Hey guys, i've been havin some issues with white smoke comin out the back.

It could be a head gasket, but the engine was rebuilt pretty recently.

Someone on the board recommended using a heavier weight oil in it.

Right now it has 10W30 (Valvoline I believe)

What would be considered a heavier oil, 30W30?, 10W50?

Right now I live in Florida so cold weather isn't really a problem

The engine is stock if that matters.

Also what would be a good brand to put in it. I dont have a ton of money for expensive oil, but Id like to put some quality stuff in it I guess.

Just gimme your input.

Thanks

 

Royal Purple all the way....i hear mobil 1 synthetic is awesome too

 

If it's really white smoke. not blue, then it's a water-vapor that you are seeing, indicating a head-gasket, cracked-head, intake-gasket leak, etc. Instead of changing the oil viscosity, go borrow/buy a compression-gauge, & see what the real problem is...
They will have instructions that explain the variations that you find between cyls., & then you can diagnose the problem without pulling the motor apart! Don't think that just because a motor is recently rebuilt, it can't have problems- in fact, most new-car motor problems show-up within the first 5K!
Remember: white smoke=water/coolant vapors; blue smoke=oil-burning; black smoke=carbon buildup, or excessive gasoline consumption. The only exception that I've ever seen to this is that an over-carburated engine CAN blow white smoke, but a simple nose-in-the-wind (smell the exhaust for gasoline/antifreeze) can quickly eliminate any doubts...
Good luck!
John

 

Well heres the deal.

I took it to a local mechanic...they inspected the heads with mirrors (i know they cant see the gaskets) and they said they looked pretty new...then one of the "veteran" mechanics sat behind the car and smelt it and said "definitely not coolant" seems like your burning oil.

I mean changing the oil isn't gonna hurt anything...it might fix it, i know someone had the same problem and said it cured it i think...i just need some suggestions on what oil to get

 

Did they do the compression test?

 

Valvoline 20-50 then. It's a thicker & better oil- made for racing (even says so on the bottle, I think).
Also, try an old-timer's trick by adding a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil into your oil (wait 'til it's a quart low, over-filling can blow seals!). I don't know what's in that stuff (Mystery?) but I've seen it do things that NOTHING should be able to do...Give it 4 or 500 miles to work. Worth a shot!
BTW, the compression-test will ID bad rings, too.
Good luck!
John

 

Any other recommendations other than Valvoline 20-50

 

Well, Valvoline does make a straight 50 weight, too. It would be the thickest oil that I know of, to buy off the shelf... Also, you could always add some STP Oil Treatment, but it really sludges-up an engine (I've seen the insides of one after the STP- Yuck!)
That's all I've got. Anyone else?!
John

 

I was just browsing the owners manual for my 1995 z28...and I came across this:

"Do not use other viscosity oils, such as SAE 20W-50"

......

Do yall still suggest 20w50? Or is it more harmful to the engine

 

The owners-manual is for idiots (no insult, intended) that don't know anything about cars/trucks, & so are really dangerous to their vehicals!

I have been driving/wrenching on cars (most of them Camaros, ALL of them- but one- Chevys) for almost 30 years. Boy, I just showed my age! Take my word for it, if the engine is tired, it NEEDS the extra viscosity to help it keep oil-pressure (the pump is worn, the bearings are worn, the rings are letting the thinner oil blow past them & it's burning- hence the smoke...) I don't recommend 20-50 for cold-starts, so avoid below freezing temps while you run it. Valvoline is a very high-quality oil that's been around for ever, so don't worry about the Owner's Manual, they are only trying to protect the ignorant!

Also, do yourself a favor & get that compression tested! then you'll know what you are actually dealing with!

Peace!
John

 

Thanks for the helpful response John

I'll get some 20W50 tomorrow

 

No problem, buddy! I wish that there was a forum like this when I was first starting to work on cars- boy would it have helped me!
BTW, I added another one of my cars to my sig...

See ya!
John

 

How much smoke we talking? Is it constant? Is it really white or is it blue?

What's your oil pressure at cold / warm idle, and at say 3k rpm?

I don't want to **** anybody off but just running thicker oil won't fix the problem. It might mask it but it won't fix it. And if you just had that motor rebuilt I'd be johnny on the spot figuring out exactly what is wrong with it.

 

Yeah, we've been talking about a compression-test to see what the real problem is!
John

 

Since you say the engine was recently rebuilt (would seem to rule out the "engine is tired" assumption that capncrunch made), what oil did the engine rebuilder recommend? Or for that matter, what does the engine rebuilder say about the white smoke? Covering up a problem on a recently rebuilt engine by loading it up with heavy viscosity oil makes no sense at all.

I think if you take the time to search through the posts from the experienced engine builders on this site, you will find that there is very strong support for the recommendations contained in the factory manual, including mine. But then I guess that makes me an "idiot" and "ignorant" in capncrunch's view.