Well, I've done some stupid sh*t in my lifetime, you'd think I'd feel a little more comfortable screwing up. When I got my car the guy told me it needed valve guide seals. Sure, it smoked a little but that's just cause it sat 4 years(my inner optimist). Ignoring that, I put it in the garage, did the usual tune-up stuff, and put on a full exhaust with slp(on sale,ya know) and a 3" Catco cat. Start 'er up, watch the headers smoke, sounds awesome. Exhaust leak at cat where cat adapter doesn't quite adapt. No prob, get it welded later. Back under hood checking wire clearance. After about 10 mins. holy smoke! Car is smoking from tailpipe like a beeyatch. Rev up a little, lots more smoke. Shut down, look around, check oil, get in, start up, drive around block, smoke fades. Idle back in garage, smoke returns. Pull plugs, comp. check. Cyls. 1 2 5 7 8 @~120, 3 4 6 @~60. Oh ****. Squirting oil in plug hole does not change readings. Now for the weird part, there is a little oil dripping out of the exhaust leak at the cat. WTF? How could this much oil still be in the exhaust? When driving, there is a little smoke at take off, but when idling for more than a few mins, we belch. *sigh* Now what? How much oil would it take to make a bad ring get better compression, more than a squirt? The new plugs (platinum) were discolored black on one side, the old ones looked generally ok, a few a little oily.
Thanks for reading this far,
Dennis K

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88 Formula 350

 

this happend to me, maybe to you, too. Oil leaked from the valve cover gaskets and chase the headers all the way down to the cat. Thats why youre seeing it down their, when you removed the valve covers to put the headers on, some oil may have trickled out. Like i said, same thing happend to me. The smoke from the pipes is common for a little while when putting on headers, if a lot is coming out, its just oil seeping in little crevasis of the cat and burning up inside and out the tailpipes like a biatch. I hope this makes your day, it certainly made mine when i found out it was something so silly. I hope you have the same problem i did. stupid valve covers....

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"Ever notice how imports sound like weedwackers"

 

I already tried replying, it didnt go through for some reason. The same thing happend to me. When i installed my headers, i had to take off the valve covers, when i reinstalled them, oil had followed the headers down to the cat and burned like a SOB. You said that you have a leak at the cat, well, i did too. Oil made its way in and burned like a Ford plant on fire. Make sure the valve covers arent leaking, you should have put new gaskets on. Hope this helps!! Stupid valve covers....

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"Ever notice how imports sound like weedwackers"

 

Only thing is, I didn't remove my valve covers.

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88 Formula 350