smoke smoke and more smoke

[alittlev6]

hello fellow members,im a new guy and i own a 86 turbo buick with heavy mods. Heres my mods done to the buick:

rebuilt 109 block : new wiseco pistons and rins,fresh 40' bored,fresh rods,fresh turned crank,
duttweiler ported heads,w/ big valves
cotton 212/212 flat tapped cam
kenne bell intake
kenne bell throttle 70 mm body
innovative t-70 bb turbo w/68 exhaust housing
cas stock located intercooler
50 lb injectors
walbroo 255 lb pump
artt carr tranny w/transbreak
metco lower/upper control arms

Since the built up, i have put in 3200 miles on it alread. the real problem is,i am smoking like a chimey around the lower engine compartment!, under load or not,i smoke,on park at idle,on street lights, smoke comes out under the hood!!, i replace the valve gaskets, thinking it was that, but didnt change the outcome....is it possible the oil pan gasket went south? or the rear main seal gone out,and oil if hitting the exhasut?????? please please please help, its getting frustrating and im thinking of selling the damn car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thanks for your inputs

 

[Ormand]

Look at the back of the intake manifold. That's another source for oil leaks. Oil runs down the back of the engine, and drips on the crossover pipe. If the engine has only 3200 miles on it, it should be pretty clean, and easy to see where it's leaking. But sometimes those leaks hide, and they tend to be in the places that are hardest to see, and hardest to fix.

 

[alittlev6]

Look at the back of the intake manifold. That's another source for oil leaks. Oil runs down the back of the engine, and drips on the crossover pipe. If the engine has only 3200 miles on it, it should be pretty clean, and easy to see where it's leaking. But sometimes those leaks hide, and they tend to be in the places that are hardest to see, and hardest to fix.

if that the case,what should i do,replace the lower intake? any recommendations,it has gooten so bad,its emberrasing,and im now thinking of selling the car

 

[alittlev6]

Look at the back of the intake manifold. That's another source for oil leaks. Oil runs down the back of the engine, and drips on the crossover pipe. If the engine has only 3200 miles on it, it should be pretty clean, and easy to see where it's leaking. But sometimes those leaks hide, and they tend to be in the places that are hardest to see, and hardest to fix.

Also ormand and fellow members,i just looked under the car,and i was just glansing through the passenger side to see where oil was dripping out from( i even checked in back of the intake) and the starter is covered with fresh oil!!!!??? its a mess down there,the crosspipe,under panels,and converter are covered with burnt and fresh oil???? ill probably go to my buddies muffler shop to pick up the car,so i can closely inspect....its ridicoulous!!!!,,please help me guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

[SHADOWII]

Trials and tribulations ...

teaches us patience! Don't lose heart, we all seem to stumble down these dark paths in our search for the holy grail of the swift-chariot!
okay, you got the idea. when you let the car cool, are you leaving a puddle of oil under the car? btw, are you sure it is oil, not tranny fluid? If it only does it when the car is running, check the oil feed line to the turbo isn't slightly loose and it's spraying on to the header when under pressure. Ormand is right about those leaks, I just fixed an intake leak at the rear of the man. and 2weeks later the valve cover gaskets started!
what about the oil level in the crankcase, is it going down considerable?
is you pcv valve connected to a vacuum source? sometimes the crankcase pressure build up will cause oil to push out thru the weakest gasket.
try giving a better description of what's going on.

 

[SFITurbo]

I'm leaning towards v/c gasket. That side is a PITA and easy to get crooked because of the clearance around the heater/A/C stuff.(plus it is the easiest to fix)

 

[alittlev6]

teaches us patience! Don't lose heart, we all seem to stumble down these dark paths in our search for the holy grail of the swift-chariot!
okay, you got the idea. when you let the car cool, are you leaving a puddle of oil under the car? btw, are you sure it is oil, not tranny fluid? If it only does it when the car is running, check the oil feed line to the turbo isn't slightly loose and it's spraying on to the header when under pressure. Ormand is right about those leaks, I just fixed an intake leak at the rear of the man. and 2weeks later the valve cover gaskets started!
what about the oil level in the crankcase, is it going down considerable?
is you pcv valve connected to a vacuum source? sometimes the crankcase pressure build up will cause oil to push out thru the weakest gasket.
try giving a better description of what's going on.

heres the deal,and best description i can give.. when the car sits ,cold warm or whatever,and whenever ,,it drips and leaves a puddle,anywhere!!,it drip constantly!!.. whenever i go look under the car on the passenger side,where the converter is located,the whole side area and center section under the converter and crosspipe is covered with fresh oil/burnt oil from the heat of the exhaust..... one more thing the starter is covered with fresh oil.. also when i go under high boost or low boost and when i lower my speed,smokes rises up heavily!. even when im cruising or at a fat food drive through,theres smoke comming from the passenger side,its sad and emberrasing!..


