Burning Oil.....
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Joined: Dec 2005
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From: Mascoutah Illinois
Burning Oil.....
My 86 has a really bad smell and smoke from the exhaust. My dad told me it was because it was burning oil. I don't know if it was because the valves need refacing or if the gaskets are leaking. Does anybody know what the prices would be around to get these things done. I would probably have to have somebody do it because i don't have anywhere to do this. TIA.
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Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Phoenix AZ
2021 C4 of the Year - Modified Finalist
smoke smell
first off, when does it smoke?
how many miles on the engine?
How often do you drive it?
What heads do you have, cast or aluminum?
If it's a daily driver, and it smokes first start of the day, and after prolonged idling, it's valve seals.
If it's a high miler, it's valve seals and maybe rings, but probably just valve seals
If you hardly drive it, it could be a mixture of bad valve seals and a leaky injector.
I have an 86, and when it starts up in the garage, it smells like turpentine. Sort of a chemical smell, not clean.
If you have cast iron heads, early 86 had them, you might have just valve seals, or stem seals, or both depending on the previous owner.
If you have aluminum heads, they are stem seals, and there are 2 types, good ones, and the lousy ones. The lousy ones have a teflon center, and tend to take a set, and after a little bit, they just don't squeeze the valve tight enough to seal.
If you do the seal replacement, and your good, it may take all day depending on how good you are, or a whole day just to do one side if you are not that familiar with this engine.
The valve covers are entrapped, and you have to take off brackets, and move the injector wires, and have lots of patience.
then you have to have an air compressor to keep the valves from falling into the engine.
Then you have to have a valve spring compessor tool
then after you do the job, you have to adjust the valves, and clean up the mess because the oil is going to squirt all over the inside of your engine bay andall over the brakes and tires if you don't be careful.
It can be done, it's easy, just you have to take precautions and be careful.
If you do it, remember, the engine oil on your exhaust can catch fire, so keep an extinguisher that's rated for petroleum fires handy.
Remember, if you use rags to keep the oil off of stuff, they will catch fire if you let them sit on the exhaust also
The good thing is, you don't have to break the fuel lines.
But, before you ever break into a fuel line, be sure you have the necessary gaskets, or "o" rings available to reassemble your car.
Burning corvettes aren't a pretty sight at all. and if you do fuel system repair, do it outside. Water heaters make gas fumes explode big time!!
how many miles on the engine?
How often do you drive it?
What heads do you have, cast or aluminum?
If it's a daily driver, and it smokes first start of the day, and after prolonged idling, it's valve seals.
If it's a high miler, it's valve seals and maybe rings, but probably just valve seals
If you hardly drive it, it could be a mixture of bad valve seals and a leaky injector.
I have an 86, and when it starts up in the garage, it smells like turpentine. Sort of a chemical smell, not clean.
If you have cast iron heads, early 86 had them, you might have just valve seals, or stem seals, or both depending on the previous owner.
If you have aluminum heads, they are stem seals, and there are 2 types, good ones, and the lousy ones. The lousy ones have a teflon center, and tend to take a set, and after a little bit, they just don't squeeze the valve tight enough to seal.
If you do the seal replacement, and your good, it may take all day depending on how good you are, or a whole day just to do one side if you are not that familiar with this engine.
The valve covers are entrapped, and you have to take off brackets, and move the injector wires, and have lots of patience.
then you have to have an air compressor to keep the valves from falling into the engine.
Then you have to have a valve spring compessor tool
then after you do the job, you have to adjust the valves, and clean up the mess because the oil is going to squirt all over the inside of your engine bay andall over the brakes and tires if you don't be careful.
It can be done, it's easy, just you have to take precautions and be careful.
If you do it, remember, the engine oil on your exhaust can catch fire, so keep an extinguisher that's rated for petroleum fires handy.
Remember, if you use rags to keep the oil off of stuff, they will catch fire if you let them sit on the exhaust also
The good thing is, you don't have to break the fuel lines.
But, before you ever break into a fuel line, be sure you have the necessary gaskets, or "o" rings available to reassemble your car.
Burning corvettes aren't a pretty sight at all. and if you do fuel system repair, do it outside. Water heaters make gas fumes explode big time!!
