Finally got the new motor started. Have about
20 min garage running and 9 miles on a brand
new 350. Have no experience with new motors so wanted to know how much smoke to expect, is this typical until rings seat? Smoke is slightly visible while idling and a pretty good puff when revved.....
Going to change the signature soon:
350, World Torquer heads,Crane 470/222 cam,
CC Qjet, TES headers,ZZ4 intake.

------------------
Tom K.
84 Z-28 M5 305 L69 HO
pulleys,coil,3:73(stock)
Jet chip, fan switch,
Al dshaft,1.6 rockers,
LCAs and brackets,BFG DRs
14.20 @ 96.74 2.02 60ft

[This message has been edited by 84305HO (edited September 26, 2001).]

 

It's going to burn oil till the rings seat.

------------------
1988 L98
Vette Heads/no EGR
SLP Headers/Y-Pipe
ARAP bin

 

Get about 100 miles on it before you make an decisions about it. Some smoke for a while, others a clean from day one. My 383 leaked from the front main seal for almost 100 miles like it was POURING it out the front of the motor. About 2 days before I went into "full freak out" it dried up completely and hasn't leaked since.

 

Thanks guys, I will put a few more miles on
it before I start to panic.

 

Well the panic is starting.... 90 miles on motor and it runs great but still smoking(oil). When I pull a spark plug there is oil accumulated on the threads. Also noticed that
the plugs white ceramic electrode is dark stained in the direction facing the intake
valve. I looked for this because I saw another post stating this would indicate oil
entering through manifold vs rings. Also when installing manifold I used the cork
stick on end rail gaskets which seemed to
be quite tall. Almost forgot, used Ultra
Copper RTV on intake... read in some posts
not to use RTV because it will break down
from gasoline.

[This message has been edited by 84305HO (edited September 30, 2001).]

 

Could be just tall enough to keep the intake to head gaskets from seating right, letting oil seep into the intake ports from the lifter valley. Run it 100 miles more or so, and if your oil consumption doesn't change, retorque the intake manifold bolts. If there still isn't any change, pull the intake manifold and use a high quality RTV to seal the china walls.

------------------
1990 IROC 350
Mods: Too busy trying to make it run right to mod it.
Airfoil, Dynomax cat-back, MSD coil, 180 t-stat, Bald Eagle tires,
Hypertech fan switch, Accel 23# injectors, Holley module, ported plenum,
Ported Daytona Yellow stock base, Moroso valve covers, other stuff,
Streetdampr, Ruger P95DC, hot wife, new oil filter, !cats, !TBC, !AIR.
18.0 @ 85MPH since I'm one big-a$$ MF
"It's better to have and not need than to need and not have."

 

maybe rings were put on upside down....happens sometimes.

James

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1985 Z-28, 350 TPI, T-Tops, edelbrock 6085 heads, ZZ4 cam, accel base/runners & 24 lb/hr inj., ported plenum, everything gasket matched, crane AFPR, SLP 1 5/8 headers, single 3" flowmaster catback, 3" Catco cat, modified tranny, 165 ECM & ARAP code, MSD 6AL/wires, edelbrock STB, Spohn SFC/LCA/PR, GW "wonderbar"

 

got about 90 miles on my engine and when it starts up it makes alot of smoke and makes a black spot on the ground, shoots out oil think i am also runnig rich but i am fixing that now but mine clears up about after 5 min of letting it warm up.

 

The motor was professionally built so I am
leaning toward the intake manifold seal(manifold to head, not end seals).
Any other thoughts?

 

What kinda heads? New? Rebuilt? Did they use the right seals on them?

I have a set of new Iron Eagles that has 2 bad guides out of the box. I have 2 plugs that discolor in exactly the same way you describe and have oil on the threads. I haven't tracked down exactly what is wrong but I know it's not the intake seal or the rings. Something is bad in the heads themselves. Not saying that's your problem, but it's something to keep in mind.

Having discoloration on one side of the plug like you describe is a dead-giveaway that it's coming through past the intake valve.

 

Heads are new World Products S/R Torquers.
Seals look like typical umbrella. The reason
I keep thinking of manifold leak is I tried to port match the gaskets (blue Felpros). Right at the place you would imagine they would leak at the bottom of the port is where I filed them back. And two other things
I can think of is using RTV (Ultra copper) on the manifold to head surface and the height of the cork side rail gaskets. ???????
Just thought of another observation: when first started exhaust looks clean for about
30 seconds and then starts puffing oil. If it
were valve or valve seal related wouldn't it
smoke a lot in the beginning ?

[This message has been edited by 84305HO (edited October 01, 2001).]

 

Most likely yes. Although it still could be something else, I'm beginning to suspect the intake manifold even more. I just used black RTV for the china walls and to slightly tack down the fel-pro gaskets in a couple of places. IMO, you don't need the RTV anywhere but the china walls, which is where you shouldn't use anything else (cork, etc.). Also be sure to use a good liquid teflon thread sealer if you torque the bolts down again. Other people have different methods of intake mainfold installation, so this is just the way I prefer to do it and my $0.02. Hope this helps.

 

Do you think the manifold could leak like
this yet the motor could still run and idle
good?

 

Update: pulled intake manifold and everything
was very oily. The head ports and even the
intake had some oil in it. Not oil puddled up
but if you wiped your finger around you could feel the oil. Proceeded to change gasket and
sealed everything up real good with composite gasket and permatex. Net change:
no difference, smoking oil like a 200,000
mile junker !!!!! Track closes in three weeks, looks like I am not going to get a pass in this year! Any other suggestions ?
Motor now has 115 miles on it.

 

Anyone else ?

 

Either the engine has some serious blowby that is being taken through the PCV, or you need baffles in the valve covers. What type of PCV system are you running.

------------------
1990 IROC 350
Mods: Too busy trying to make it run right to mod it.
Airfoil, Dynomax cat-back, MSD coil, 180 t-stat, Bald Eagle tires,
Hypertech fan switch, Accel 23# injectors, Holley module, ported plenum,
Ported Daytona Yellow stock base, Moroso valve covers, other stuff,
Streetdampr, Ruger P95DC, hot wife, new oil filter, !cats, !TBC, !AIR.
18.0 @ 85MPH since I'm one big-a$$ MF
"It's better to have and not need than to need and not have."

 

with the engine warm, shut it off and pull your oil fill cap. if smoke starts coming out, you've got blowby. put a few more miles on it, if it aint any better, start talking to your engine builder.

 

I have the PCV disabled during this break in
period and replaced with plug in breathers
just so I can see what is coming past the rings into the crankcase. There is a very little smoke coming out even while the motor
is running.
If the rings or valve seals were leaking would the oil go all the way back into the intake manifold ?

 

Another lead that I have totally overlooked
is the fact the oil press is very high.
At idle gauge is pegged at 60+ psi. I am still looking at things that I worked on assuming the motor was built correctly. I had
transferred the little fixture that the oil
filter screws onto from the old L69 to this
new motor...... are they all interchangeable?