heres the things i have inspected and checked, and replace.. i replace both valvecovers with felpros gaskets(not the blue ones) ,a
i inspected the area back on the lower intake, there some oil residue,but not wet so i ruled that out.
i inspected the driver side area,lower and upper portion of the engine compartment,clean
i inspected the passenger area,under the car,and untop of the engibne area. under the car,the whole side where the crossover pipe,starter,body panel area,is covered with burnt/fresh oil,and its constantly leaking/dripping by the starter area,and center section of the crosspiipe.
i have also inspected if it was tranny fluid and it is not ,so i ruled that out.
the massive leak,is burning well beyond moil limitations of my motor!!!.
it does not blow blue smoke on the tailpipes,only on the passenger side area where oil is burning on the exhuast!!!. i

things i have not checked:
if the oil return line is tighten around the oild pan.
blow by and i hope not,but i will take off the breathers to cehck,and make a compression test...
oil pan bolts
rear main seal....



pleaSE PLEASE HELP ME GUYS!!!im losing faith!

 

[alittlev6]

I'm leaning towards v/c gasket. That side is a PITA and easy to get crooked because of the clearance around the heater/A/C stuff.(plus it is the easiest to fix)

also your very right, the passenger side is the most difficult to align the gasket to the heater/ ac conponents that make the lower bolt of the valve cover align,because of the limited space due to the BIG BROWN UGLY AC/HEATER BOX, , in my belief,it will cause the stubberness to align the gasket because you constantly moving the valve cover to screw in the damn bolts,ima double check again on that issue,..


this is what i will do,i will loosen all 4 bolts of the valve cover,enough so i can pick it up without taking the whole cover off. and i will inspect if the gasket is conjuction with the bolts...


hope i cab ruled that out.

 

[NC87GN]

alittlev6,
Look at the timing cover and MAKE SURE you have the bolt tight that is recessed into the cover on the passanger side. I had one that was loose and it left oil deposits everywhere. You would not think it would leave such a mess...? Also was the rear main lip seal installed in the correct orientation (common mistake that happens often). Also check the oil pan gasket and make sure its not pushed out or split. HTH

 

[alittlev6]

alittlev6,
Look at the timing cover and MAKE SURE you have the bolt tight that is recessed into the cover on the passanger side. I had one that was loose and it left oil deposits everywhere. You would not think it would leave such a mess...? Also was the rear main lip seal installed in the correct orientation (common mistake that happens often). Also check the oil pan gasket and make sure its not pushed out or split. HTH

i looked the timing cover at that, and i did find pressuer of oil or some kind of fluid leaking out when warn at idle..on the pasenger side bolt of timing cover.....theres something akward in that area,i will double check and tighten those bolts up...i iwll also go under the car and recheck all oil pan bolts,and also see if oil is dripping by the converter area/tranny bellhousing section to see if it aint the rear main seal.i will ask my installer if he remembers how he installed the main sel,and i HOPE he did it right. because i will surely BE upset,but mistakes happen :*(
thanks for all the inputs,it really keeping my faith..

 

[99ssconv]

I would clean it off with brake cleaner and then watch were the leak is coming from, if its leaking that bad and shouldn't be that hard to locate.

 

[alittlev6]

I would clean it off with brake cleaner and then watch were the leak is coming from, if its leaking that bad and shouldn't be that hard to locate.

i will do that today,ima jack the car upand put it on jack stands,. i bought 2 bottles of brake cleaner,.and i will spray the **** out that sucker witht the pressure washer,let it dry,and i will inpect where that leak is comming from....its ridicoulous how it leaks,its like a sick dog marking its space with piss everywhere it goes it drips oil like a mutha,and its consumming the hell out of the oil,i have to keep adding oil every week!

 

[bison]

Bring it to the car wash and pressure wash it with gunk engine degreaser. Then start it and watch it carefully. Its leaking all the time from what it looks like in your posts and should be easy to find. The only time it would be real bad is if the block was cracked where the webbing ties into the skirt of of the block. I had this happen a long time ago. When i pulled he pan the number 3 main was split and the block cracked along the driver side. I hope your leak isnt the same as mine was. You will find it soon enough.

 

[99ssconv]

You won't need to pressure wash it, the brake clean will work. Another product you could try is made by KENT called Leak Trace Powder, part #20165. This stuff is awesome, first you clean it good with brake cleaner, blow off the residual brake cleaner. Then spray the leak trace powder where you thing the leak is. Your sure to find it with this. The powder looks like you painted the engine white and where the leak is it will stand out like a hooker in a church. Water cleans off the trace powder. Check with some of your local dealerships to see if they sell the trace powder, thats the only place I have ever seen it. Good Luck.

 

[alittlev6]

Bring it to the car wash and pressure wash it with gunk engine degreaser. Then start it and watch it carefully. Its leaking all the time from what it looks like in your posts and should be easy to find. The only time it would be real bad is if the block was cracked where the webbing ties into the skirt of of the block. I had this happen a long time ago. When i pulled he pan the number 3 main was split and the block cracked along the driver side. I hope your leak isnt the same as mine was. You will find it soon enough.

i hope its not a craked blocked,or a blow by by bad installed rings. i will try my best to find this darn leak. i did visually check for blowby,by turning the engine on,going back onto the engine bay,take the dipstick off,breathers off,and giving it throttle to see if oil and smoke would arise,but it didnt,but i still dont give it enough with out the use of a compression test, the motor does sound strong, but nevertheless after 5 minutes of throttle perches,smoke seems to come out the lower passenger area beneath..

