6776 smoking!

[87NAT]

I have about 800 miles on my 6776dbb and only 123 on the new engine since my engine rebuild. I am finally getting a chance to make some WOT passes and do some tuning. I am getting a TON of smoke out the exhaust under boost(15 psi+). My max boost I am running right now is 21 psi. It is light colored smoke...not black. I have limo tint on my car so its hard to tell if its blue or white. It does stick around in the air unlike water burning and the steam evaporating real quick from a headgasket failure. My oil looks great and the coolant looks good. No bubbles, overheating or oily residue in the radiator. How do I check for a bad turbo seal or see if maybe some water is getting in the exhaust from the water jacket in the turbo?

I will be doing a compression test and pressurizing the radiator this week sometime. The car doesnt smoke at idle or under regular accelaration. Any input would be appreciated.

 

[imjoesnuffy]

Check your up pipe and intercooler as well for oil residue.

 

[Turbo Steve]

Ed, I'd say its oil and the rings still have to seat with so little miles on the engine.The more miles you get on it the less exhaust smoke you will see

 

[salvageV6]

You can easily smell burnt oil in even a light cloud of smoke.

It's probably water if you can't smell any oil, it would still smell out of the exhaust (like burnt oil) after you let off and stopped the car at idle.

And certainly smell back at the ton of smoke location from 15+ psi. boost.

And if there is that much smoke try it once and shut it down and pull the downpipe off quickly, there should be some residue of water or oil in there.

 

[John Wilde]

Damn, I hope it is nothing serious.

 

[Royal-T-Ltd]

you said you have a dual ball bearing... maybe you need a smaller size restrictor to the turbo... there might be too much oil going to the chra; causing oil to slip pass the seals and burn off....just a though. HTH

 

[87NAT]

you said you have a dual ball bearing... maybe you need a smaller size restrictor to the turbo... there might be too much oil going to the chra; causing oil to slip pass the seals and burn off....just a though. HTH

I am using the restrictor that came with the turbo. Babysitting my boys today....cant start troublehooting till during the week when I have free time. I am just looking for ideas of what to look for when I get started.

 

[SNKSKNR]

What kind of intake gasket did you put on a one peice or a two peice fel pro? Also what rings.

 

[87NAT]

Think I found it. I pressurized cooling system. Held pressure for 15 minutes.


Pulled PCV line off vacuum block. Lots of oil. Pulled vacuum block off of TB and uppipe off. Small puddles of oil in TB and on RJC powe plate. Pulled 3 plugs..all threads have oil on them.

I am assumming all this oil is being blown back up the PCV correct? I had this problem with old engine..why would it be doing it with new rings? Can I order one of those catch cans and would that solve my problem??

 

[imjoesnuffy]

Do you have breathers on the valve covers? Do you have a check valve installed between the PCV and the vacuum block?

 

[87NAT]

Do you have breathers on the valve covers? Do you have a check valve installed between the PCV and the vacuum block?

Yes have two breathers from champion racing heads...no check valve but its on my list for this week to order one.

 

[87NAT]

Did my research on the boards and found probably one of the longest threads I have ever read about "pcv sucking oil" from back in 2003-2004. After all of that reading there is still no definitive answer to the problem. I will try a catch can and check valve along with a new GM pcv and see what happens.


I will do a leakdown test this weekend so I can rule out headgasket/ring problem. I dont want to put a bandaid on a lacerated wound.:redface:

 

[vacuum 6]

IMO before spending the $$$$, clean the intake and plug the PCV to see if the smoking goes away. It might be a bad intake gasket.

 

[Scott89TTA]

This is on a TTA...not sure if the PCV is plunmbed the same or not.

my car was pulling oil up through the PCV and getting in the up pipe and IC and around the inlet of the turbo. Per instructions from John Pearcy I removed the hose from the driver side valve cover to the inlet bell of the stock turbo and plugged the hole at the turbo (later replced the inlet bell with a solid one w/o the hole) then pulled the PCV out from the base of the maifold and plugged that hole. I moved the PCV to the elbow fitting in the driver side valve cover where the hose from the turbo inlet originaly was and then ran the PCV hose from the passenger side over to the new location. Much better...no oil everywhere. I also added breathers on both valve covers as well.

In this pic you can see the PCV just to the left of the driver side breather and the PCV hose going across the back of the dog house to the passenger side.

 

[87NAT]

This is on a TTA...not sure if the PCV is plunmbed the same or not.

my car was pulling oil up through the PCV and getting in the up pipe and IC and around the inlet of the turbo. Per instructions from John Pearcy I removed the hose from the driver side valve cover to the inlet bell of the stock turbo and plugged the hole at the turbo (later replced the inlet bell with a solid one w/o the hole) then pulled the PCV out from the base of the maifold and plugged that hole. I moved the PCV to the elbow fitting in the driver side valve cover where the hose from the turbo inlet originaly was and then ran the PCV hose from the passenger side over to the new location. Much better...no oil everywhere. I also added breathers on both valve covers as well.

In this pic you can see the PCV just to the left of the driver side breather and the PCV hose going across the back of the dog house to the passenger side.

I have aftermarket tall valve covers for my roller rockers...no side port.

 

[87NAT]

IMO before spending the $$$$, clean the intake and plug the PCV to see if the smoking goes away. It might be a bad intake gasket.

Will give that a shot. I bought some top engine cleaner..gonna give it an enema.

 

[vacuum 6]

I've heard that IF you have blow-by (sucking oil thru the PCV, then I would say yes) running a mix of E85 might help minimize it. Lots of guys are running 25% mix of E85 with zero issues.

 

[qwksht]

What kind of intake gasket did you put on a one peice or a two peice fel pro? Also what rings.

Why do you ask which intake gasket he used?Just curious,i am finishing my ..money pit..LOL....and have a new motor that i am about to install my new champion intake on(non-ported,heads mildly ported),Which is a better gasket to install?..The pcv port on my champion intake is plugged,with breathers on both covers,i am eliminating the emissions equip....not gonna be much of a street car anymore...

 

[PaCemkr86]

i perfer not to use a pcv valve... just breathers