1978 buick 3.8 turbo problems

[drifterhp]

Hello guys! I have a 1978 buick lasabre with a 3.8 turbo 4bbl engine.I'll try and make this as short as i can.Engine had a connecting rod noise and smoked out the exhaust.I have the engine all rebuilt now sent the turbo out also,and the carb is rebuilt also

on my under the hood sticker it says set the timng @ 15 @ 600rpm so i do this and the timing PINGS like crazy! i set it with the vac. hose disconnected from the distrbutor thisis my first problem i would like to fix before the engine gets hurt

Second the car still smokes out the exhaust when you first start it up it blows a bit out of the exhaust then goes away some but i think its still smoking when driving also.

I have had this same smoking problem with the engine before it was rbuilt and before the turbo was rebuilt.Now i have check lots of things i thought the turbo was still the problem so it was sent back 3 times now and they redid it all again and you can still see smoke so its not the turbo

On the cylinder heads from factory the exhaust valves didnot have any seals on the heads so we didnt put any on after the heads were rebuilt with new guides i am not sure we should have done this now.

I am starting to think mabey the intake manifold gasket isnt sealing and sucking a bit of oil in what do you guys think about all this

 

[johnnyttype]

i really don't know much about that old of a model but... what color is the smoke? is it pinging at idle or were you driving around and getting on it?

i was actually kicking myself for not putting seals on the exhaust valves when i rebuilt my engine cause my car gives a puff every now and then on startup and i could have ruled that out if they were on there!

 

[fc227]

I would post this over on "Before Black"

The timing , Maybe one of the other guys can answer. Also make sure if the front cover was replaced that timing mark guide is in the correct place . It was "77" or "78" that they switched from odd-fire to even firing . A odd fire timing mark reference guide is different than the even fire. ( I can remember switch one was advanced).

But post this over there , I have been away from it for a while and do not what to send you down the wrong path.

But What gas are you running ? When it pings are you in boost ? How much boost ? Are you using a boost gauge ?

 

[usetaboost]

78 was even fire. When you had the heads rebuilt did you use stock valves or aftermarket? If you used aftermarket you HAVE to have seals on the exhaust side also. Possibility on the smoking also if you were smoking badly before and were literally blowing oil into the exhaust it could be from your exhaust, which you would have to replace. Pull the downpipe off and that and see if you have oil there. If so it would most likely be the turbo. How's your plugs look? Are they clean? As far as the pinging goes that could be from a few things. Is this while you get on it under boost or what? Is your timing gun set to zero with your vac advance hose off? Do you have the correct distributor? Is your advance hose hooked up to the correct port? Got good gas? Is you ESC box and knock sensor working????