 

[alittlev6]

You won't need to pressure wash it, the brake clean will work. Another product you could try is made by KENT called Leak Trace Powder, part #20165. This stuff is awesome, first you clean it good with brake cleaner, blow off the residual brake cleaner. Then spray the leak trace powder where you thing the leak is. Your sure to find it with this. The powder looks like you painted the engine white and where the leak is it will stand out like a hooker in a church. Water cleans off the trace powder. Check with some of your local dealerships to see if they sell the trace powder, thats the only place I have ever seen it. Good Luck.

i will try to call the local auto parts and search for this product...thanks for the great info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1


Ps.(edit) i also did a research on the internet about this product,my locals auto stores, dont sell them,but they said i can use athleate foot spray can(the one that leaves white residue) and it will work as KENT leak detector.ima go test it tonight!.

 

[alittlev6]

theres a pic of the wet oily starter

 

[VadersV6]

Places mine has leaked- I always was dripping oil on the garage floor. I could have sworn it was oil. It was tranny fluid. I didnt know until one of the tranny lines had rubbed against the frame enough that it finally poked a hole big enough that a stream was spraying out. Those 2 lines will either rub against each other, or against something else, and a pinhole will develop. I cut the hard lines about a foot forward of the tranny and replaced it with high pressure hose and got an external tranny cooler. The wet starter, the drips on the ground, the drips on the crossover...gone! When I first got the car, it was leaking out of the drivers side breather. The filter was getting saturated and dripping down onto the header. I was in a cloud of smoke for 70 miles a day. Wasnt fun. Now I have a PCV catch system and everything works right, so that leak is gone. Also the dipstick tube can leak at the block if the o-ring is gone or damaged. Another leak that took MAJOR work to finally get to stop, was the turbo feed line for my turbo. It was pouring down the hard line and getting on everything. Not fun when oil is spraying all over the engine and you're on a road with no gas stations or anywhere to pull over, and the car is smoking so bad it looks like its on fire. Fitting after fitting didnt work. Chasing with a tap and making the warped threads in the turbo round again didnt do it. Going with a compression fitting didnt do it. New flare fittings didnt work. OMG that was a nightmare. Took a month to fix. I ended up having to sweat solder the lines together and made a brace to stop the line from vibrating loose. Another thing that could be your issue is either a rear main leak or an input shaft seal on the tranny, leaking down, dripping through the hole in the TC shield and onto the crossover.
From the starter forward- inspect the CRAP out of the those tranny lines for a pinhole.

 

[alittlev6]

Places mine has leaked- I always was dripping oil on the garage floor. I could have sworn it was oil. It was tranny fluid. I didnt know until one of the tranny lines had rubbed against the frame enough that it finally poked a hole big enough that a stream was spraying out. Those 2 lines will either rub against each other, or against something else, and a pinhole will develop. I cut the hard lines about a foot forward of the tranny and replaced it with high pressure hose and got an external tranny cooler. The wet starter, the drips on the ground, the drips on the crossover...gone! When I first got the car, it was leaking out of the drivers side breather. The filter was getting saturated and dripping down onto the header. I was in a cloud of smoke for 70 miles a day. Wasnt fun. Now I have a PCV catch system and everything works right, so that leak is gone. Also the dipstick tube can leak at the block if the o-ring is gone or damaged. Another leak that took MAJOR work to finally get to stop, was the turbo feed line for my turbo. It was pouring down the hard line and getting on everything. Not fun when oil is spraying all over the engine and you're on a road with no gas stations or anywhere to pull over, and the car is smoking so bad it looks like its on fire. Fitting after fitting didnt work. Chasing with a tap and making the warped threads in the turbo round again didnt do it. Going with a compression fitting didnt do it. New flare fittings didnt work. OMG that was a nightmare. Took a month to fix. I ended up having to sweat solder the lines together and made a brace to stop the line from vibrating loose. Another thing that could be your issue is either a rear main leak or an input shaft seal on the tranny, leaking down, dripping through the hole in the TC shield and onto the crossover.
From the starter forward- inspect the CRAP out of the those tranny lines for a pinhole.

i will check for that too,the thing is though,everytime i check the oil level,its always low!!!!,im fearing blow by,and i hope not!! this motor was built by faerman racing engines,and i hope the rins were set right! and i keep hoping that the heads were freashen up right!!! but i will look into that in what you stated...i swear it looks like oil but i may be wrong..

 

[TurboMonte 2]

A leak like that should be simple to spot/locate. Do your "topside" cleanup, then your homework w/ head & bright flashlight if necessary, under the hood --with eyes wide open!