Twilightoptics

Try 1/2 turn on the rockers when setting the lash rather than 3/4. Maybe even try a 1/4 turn. I set mine between 1/4 and 1/2

MrDude_1

uhh headers dont have to come off to check compression.


and btw, if you burned RTV thru your engine, guess what?

you are going to need a new O2 sensor.


seriously, and im not trying to be rude, but you need to slow down, take a step back and think everything thru before you go on and work on your car anymore.... you are putting way too much work for somthing so simple and are causing more headaches then you are solving...


and in relation to what you said waayback at the beginning of this thread... unless you hogged the fugg out of the heads, you should see almost no loss of low end power. somthing else is admiss......

SlowMaro

and yes, i DID have to remove the headers to reach the #8 and #8 plug holes, the compression tester i have used an adapter and gave out way too much length to fit behind the tubes....it made for the job to be much easier to take them off anyways.

no i didnt hog the bejesus outta the heads.

i highly doubt i got rtv anywhere near the intakes, and i have new o2 4 days after the install after the rtv would have burned up even if any did get in the intake.

i did everything correctly to te best of my knowledge, or as specified by the manual, and many peoples insite on here.

no one stated the .015 gasket until a day or so ago. manual didnt call for it.

and i dont really recall porting , polishing,lapping, prepping, cleaning, taking apart and putting back togather the entire top half of the engine, An Easy task.

330hp_91RS

The difference in gasket thickness is not going to make the car either run or miss, I really don't think it's your problem. You have a cam that will give you good cylinder pressure even at low rpm's and a .20 diff. in gasket thickness will only cost you a pony or two, not that big a deal.

I haven't checked your posts in a while but, what was your timing set at before the head swap??? 2-4 degrees more than that should be perfect, as you'll only need a bit more timing to inleash the top end.

I had a bent valve on one of my Vortec heads after I installed them, the car would only run right with an amount of timing that was ridiculous....further investigation revealed a bent valve.

Took the heads off, got it fixed, slapped them back on and.....top shape....16 degrees of base timing.

SlowMaro

ok good, i dont feel the urge to yank the heads off for 2 hp lol....screeeeew that....my timing was set at about 10 after the cam swap....

by the way, when i lapped the vales, IF any were bent, wouldnt they never seat correctly due to the bent valve creating more of an oval/widened bore type shape and leak constantly? i personally lapped the valves 6 times over and checked for leaks by assembling them and pourin galchohol in them and letting it sit for 30 mins then inspecting the valves, not a single trace of sluid was to be seen arounf the valve seats while still assembled, inspected from the botom looking up, with a halogen.

i am always open to being corrected so correct me if im wrong but i dont think a valve would ever seat and not leak if it were bent, also, compression test would have revealed a bent valve i think.

all cylindes were at 150, almost identical to each cyl, its weird actually, i expected them to vary 10-15 from each of the others, i.e. one 150 one 130 etc etc.

glad to se eyou chimmed in finally 330, ws wondering where you were

gmsmallblockguy

Well If your compression test came out fine and you know you have no vaccum leaks it might just be time to re lash the valves and go with the 1/4 to 1/2 turn and do them one at a time intead of with the engine running. If you did em with it running did you also soak your wires with oil? Oil will rob your spark.

SlowMaro

nah i used some cardboard as a good splash guard, not much oil spilt out at all....ill re lash to 1/4 a turn though....im willing to try anything...i had already tried 1/2 a turn.

330hp_91RS

Try a 1/4 turn, but I doubt that's it.

As far as having a bent valve, regardless of if they were all straight as an arrow when you put them on has nothing to do with what happened to them after running the car.

If you overtightened the lash in the first place you could have bent one, there are alot of things that could have happened.

It might be smart to go and get a harmonic balancer COVER with the timing marks on it, remember it's only the outer ring that slips, not the bolt holes for the pulleys.

That way you'll be able to tell if she slipped or not. You really have no need for an expensive dampner uless you are revving upwards of 6500 rpm.

Good luck.

