Head help needed
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 774
Likes: 1
From: Round Rock Texas
Head help needed
So...I have been tinkering with stuff on my 78 motor. I am just a novice to motor work. I recently put a new set of heads ( stock heads with about 5k miles). I thought I had really messed it all up. It turned out the starter I had placed in it about 7 months ago now needed a shim. Got that and a new distributor. It finally turned over and started. But, there was white smoke everywhere. I adjusted the timing, but the smoke never stopped. I torqued the heads properly, per the assembly book there is no clacking so the rockers are torqued correctly.
Any ideas on what might have gone wrong?
Thanks.
Any ideas on what might have gone wrong?
Thanks.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 2,748
Likes: 90
From: Sacramento California
C2 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
2018 C2 of Year Finalist
White smoke can also be burning tranny fluid from a leaking module.
Check for Tranny fluid in the engine. (pull the at vacuum line and see if it has tranny fluid in it)
What head gasket did you use?
Check for Tranny fluid in the engine. (pull the at vacuum line and see if it has tranny fluid in it)
What head gasket did you use?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 774
Likes: 1
From: Round Rock Texas
Thanks.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 774
Likes: 1
From: Round Rock Texas
Crate motor time may be called for.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 17,649
Likes: 189
From: Who says "Nothing is impossible" ? I've been doing nothing for years.
Well if you have antifreeze in the rad then all the water in the engine will have antifreeze in it. What you describe points to a blown head gasket or improperly installed head gasket however that is hard to do with the dowels to line it up.
Did you put sealant around the water passages when you put the intake on ?
Did you put sealant around the water passages when you put the intake on ?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 774
Likes: 1
From: Round Rock Texas
Well if you have antifreeze in the rad then all the water in the engine will have antifreeze in it. What you describe points to a blown head gasket or improperly installed head gasket however that is hard to do with the dowels to line it up.
Did you put sealant around the water passages when you put the intake on ?
Did you put sealant around the water passages when you put the intake on ?
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every Model vs Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!
Joe Kucinski
10 Things C8 Corvette Owners Hate (But Won't Tell You)
Joe Kucinski
10 Best Corvettes Coming to Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach 2026!
Brett Foote
Every Corvette Grand Sport Explained! (C2, C4, C6, C7, & C8)
Joe Kucinski
Grand Sport & Grand Sport X Launch Alongside All-New 535hp LS6 V8!
Michael S. Palmer
5 Reasons Bad Drivers Crash & 5 Ways to Avoid a Costly Mistake!
Joe Kucinski
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,652
Likes: 49
From: Bridgewater nj
Don't forget to re torque the intake manifold. You have water flowing through it and it's not uncommon to get a leak from a water jacket or bolt into an intake port. Also if you check your plugs, you'll see the cylinder affected will have a perfectly clean plug. Where the others will have a little sutt.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 774
Likes: 1
From: Round Rock Texas
Thanks!
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 774
Likes: 1
From: Round Rock Texas
Don't forget to re torque the intake manifold. You have water flowing through it and it's not uncommon to get a leak from a water jacket or bolt into an intake port. Also if you check your plugs, you'll see the cylinder affected will have a perfectly clean plug. Where the others will have a little sutt.
Marz
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 774
Likes: 1
From: Round Rock Texas
Yanked the spark plugs. The driver's side plugs were all very oily. Passenger side were all normal looking. Putting heads on without messing up the gaskets cannot be that hard. But...I guess it is.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 17,649
Likes: 189
From: Who says "Nothing is impossible" ? I've been doing nothing for years.
You can mis align the gaskets pretty easy, I once rebuilt my entire engine because I kept getting one spark plug fowled while the rest were perfect. I was told after by the engine builder I had a misaligned intake gasket, it just sped up curse of more power faster 