Need help with smoky issue
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 2,024
Likes: 4
From: Austin TX
Need help with smoky issue
Hey guys, my dad and I finally got my 88 back together after replacing my head gasket. The car has been sitting for 18 months with gas in the tank, never put stabilizer because I didn't expect it to sit that long.
After starting it up after a few rough tries I assume from no gas in the fuel rail and the oil needing to circulate, it started to smoke a bit from the passenger side exhaust. It's white smoke and has a little bit of a smell of burning.
I know I've got the timing set a little off and the valves may not be set perfectly. The valves are too tight if anything, no chatter from them. Could the smoke be from bad gas or maybe just the car breaking in? We haven't drove it very far, just down the street and back.
We also had the exhaust dropped on the floor for a while, could something have gotten in there, spider webs, rat droppings?
After starting it up after a few rough tries I assume from no gas in the fuel rail and the oil needing to circulate, it started to smoke a bit from the passenger side exhaust. It's white smoke and has a little bit of a smell of burning.
I know I've got the timing set a little off and the valves may not be set perfectly. The valves are too tight if anything, no chatter from them. Could the smoke be from bad gas or maybe just the car breaking in? We haven't drove it very far, just down the street and back.
We also had the exhaust dropped on the floor for a while, could something have gotten in there, spider webs, rat droppings?
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 3,940
Likes: 42
From: shavertown Pa.
If you got antifreeze in the exhaust it does take awhile to burn out, I had cars that didn't stop smoking until I was able to take them for a ride and blow all the antifreeze out.
Some of them had me worried that I had done something wrong but it takes time, as long as you are not loosing water from the cooling system you are OK.
Some of them had me worried that I had done something wrong but it takes time, as long as you are not loosing water from the cooling system you are OK.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 2,024
Likes: 4
From: Austin TX
Suddenly, I'm leaking coolant from the front by the radiator. At least it's not the heads! It's still rough, probably from bad gas. And now I hear the valves ticking, so we gotta tear the valve covers off again.
Is there an easy way to run the engine with the valve covers off so we can adjust the valves that way? I really don't want to have to pay someone to do it.
Is there an easy way to run the engine with the valve covers off so we can adjust the valves that way? I really don't want to have to pay someone to do it.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 3,940
Likes: 42
From: shavertown Pa.
Yes you can run the engine with the covers off, just warm up to operating temp the engine with the covers on first,after you remove a cover then replace any thing that needs to be on when running, like wires and hoses.
Do one side at a time, one cover, it will reduce the oil and smoke
It's messy because oil will be dribbling all over, but it's been done before, watch your oil level if you have a hard time and think you lost alot of oil, most you might loose will be a half quart or so.
Do one side at a time, one cover, it will reduce the oil and smoke
It's messy because oil will be dribbling all over, but it's been done before, watch your oil level if you have a hard time and think you lost alot of oil, most you might loose will be a half quart or so.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 6,475
Likes: 564
From: Clearwater Florida
.... Mr Gasket sells a set of metal clips that fit over the oil holes on the rocker arms at the push rod ends ... these help a lot but you will still get oil flipping up off the valve ends of the rockers ... try a piece of cardboard between the valve springs and the cyl head outer rail to keep the oil off the manifolds ...............
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 3,940
Likes: 42
From: shavertown Pa.
Yeah those clips that fit the rockers are great if you have them, mostly it's guys who race have a set of those because you are constantly adjusting valves when racing.
Sometimes you do luck out and they don't squirt a whole lot, it's a messy deal but it's the best way to get a good adjustment.
Sometimes you do luck out and they don't squirt a whole lot, it's a messy deal but it's the best way to get a good adjustment.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 2,024
Likes: 4
From: Austin TX
I drove it down the block and back today, I couldn't recreate the coolant leak so that may have been an isolated incident involving some I spilled, who knows. Then the catalytic converter briefly caught on fire. That was fun.
The good news is, I used some starting fluid around the intake and there didn't seem to be a vacuum leak so we probably don't have to remove that again!
I'm probably going to drop the exhaust to see if I can figure out if there's any debris in there. When it smokes it smells like burning leaves, so I'm not sure what's up.
The valves definitely need adjusted, does anyone know where I can get those covers for the rocker arms?
The good news is, I used some starting fluid around the intake and there didn't seem to be a vacuum leak so we probably don't have to remove that again!
I'm probably going to drop the exhaust to see if I can figure out if there's any debris in there. When it smokes it smells like burning leaves, so I'm not sure what's up.
The valves definitely need adjusted, does anyone know where I can get those covers for the rocker arms?
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 10,036
Likes: 346
From: Anaheim CA
Here's the best way to adjust valves without getting oil all over the place (i have also seen valve covers with a slot cut in them):
I have a set of the clips that go on the rocker arms to block the oil coming up the pushrods. They didn't work for me because the oil flipped off the valve end (as bob guzzy said). Mine look vaguely like this (I have had them about 30 years so I have no idea who made them):
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mrg-1015
I have also seen some that had a spring with a rubber plug that went in the oil hole.
I have put a couple of rags over the rocker arms to keep oil from going everywhere. Put one rag on the rockers you've already adjusted and one over the ones you haven't done yet. Expose one rocker at a time and adjust it and move the rags to keep the others covered.
I have a set of the clips that go on the rocker arms to block the oil coming up the pushrods. They didn't work for me because the oil flipped off the valve end (as bob guzzy said). Mine look vaguely like this (I have had them about 30 years so I have no idea who made them):
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mrg-1015
I have also seen some that had a spring with a rubber plug that went in the oil hole.
I have put a couple of rags over the rocker arms to keep oil from going everywhere. Put one rag on the rockers you've already adjusted and one over the ones you haven't done yet. Expose one rocker at a time and adjust it and move the rags to keep the others covered.
Last edited by Cliff Harris; Aug 2, 2013 at 01:46 AM.
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