SlowMaro

well, my compression test checked out fine, plus its not really acting like abent valve, more of something electronical id say, the timing cover thing is a good idea, i didnt think about that, im willing ot bet the sucker slipped. also, i didnt think 3/4 was anywhere near *way too much* lash. especially not enough to bend a valve...maybe apush rod....but i can be wrong...prolly am, just saying it seems like it wouldnt hurt too bad....

i just replaced my tps sensor, only sensor that hadnt been replaced, ..literally...i replaced it cause well, i tapped it very lightly with a screw driver and the thing flew apart into 5 pieces....crazyness, maybe it was dead , or about to die to begin with

lets see if that helps any...doubt it will, ill report back later....

330hp_91RS

How do you know what a bent Valve acts like????

It could either be really bent, or barely bent, you don't know until you have it checked by a TOTAL professional.

Do your self a favor and stop trying to think that you have an idea of what something will "act" like just because of the things people describe, remeber you only understand it as well as someone can describe it.

From the experience I have had with my Vortecs, your situation sounds awful similiar.

SlowMaro

ok so now....the damn car idles fine ...for about 5 mins, then it starts acting like its missing, like aburnt wire....then it just gets worse til it shuts off....without me touching it.

the reason i say it doesnt act like abent valve is because the compression is fine, and the car runs perfect for about ten mins until it warms up then starts crapping out. that doesnt sound like a bent valve. but as i stated, i could be wrong. never acted like i knew it all, just said it doesnt fit the charactoristics of a bent valve. this acts more electrical.

and i doubt any mechanic would come close to my car being so mixed matched modified that it is. and if they did touch it, it would be 100 bucks per hour, and itd take ten hours. then blame it on missing the smog equipment, give me a bill, and a broke car. had *professionals* at a performance store here try to fix my 86 that had a 350 swapped in , and it was about as rigged as this, and they could never fix it. and it turned out to be a manifold leak. which i found with a can of carb cleaner. Total cost.

Bill, 360 dollars, car still broke.
carb cleaner, 2 bucks.
manifold gaskets, 15 bucks.

thats the reason i dont put my car in the shop for anything other than alignment or something similar that i cannot do in my garage.

ill eventually fix the problem, and will be greatful for not having to spend 400-800 bucks for someone to go *i dunno....*

i still say its something simple and stupid. just have no clue as to what.

Sitting Bull

Slow,

You are getting the gears with this mod. It's a drag when something like this mars what should have been a good mod

Hang in there. I know you probably don't want to hear this but it happens to everyone, sooner or later.

SlowMaro

yeah, its ogtta be something either ecm/sensor based, or the heads.

ive taken everything off, other than the heads, at least ten times and it ran right every time. other than one distributor.timing episode where it wouldnt run at all for a couple days because..well...im retarded. maybe its the missing smog crap throwing the ecm all out of whack? doubt it, but its the only thing i havent put back on.

scottland

Sounds like the problem is that your car is fuel infected. Something sounds badly wrong with the computer or the tuning.

Air/Fuel mixtrue or something to that extent.

do you know anyone that has a carburator you could borrow to throw on there?

if it runs fine with a non-cc carb, you know what your problem is

Yarnboy

Re-gap the plugs to stock if you haven't already. I'd also see if you can't a shop to lend you a scan tool or anyone one else for that matter. I assume you put the plug wires on the correct order

SlowMaro

see, i swear it ecm/electronic related as well, ...i just dont see the valves working perfectly during idle for 15 mins then just not working porperly....i mean, in my short lived experiance, something thats messed up mechanically, stays messed up, 24/7, through all temps, all scenarios.

even if the car is 200 degrees, itll idle perfectly, for 15 mins, then start choking basicly...acts like i shot carb cleaner in the tbi for a sec, then corrects itself, 2 mins later same thing, chkes down worse, fixes itself, ...and so forth until its choking all the time and dies.

whats a good scan tool? this seems to be something id like to actually own rather than borrow every time something messes up* i mess something up*

i re adjusted the valves to 1/4 turn after lash, new o2 sensor, neither helped. this all started after i changed my oil...weird huh. yes, i put in all oil, no accidental tranny fluid lol....trust me, i checked.

330hp_91RS

Are you getting any SES lights??? If you are, are they immediate when you start the car or what???

I agree on the scan tool, that way when it begins to sputter and die out you can see what is really going on with the sensors.

Have you checked the ignition system other than the plugs and wires???? Could be a faulty module that only craps out when it gets warmed up. Take you module to AutoZone and have them test it, MULTIPLE times. Test it until it's freakin' hot.

How much gas ins in the car?? Just a thought, especially if it's on an incline.

