Oil smoke

Engine smoking

From: Richard.Begley@USAA.COM, San Antonio, TX on 10/8/1999 3:14

PO disconnected the oil vent tube from the vacuum line off the carbs. Could this cause the smoking I am noticing? (blue smoke esp on accel.) Also a weak ignition system adds to woes.

THX
Richard Begley

From: Chris SW London UK on 10/8/1999 19:09

Excessive burning of oil can be caused by many things including the one you say I think. I suppose put it all back together and see if you are still burning oil.

A very heavily over rich mixture will also cause this. Excessive petrol in the bores, oil 'washes' up past the rings from the sump, this is called petrol wash.

Knackered rings will of course do this, unfortunately fiddling with the carbies will not resolve this one.

Has your engine good valve guide seals?

Do you know when the engine was last overhauled?
Has this problem just started happening?

Just some thought ......

Chris

From: richard.begley@usaa.com , San Antonio, TX on 10/8/1999 23:40

I just got the car running. Bought non-running from PO who claimed the car just needed electrical work (no alternator).

Fixed the alternator, got it running and smoked like crazy. It's very likely that the car was sitting unused for close to 1 yr. I just didn't bargain for a rebuild of the engine. I do know that it is probably running rich on one carb, since the other carb doesn't work well. Guess I'v got some work to do, but you have given me some hope...thanks.

From: Les Bengtson Mesa, Az. ragnar@aztec.asu.edu on 11/8/1999 2:49

Richard
You might run a compression check, both wet and dry to see
what you have. When a car has been sitting for some time
without being run (especially in damp climates) the piston
rings can rust to the piston (rust on the rings jam the
ring into the piston so it is not free to expand properly).
This can allow oil to get into the combustion chambers and
burn. A blue-ish smoke is normally considered to be oil
smoke while a black, sooty smoke is too rich mixture. You
have a problem, but most such can be fixed. With the right
attitude, it becomes an adventure. With the wrong attitude,
it is a nightmare. Make it an adventure and enjoy knowing
you will have helped keep a classic car on the road. Les

From: Joe Puma, Buffalo, NY USA, jpuma@wned.org on 11/8/1999 14:02

Les is right on the mark... the right frame of mind is essential when working on these cars. If you don't look at it as an adventure and a learning experience, you could lose your mind! I'm still fighting a smoking problem on a fresh rebuild that has seen the engine out of the car and torn down twice, and the head off 4 times! (I should buy stock in copper head gaskets). Needless to say, it's been expensive and frustrating. Don't give up!

Good luck

JOE

From: richard.begley@usaa.com on 13/8/1999 0:09

If it turned out to be rust on the rings due to sitting too long, would removing the head and cleaning up the rings with WD-40 to loosen them up do the job? Or is it more likely I'd need a rebuild.

Don;t get me wrong, I have the right attitude, it's the $ involved in a rebuild that gets to me...can't even afford a head gasket at this moment...have to wait at least a week or two.

I guess I'm trying to figure out what to try first. The carbs are missing the "y" adapter for the vacuum, so I have just connected the hose to one of the carbs (the better one of the two) -some vacuum has to be better than none-

I'll test tomorrow to see if this has helped at all.

From: Les Bengtson Mesa, Az. ragnar@aztec.asu.edu on 13/8/1999 4:56

Richard
My experience is that WD-40 will form shellac when it dries. I have seen this often in old firearms brought into the shop. I try to avoid it when possible. It is great as a moisture displacing product, but poor as a lubricant. I would try some upper cylinder lube or Marvel's Mystery Oil as a first step. It may take two or three applications before working/beginning to work. It may not work at all. Running the engine for a while (take a two hour drive) may also help to free up the rings if that is the root cause of the problem. Neither will do much for broken rings or a scored cylinder caused by a broken ring. This can only be found by tearing down the engine. A wet and dry compression check will, however, give you some indicators. So will a leak down check which is done by inserting a tool (bought or home made) into the spark plug hole that allows you to put air pressure into the cylinder from a compressor or portable air storage tank. Depending on where you hear the air leaking from, you get an idea of what to check next. Actually, most of these problems require two or three different checks, each giving a little better idea of what the problem is. Let us know what your compression readings are and we can do a better job of advising. Les