Is it time to build a new motor or the turbo??

[jdpolzin]

OK guys, I have been messing with the BLM's and trying that because my numbers at idle were 150. Now after replacing the MAF and capping of the vac line for the PCV, I am down to 129 at idle. Well, I'm still smoking like a pig and blowing black crap all over my nicely white painted garage wall. I know I can do a compression test next and that but is my turbo burning oil or the motor? ANy way to check except for compression tests? The car runs great except for the black crud. It really doesnt smoke when it's warm. Runs really awesome accually. The car has 87K miles and by the previousowner, I am sure they werent all "easy" miles but who knows? Anyways, where would you guys go next? The heads are done and a cam but nothing else really major on the motor itself.

 

[87geeinn]

Your still hot on the trail aren't you? So, is the car smoking or blowing black crud or both? Smoking at idle? What color smoke? On initial startup and warm up, the car WILL blow black crud which is just small carbon deposits mixed with condensation that is being blown out as the car warms up.

If you decide to keep the PVC line blocked off, you may want to consider changing your oil more often as all those gases left in the motor are going to contaminate the oil much quicker.

 

[turbowannabe]

Did you replace the MAF and cap off the PCV at the same time? If so, then you need to do one at a time and check BLM's to verify if only the MAF or only the PCV is the problem, or possibly both if BLM lowers when you do both checks. From what I know, smoke on initial startup and warmup indicated valve seals. A turbo should blow oil into exhaust no matter what temperature so I'm pretty sure that's not the problem.

Like 87geeinn said, "On initial startup and warm up, the car WILL blow black crud which is just small carbon deposits mixed with condensation that is being blown out as the car warms up."
If the "smoke" out of the exhaust dissapears quickly then it is moisture evaporating, if it carries away until it slowly dissapates into the air then it is really smoke. Think about it as a boiling pot of water(moisture) and campfire smoke(oil). Oil typically burns a bluish color, while moisture burns white.

 

[jdpolzin]

No it's definately oil burning. The car will smoke at intitial start-up for a while. When the car is warm, it doesn't smoke half as bad. I changed the MAF and PCV at different times. Another thing is that there is oil in the VAC lines. Specially when I took apart the PCV.

 

[onefastcar]

pull hoses off of intercooler and examine easy enough and will tell ya whats up with turbo, also take a flashlight and look at bottom of intercooler for liquid in it. Do you have the turbo to pass side valve cover line removed if not could get oil from there?

 

[turbowannabe]

Since you have oil in the pcv area I would recommend a new pcv, which can be a bitch when GM dealers want to sell you 10 at a time. Then compression test with all of the spark plugs removed and throttle wide open. Then go to a cylinder leakage test that will tell you how much leakage is going on and where it's comming from. Personally I would lean towards valve seals since you have freshened heads and smoke lessens after startup.

 

[jdpolzin]

Doesn't seem to have any oil in the intercooler or up-pipe. The pass valve cover has a breather in it also! Maybe its time to build a 4.1??? :biggrin:

 

[TURBOTIMMER]

Pull the doghouse off the intake and see if its full of oil. I was running a turbo with a bad oil seal. There was no oil in the up pipe either. It was such a fine mist, that the intercooler inlet, outlet, uppipe, and throttle body were all dry. It accumulated behind the throttle blade and in the lower intake.

That one took me days to figure out.