If your computer is throwing codes, get a paper clip and write them all down. As far as your smog equipment, I thought you had a custom chip burned????Did you get it so that the smog would be irrelevant in closed loop operation????

SlowMaro

ok so, this is prolly the best 300 dollars i have spent on the car yet, i went and got a scan tool instantly, i had the money, it seemed to be a good thing to own, the end. paid 300 bucks for the pro version. so i hooked it up, instantly threw a code 15, coolant sensor is too low.

now, that is prolly due to the fact that i dont have the fan temp switch in the head, its just sitting there on my firewall...Why? because the damn head had a plug in it, and for the life of me i couldnt get the sucker out, so i straight wires the fan, and claled it a day. machine shop wanted 100 bucks to get the plug out....and no it wasnt a spark plug, it was a square inlet type plug that went into the hole the fan temp switch is supposed to go into. so here are the codes, yall tell me whats up. this is the best i can do *literally* so now you all will be able to tell me whats really going on.
these were taken when the car was idling and after i had reved it a few times to warm it up.
Auto X-ray ez-link

prom id 1101
map sensor 1.25 volts --map sensor is new--
air switch-On
o2 semsor 448 mVolts
manifold air temp 107.6
rich/lean flag Lean. it keeps switching back n forth between lean and rich while car is running, goes to lean when car is sputtering and dying.

throttle sensor-Varies, at idle its .60 volts.
knock sensor-has a 2, dunno what that means.
idle air meter 16 steps.
async mode Off
air divert solenoid On
learn control disabled *whatever that is or means*
loop status open. it was showing closed for a lil while.
integrator 128
block learn 128


so there you have it. this is seriously what i needed from the beginning before i started replacing everything. its not the BEST scanner, but in my small opinion its pretty good. anything that tells me whats going on with the engine in real time, is good in my world.

so i hope this clears up some confusion as to whats been going on.

SlowMaro

ok update..so i used the capture mode when the problem occured, here are the results. :

idle air meter: 0 steps
map sensor: 1.37 volts
throttle sensor: 0.62 volts
integrator: 126
oxygen sensor: 844 mVolts.
knock sensor: 3
block learn: 128
manifold air temp: 145.4
async: off
rich lean flag: lean
loop status: closed
air switchcolednoid: off
air divert solenoid: off

i think this sucker was 300 bucks due to the fact that it has 6 wiring harnesses in it...for obd 2 and ford , etc etc.....looks like ill return this when im done and order a refurbished one for 100 bucks. screw everyone elses car, this is for my car, i dont need obd 2 and ford connectors....what model scanner is actually less than the price of a root canal.

do the cheaper ones show the same data, or do they show less.

kevinc

IAC should be in the 10-50 steps range, zero means you may have a vacuum leak still, or the throttle body is misadjusted. Find the minimum air screw, see if you can get the IAC steps into spec...if they keep going to zero no matter where you set the min air screw, you have a leak.

Fix your coolant temp sensor. Should have nothing to do w/ your fan switch being unused, separate sensor somewhere on the intake manifold. Without coolant temp data the ECM can't accurately calculate fuel delivery.

The jumping between rich/lean is normal and a good sign. Fix the two issues above and report back.

SlowMaro

so how badly did i get screwed on the scanner??? i know it wasnt a great deal , but i thought it was pretty good, i mean, ....it really did cost so much due to the fact that it has all the connectors for all domestic cars with it, i really want one thatll basicly only work on my car, take this back, and save 150 bucks....cause its pointless to have all these connectors


so where is the minimum air screw located? i

it said 16 steps at one poitn when the car was running, but i was reving it then.

and im not sure which sensor this is, im willing to bet its the one on the manifold and not the one on the head.

SlowMaro

ok replaced the sensor, the only screw i on the tbi was the idle screw.

the steps at idle are Zero.

i replaced the coolant temp switch, no more error codes.

i sprayed carb cleaner all around the manifold, never bogged down...if it were the base of the tbi it would be leaking gas., altho i sprayed carb cleaner there as well. ive checked all vaccum hoses, and replaced them. where else could a leak be? at least now i have a way to narrow down the problem, instead of all this random ideas. it would also be nice if this thing showed my timing, how much it was being advanced, etc etc

just curious, is the IAC supposed to move when the car is off and i turn the key to the acc. position. i took the iac out for the hell of it to have a look, and it has maybe this much space -----> |....|<---- of spring, between the head *pintle?* and the very beginning of the threads.

dunno if this is normal or not.

kevinc

It sounds like the idle screw is holding the throttle blades too far open. ECM wants the idle speed lower than the idle screw will allow, forcing the IAC to zero.

