Just installed new heads and I'm having a few problems. Car is running great but I'm having a few problems.

1. Drivers side Oil leak that's dripping off of the oil filter. It appears that the oil is coming from above the oil filter. Removed the oil pressure sending unit and put RTV on the threads - didn't fix it. Rear of intake feels dry and in fact took it off just to check, really don't see any problems with it leaking. Also see a pretty good amount of oil down the passenger side of the engine, maybe the front seal has gone out on me.

The oil leak at the drivers rear is really perplexing. I can't find the source, maybe it's coming from the front and just running down the oil coolant lines and dropping off of the filter - really can't tell yet.

This isn't a small leak either. I'm having to add a quart about every two days, mostly driving the car back and forth to work. Really no fun, oil is getting on the headers, smoking and smelling bad.

2. Light blue smoke from tailpipes at idle, but a pretty good amount if I jump on it. Very little or no smoke at normal driving speeds. After taking off the intake it appears that oil may be getting into the intake ports, I'm not sure if this oil got in the intake ports as part of taking the intake off, but there is definitely some there. The intake manifold gasket looked fine.

The heads were just done and the valve stem seals look good to me. Could a poor valve job, as in the valve seats, cause the engine to burn oil? What about improper lash?

Here are my thoughts what do you think?

1. Bad valve job, or stem seals not right, or lash not right.
2. Got a good amount of water in the engine during the install, is it possible that the water caused old seals, (Front and Rear Main), to go bad. I didn't run the engine with water in the oil of course, but it did sit in the pan for a while.
3. Possibly the heads have been milled and the slight increase in compression is causing blow by. I didn't feel any positive crankcase pressure before I took the car apart again.

I'm thinking my only options are:

1. Replace valve stem seals.
2. Check the front seal, ie remove wp, opti etc, visual inspection, replace if necessary.
3. If that doesn't work, yank the heads and start over, PITA!! Maybe use the heads that I had on the car - which ran fine and didn't smoke.
4. If that doesn't work, gas and match. Insurance settlement. Buy a Honda. Kill myself because of lost self esteem.

Life sucks.

 

One more try. Any ideas. I'm going to do a "ghetto" leakdown test and run some compressed air into the cylinders and listen, feel for leaks. If I don't have leaks with this test I'm thinking the only other possibility would be stem seals or some type of intake manifold/gasket leak from the lifter valley into the cylinders.

 

Aren't there some ways of running like die or something reactive to florescent light or something like that through your oil...I dunno...i just remember something really vaguely(sp)...

sorry I couldn't be of any more help, kinda saw that no one has answered your post yet so i figured i'd throw any ideas out there, good luck.

~Kevin

 

I appreciate any input at this point. Thanks.

 

With the limited info that can be exchanged over the net these are my thoughts:

#1

Have you run the engine since you took the intake off? If so and it is still smokin and you are sure that you did the intake right you do have internal leakage. If you havn't put it back on you shold go ahead and put it back on.

The blue smoke is excactly what mine did when I had the intake leak, just didn't go through the oil you are, mine would only smoke if I really really got on it and when I fixed he leak it went away. When I pulled the intake off there was definite signs of oil entering the intake port especially at the back of the intake.

#2

What about your valve cover gaskets, you did use new ones last ime you put the valve covers back on right? If you did they may be too loose or you over tightened them and crunched the gaskets. I say this because you say there is oil leaking on both sides of the block and that is a sign of leaking valve cover gaskets and yes you can loose considerale oil that way.


#3

I doubt that the valve seals are leaking, when you first start it up do you get that immediete large puff of smoke??

This is what I would do

1)

clean and replace the intake gasket and ensure you let it sit 24 hours before firing it up. I used Permatex "THE RIGHT STUFF" this was at least 3 years ago and still no leak.

2)

change you valve cover gaskets and make sure all mating surfaces are cleaned

MAKE SURE YOU TORQUE ALL BOLTS TO SPEC AND NOT MORE

Just my $0.02

 

So an intake leaked caused your car to smoke out of tailpipes. I hope that's the case with mine, because the other alternatives are much more expensive.

 

Yes that is what happend to me. On the way to work one morning I screamed by a co-worker and he said that when I really got on it I was smoking,, I said yeah right (thinking my leg was being pulled) and he was serious. I checked my intake at the back and it was leaking, when I pulled the intake off the back bolts were not very tight and evidence of black/oil in the back intake port especially on the driver's side. Actually I am very glad that no coolant goes through the LT1 intake like the old SBC as I probably would have had coolant entering my lifter gallery as the back bolts were probably just finger tight.

When I fixed the leak and put it back together no more smoke. At the ime my leak was minor because I had very little oil consumption, almost not noticable between oil changes, now zero oil consumption at over 100K.

 

Did you ever have the rocker studs out on your new heads? If so, did you put sealant on them when you installed them? It could be sucking oil into the ports that way. Also, I would try changing your PCV valve. It can get clogged and make your can burn oil.