install the pistons?

Oil in the Intake is usually either massive blowby or a dying turbo
(or a PCV "mod" done by someone that doesn't understand the system that ends up pressurising the pan/crankcase)

I thought you'd already sold it a few months back?
 
GreenChevelleSS

GreenChevelleSS

Danny
Dec 17, 2005
515
0
0
Tulsa, okiehoma
www.cardomain.com
OK heres an Update
We got the engine out and pulled the bad cylinders piston. The broken ring was the TOP Oil ring. Then the oil ring spacer thing, dont know what its called. Pounded its self into the piston causeing excessive heat and melting the piston in that area and even melting aluminum around the 2nd compression ring causeing it to be stuck. we found traces of the broken ring around and all it was was tiny pieces that looks like it has made its way into other cylinders causing some slight scratches in the cylinder wall. Its hard to tell exactly what caused this to happen but we also found rust on the oil ring spacer thing which would indicate water someway getting into the cylinder or oil but ive always checked the oil and always pulled the cap off and looked for a milky vapor. We are thinking that on a hot that somehow water made its way into the cylinder causing the ring to shatter but this is just a thought and we cant tell for sure what caused this damage. The cylinder wall is gouged and really rough and the piston is totally screwed, there goes $400 bucks.
We also noticed that the rings have not yet set in or broke in but they look like only part of the ring is actually coming in contact with the cylinder wall which worries us.
We have 3 ways of fixing it.
1. Fixing it right which would include Boring, New pistons, new rings which is not the way we will go, the engine already has been bored 20 over so it could be up to 50 over but I think another 10 over (total of 30 over) would get it fixed but dont know for sure
2. This one will be frowned upon and is the way my dad wants to do it. Having the cylinders honed putting in a complete new set of rings and one new piston to replace the melted one. This would have tons of blowby since the no 3 cylinder will still be screwed up then selling the car imediatly
3. Getting a used engine, the way Id like to go, Ive got a set of std bore new rings still in the box. The used engine ran when parked but had a knock but dont know exactly what was causing the knocking. But id put in my crank and my bearings and if it ends up being a wrist pin ive got another set of used pistons that came out my engine when we bored it originally and they are in ok shape. Wed have this engine honed and decked. But we are dealing with an unknown motor which originally is an NA motor and we have no idea whats wrong with it. Then selling my motor for what ever its worth

Help me please, my dad wants to do it the wrong way (#2) and its his car but I dont. Id just like to have it for a while and then sell it. I think the used motor is the best way to go but I dont know. I have to go cheap because I cant lose money on this car. I think this car is cursed, the previous owner had 3 engines put in it.
 
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