With the engine warmed up and running in closed loop mode, try adjusting the idle screw outward slowly, reducing the engine speed, while watching the IAC counts.

If there's no vac leak, you'll hit a point where the engine speed stabilizes at whatever the ECM wants and the IAC counts start increasing. When you get the IAC counts at ~20 with the engine at normal operating temperature, you're there.

Also verify the new coolant temp sensor is working right by watching the scantool readings. You didn't get hosed on the scantool by the way, you just bought more than you need. A scanner for GM OBD-1 only can be had for somewhere near $100, like the Auto X-Ray.

kevinc

One thing that comes to mind about your low block learn data, it sounds like your injectors are bigger than your chip thinks they are.

I'd contact the guy who burned your chip and ask what injector flow rate it's calibrated to.

Don't tell him what size injectors you're running or you'll just get a "yup" answer, have them tell you what size injectors the chip thinks you have. If the number he returns is smaller than 65lb or whatever size you have, you need a new chip (or smaller injectors).

SlowMaro

whats funny about that is, the car ran fine after i put in what i *think* are the 65 lb injectors .....yes no one could actually verify the lb of my injectors, i just corss reference the part # for the 5 lb injectors, and ordered that part. so im 90% sure i have 65 lb injectors.

in any event ive had them for about two months now and never had a problem. could my fuel pressure regulator be on the fritz???

dimented24x7

iTrader: (2)

the best damn scanner in the world for tbi is still winaldl. It doesnt const as mucha s root canal, as a matter of fact, it doesnt cost anything at all and it has as much fucntionality as a good scanner. I liked it so much i built a serial port into my dash so i can jsut plug my computer in and go.

SlowMaro

yea i know, i need the aldl cable though, oh and a lap top. which will cost the same as my scanner heh.

what all data does winaldl show?

dimented24x7

iTrader: (2)

parts readily available at radioshack. Jsut follow the included instructions from JoBy. It will cost a gand sum of around $10 to construct the cable.

SlowMaro

where is the schematics?? i mean hell, ill build one, im good with stuff like that

SlowMaro

so heres whats going on after warm up. the o2 sensor readings fluctuate from as low as 70 to 800 mVolts. lean/rich indicator going from lean to rich in 1 second intervals. Idle air steps were at 28 steps, engine idle at 900 rpm. then i shuit the car off, then i cranked it back up, idle steps were at 50 til it idles down and then went to Zero., i reved the gas, it went up to 8 steps at 4000 rpm.

map sensor 1.37
integrator: 126
block learn 112 ...was at 94, then changed when i shut the car off.

loop status was closed.
air switch solenoid was off
air divert was on


of course all these variables fluctuate as the cars idle drops randomly from 900 to 775 then corrects itself.

that is basicly the problem, why cant i maintain a normal idle.

kevinc

If your IAC goes to zero, and you have no vacuum leaks, your min air screw on the TB is holding the blades open too far. Go back to my earlier post and do that, should get your IAC counts to normal and give you normal idle behavior.

SlowMaro

i tried that earlier, the more i backed off the idle, the more it choked and died. i got a friend with a 92 rs that is stock, so therefore it runs perfect. i took out his....coil, ignition module, o2 sensor, MAP, IAC,TPS, engine temp sensor on the driver side head, the one on the manifold, and nothing different happened.

question: When i torqed the heads down, was i supposed to have the intake manifold on and tightened? the manual didnt specify to do this. i was just curious if this could pose a problem or actually BE the problem. i accidently got water on the manifold and it got all around the gaskets, then when i tried to start the car, it wouldnt. so maybe i DO have a manifold leak, and water dripped in, causing my car to not start. i had to unplug the injectors and turn my car over a few times *it actually started and ran for 3 seconds* i dunno if my car somehow got flooded with gas, or water. but something definatly went wrong.

kevinc

If it won't idle under IAC control, the IAC itself is suspect. Snag a name-brand replacement, like Borg-Warner or Delco. Avoid the cheapies.