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 564
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From: Mascoutah Illinois
Originally Posted by coupeguy2001
first off, when does it smoke?
how many miles on the engine?
How often do you drive it?
What heads do you have, cast or aluminum?
If it's a daily driver, and it smokes first start of the day, and after prolonged idling, it's valve seals.
If it's a high miler, it's valve seals and maybe rings, but probably just valve seals
If you hardly drive it, it could be a mixture of bad valve seals and a leaky injector.
I have an 86, and when it starts up in the garage, it smells like turpentine. Sort of a chemical smell, not clean.
If you have cast iron heads, early 86 had them, you might have just valve seals, or stem seals, or both depending on the previous owner.
If you have aluminum heads, they are stem seals, and there are 2 types, good ones, and the lousy ones. The lousy ones have a teflon center, and tend to take a set, and after a little bit, they just don't squeeze the valve tight enough to seal.
If you do the seal replacement, and your good, it may take all day depending on how good you are, or a whole day just to do one side if you are not that familiar with this engine.
The valve covers are entrapped, and you have to take off brackets, and move the injector wires, and have lots of patience.
then you have to have an air compressor to keep the valves from falling into the engine.
Then you have to have a valve spring compessor tool
then after you do the job, you have to adjust the valves, and clean up the mess because the oil is going to squirt all over the inside of your engine bay andall over the brakes and tires if you don't be careful.
It can be done, it's easy, just you have to take precautions and be careful.
If you do it, remember, the engine oil on your exhaust can catch fire, so keep an extinguisher that's rated for petroleum fires handy.
Remember, if you use rags to keep the oil off of stuff, they will catch fire if you let them sit on the exhaust also
The good thing is, you don't have to break the fuel lines.
But, before you ever break into a fuel line, be sure you have the necessary gaskets, or "o" rings available to reassemble your car.
Burning corvettes aren't a pretty sight at all. and if you do fuel system repair, do it outside. Water heaters make gas fumes explode big time!!
how many miles on the engine?
How often do you drive it?
What heads do you have, cast or aluminum?
If it's a daily driver, and it smokes first start of the day, and after prolonged idling, it's valve seals.
If it's a high miler, it's valve seals and maybe rings, but probably just valve seals
If you hardly drive it, it could be a mixture of bad valve seals and a leaky injector.
I have an 86, and when it starts up in the garage, it smells like turpentine. Sort of a chemical smell, not clean.
If you have cast iron heads, early 86 had them, you might have just valve seals, or stem seals, or both depending on the previous owner.
If you have aluminum heads, they are stem seals, and there are 2 types, good ones, and the lousy ones. The lousy ones have a teflon center, and tend to take a set, and after a little bit, they just don't squeeze the valve tight enough to seal.
If you do the seal replacement, and your good, it may take all day depending on how good you are, or a whole day just to do one side if you are not that familiar with this engine.
The valve covers are entrapped, and you have to take off brackets, and move the injector wires, and have lots of patience.
then you have to have an air compressor to keep the valves from falling into the engine.
Then you have to have a valve spring compessor tool
then after you do the job, you have to adjust the valves, and clean up the mess because the oil is going to squirt all over the inside of your engine bay andall over the brakes and tires if you don't be careful.
It can be done, it's easy, just you have to take precautions and be careful.
If you do it, remember, the engine oil on your exhaust can catch fire, so keep an extinguisher that's rated for petroleum fires handy.
Remember, if you use rags to keep the oil off of stuff, they will catch fire if you let them sit on the exhaust also
The good thing is, you don't have to break the fuel lines.
But, before you ever break into a fuel line, be sure you have the necessary gaskets, or "o" rings available to reassemble your car.
Burning corvettes aren't a pretty sight at all. and if you do fuel system repair, do it outside. Water heaters make gas fumes explode big time!!
ok ummmmm I'm going to run throught the list real quick...
1) It smokes and smells on startups
2) 120000 miles
3) It hasnt been driven much (title issues) but I run it as much as possible
4) Cast Iron heads
Thanks for the help
And do you have any estimate on around what it will cost to get it done at a place that is owned by a family friend (in other words he will not rip us off)? Thanks again for the help