When you install it, disconnect the battery so the ECM will clear.

You don't need the intake on to torque the heads, conventional wisdom is to have the heads on and torqued before the intake goes on.

If the gaskets got wet *before* you torqued the intake, they're likely damaged and need replaced. If the water hit *after* the intake was on and torqued, no problem...people wash engines all the time.

SlowMaro

well, it was just food for thought ....i figured the intake didnt need to be on considering the heads rest on those two studs on either side of the block, and wont let the heads move at all. but like i said, i was just posting a possible scenario of a probable flaw.

the gaskets never saw water before i put them on.

ive swapped out the iac with two other ones with no differnece in idle. whatever it is thats wrong, it has to be the heads *i think8 cause the car ran perfect before the head swap, now it runs like crap. but im definatly willing to shell out 20 bcks for a IAC if i dont have to pull the heads.

i keep thinking MAYBE there is a leak in the head gasket but a few things would be happening if they were leaking. such as, Smoke, oil in radiator, oil leaking, head gasket would blow quickly, lack of compression ...doubt it would hit 150, would prolly be more like 50. i *think* if it were leaking anywhere near the combustion chambers, the combustion itself would burnt right through the gasket like a cutting tourch.

this still all seems electronical related though, due to the fact that itll run perfect until it hits closed loop mode.

if any of this is incorrect, please correct me.

Denis.V

I can't see in your previous posts if you did both a gas presure test and gas volume test. Did you?

Other qs.: Did you replace some electrical sensor connector when you worked in this motor?.

Denis V.

SlowMaro

no to all of the above, did not change a single thing other than the heads and taking off the smog crap...also, i did a fuel pressure test about a month ago, havent done it recently though.

i just got done smearing the edges of my manifold with rtv, just to have that piece of mind to know its not leaking in anywhere, ...i seriously smeared it all over the edged lol, its ugly, but if it works, ...i dont care. i wish i had a digi camera to take a pic of this, i used half a BIG tube of rtv, this sucker is definatly NOT going to leak.

330hp_91RS

You are missing something, the gasket can still leak, FROM THE BOTTOM. Drain your coolant, re-do the gasket, and stop messin' around with the RTV. Do it right.

Why are you putzing around with RTV if you sprayed carb cleaner around to see if you had a leak??? BTW, the motor does not act like it's going to stall when spray the cleaner, the idle jumps up a noticable rpm.

Good luck, but take the manifold off and do it over, stop wasting your time wondering, while you are at it, you may as well re-torque the head bolts to make sure you got them all.

SlowMaro

ive taken off the manifold twice since the head install. ive taken the manifold on and off many time before and never had a leak, then again i DID put rtc on the eitirety of both sides of the gaskets , which i didnt do this time because everyone said "oohhh noo nooo theres no need" so despite what i thought, i didnt put the rtv on, so if i take these bastards off AGAIN......rtv is going everywhere despite wtf everyone else thinks. because thats the only thing i did differently. so when i go waste 30 bucks on new gaskets, and this doesnt fix the problem, and ive wasted another day doing bs, then what?

oh and ive checked the heads, they are torqued to 70 lbs.

im just flat pissed off now, this is making me sick

SlowMaro

and i dunno what carb cleaner you use, ...but the carb cleaner i used did not make the rpms rise, they dropped dramatically, ...and it did the same thing on my 86 when i shot carb cleaner in the carb with the car running.

maybe you are thinking of brake cleaner.

also, would a vaccum leak act that way? i mean the car runs perfectly for 15 mins then starts to crap out. that sounds more electrical, a vaccum leak is a constant variable. meaning it would affect the drivability constantly, not so spontainiously.

also, wouldnt my oil smell like gas? i mean if its leaking from the bottom and all. it would still leak out the alleged leakiy spot , thin up the oil, and make it smell like gas, heavily.

AFBCamaro

yeah next time you do the intake gaskets do the valleys with silicone and a small bead around the coolant passagases and with your fingers very lightly smear a little on the intake ports gaskets themselves. Almost as light as when you put on a coat of paint on a wall (very thin).

I would borrow a carburator from anybody pop it on there and you would certainly remove all dought that its nothing serious. I bet dollars to pesos that it will run right with the carburetor!

Then you can cut all the computer wires, tbi and step all over them. Im just joking though but try that. If that doesnt fix the problem then its the heads.

SlowMaro

yeah, despite all of what i said, i ripped the intake off anyways, spent yet more money on gaskets, and did it my way, and disregarded everyone saying "noo noo only put rtv on the coolant passages and nothing more" the way ive always done it, and it worked right every time, was by putting rtc all over both sides of the gaskets, then rubbing ALL the excess off with my fingers until it was a fine film. placed the gaskes on the heads then made sure there was none around the intakes interfering with air flow. that way has worked correctly every time ive done it, and the one time i didnt do it, it may very well have been the problem , i still do not know as i couldnt finish the job entirely due to a hell of a spontanios 9 pm down pour. so we will se tomarrow if that helped at all.

nothing at all was altered as far as the vaccum lines are concerned. the only thing i did differenly was i took off the smog crap. well that and swapped the heads. i still fear all this is being caused by a head gasket leak. the reasons i think im safe in that area are the factors of, id either have smoke pouring out the tail pipe, loss of compression, or oil in my radiator. but i may very well be one of the few lucky people who have a weird head gasket leak and no fluids get past them somehow.

you know id love to stick a carb on there, if i didnt have to replace the distributor --100 bucks-- and a 3 port AFPR --also 100 bucks--

and i am also willing to bet the car would run like a champ seeing how i could adjust the air/fuel ratio by means of two screws. that and the whole simplicity of the carb.

its to the point where ive checked everything, and reinstalled everything, EXCEPT the heads, so ...maybe it is the heads/gasket. i wont be ahappy camper due to the fact that ive taken the intake and headers/y pipe off twice over and could have easily had the heads off in 1 hour more of work.

SlowMaro

well that was a complete waste of my time....WTF else could this be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

STILL idles all messed up...this is been going on for amonth no, i spend every damn day under the hood 8 hours a day, i dont get it. im sick if this crap, the heads are about to come off...it cant be anthing else. even though i have no clue as to wtf would b wrong with them.

88 350 tpi formula

iTrader: (9)

did you put a vacume guage on it while the eng. is running and see what happens even when it starts to die.

Guest

don't feel bad i haven't driven my car since june 6th

i have flat spots in the cam and the lifters mushroomed. so i'm swaping in a 350 this is my 2nd sawp since i have had the car... frist went from 3.1L V-6 to L69 305 HO and now to a 350 i have only had the car for one year this mo.

SlowMaro

heh damn. see this wouldnt be a problem if this wasnt my only car.

no i dont own a vaccum gauge ....have no clue where to hook it up to if i had one.

ive spent almost 500 buck on test equipment, which makes me sick cause hats either money i could have spent to get someone else to fix it, or new heads.

fb305svs

Replace your IAC.... its faulty... if you are clsing the throttle plates with the adj. screw, and its not kicking in the IAC to open up- then its faulty, or its not recieving a signal (this would trip a SES light however)

SlowMaro

no ses lights at all....also, the iac steps wil be nomral...at about 15-20, then when i start to drive, the steps drop to 0, block learn drops to 119, then goes downhill from there.

i still have this notion in the back of my head that it could be a cpmpression leak of some sort between the head gaskets. maybe its leaking a small amount and is only noticable at low rpms, ...during 1000 rpm warm up, it is going fast enough to compensate for the loss. i dont know though, i think this would result in a blown head gasket VERY quickly. or at least some sort of smoke comming from the tail pipes. yall tell me. cause i dunno.

rustybluebird

what "smog crap" did you remove?

SlowMaro

good question, i was waiting for someone to ask that....i removed the Smog pump, that metal S shaped bar that attatched to it, the thing with the two sensors on it and connected hose from one AIR tube on the headers to the other AIR tube. cat converter has been gutted for the longest time, ...i put a rubber nipple type Plug on the AIR hose leading to the cat.

so pretty much ALL the emissions controls have been removed , except for the charcoal canister. which is hooked up properly.

i just replaced my spark plugs AGAIN, no luck. all gapped to .40.

i took apart the entire fuel pressure regulator and cleaned the bejesus out of it. dont ask, i had tried everything else, it was worth a shot.

i did however notice some oil on the threads of the #3 plug when i removed it. yet no smoke when the car is running. perhaps i DO have a head gasket leak after all.

Riley's35089rs+

That oil could be frome the valve cover leak you had...