Headgasket?(long)

[SnowWhite]

About a month ago I started my car at my buddy's house and it was like -10*F and I went inside to let it warm up. I came out and I could barely see my car, white smoke out the exhaust. I just thought it was cold so I drove it to my girlfriends house, which is about three miles away, and it runs fine, but it smells like oil. I pop hood, and there is oil everywhere. My car was already shut off so I could not tell where it was coming from. I assumed headgasket. From there, I decided to take my chances and drive it home, about 10 miles away. I drive it home, carefully watching my temp and oil pressure gauges and make it home fine. I didn't have time the last month to work on it, but today, I towed it to my buddy's shop and we started to work on it. He doesn't fully think it is the headgasket because we just put my 1G head on about 3000 miles ago and we replaced it then. So, today, we took out the plugs and none of them were fouled and there was no oil on any of the ports on the exhaust side of the head. We both still think it is a headgasket, but are there any other good possibilities? Like a turbo going bad or something else leaking a bunch of oil? Also, most of the oil that leaked was by the thermostat housing and the MAF, hardly any of the other side of the head. Thanks for taking the time to read my thread and thanks in advance for your help.

 

[dsm john]

I had something very similiar like this happen to me a few weeks ago. White smoke pouring out of the exhaust so I pulled over and cut it off.

When I popped the hood there was oil all over the left side of the engine bay. Got it towed instead of chancing it , assumed it was a headgasket.

Long story short , the guy I got it towed to said I got oil blow through from the turbo because the seals went bad or something like that. Don't really remember how he stated it exactly.

 

[sjgYFZ200]

how is your coolant/oil level?

 

[boostvr4]

Turbo failure can cause excess crankcase pressure and blow the dipstick out causing the oil mess. Check the turbo for shaft play.

 

[SnowWhite]

There is a little shaft play on the 'ol t25 but it also had 140k on it and had a little before.

There was no oil left in the engine, but it did have coolant. Not as much as it usually does, but there was still some coolant left in my engine.

Also, I bought a powdercoated valve cover that had the threads for the PCV(sp?) coated over and so I never put that in, I just sealed the hole shut, I didn't know if that would help with the problem solution.

Thanks for you help so far guys.

 

[92awddsm]

Also, I bought a powdercoated valve cover that had the threads for the PCV(sp?) coated over and so I never put that in, I just sealed the hole shut, I didn't know if that would help with the problem solution.

Thanks for you help so far guys.

Well, thats your problem. You need to install the pcv valve. Without it, you build excessive crankcase pressure and the oil gets blown out of the valve cover tube next to the thermostat housing. That is why it is covered with oil.

 

[fr33b1rth]

yep, pcv valve would be the first i would try.

I've got a story about a PCV valve. I got my car and the valvecover seal was going bad, so i went to replace it, and got it all done and went to start torquing down the bolts and i the first one i got to about 2 ft/lbs and it the cover cracked. Oh well, get a new one from a yard. Got it, when to put it back on and i forgot to change out the pcv valve that was in the "new" one with the old one that was in the other valve cover. I put the new valve cover on and a few days later my car started to smoke blue every once and a while. Sometime at startup, sometimes during driving, sometimes idleing. So i say shit, a ring or valve guide is going. I know i need a new air filter, so i go get a new one. I open up the intake, and holy shit, there is oil in there! So i look at the PVC valve because that is the first thing that has direct access to oil. It's the old one. Cleaned out the intake, put a new PCV valve in, never a problem again.

 

[SnowWhite]

If not installing the PCV was my problem, then why did it take about 3,000 miles to show up and blow oil all over my engine bay?

 

[fr33b1rth]

mabie you were just driving real hard for a long time and it fineally blew the valve cover seal? dipsticks are also known to blow out of their tubes and blow oil. Are you running an oil cooler? Did you Check the filter? The oil filler cap? Turbo supply line? Return line?

 

[92awddsm]

Do you still have the line hooked up to the intake tube like in your gallery pic? If so, Im sure that you will find the intercooler is full of oil also. After its taken on oil for 3k miles, it tends to get blown out of other places. I only know this from experience.

 

[SnowWhite]

mabie you were just driving real hard for a long time and it fineally blew the valve cover seal? dipsticks are also known to blow out of their tubes and blow oil. Are you running an oil cooler? Did you Check the filter? The oil filler cap? Turbo supply line? Return line?

Yes, I am running an oil cooler, the oil filter was okay, the oil filler cap was still okay and I checked all the lines running to the turbo.

I am going to have to check out my intercooler and see if any oil got in there. Yes, I am still hooked up into my intake pipe just in my gallery so I take it I should get a breather filter on there....So, is it a conclusion by most of the people who have read my post and commented on it or have opinions about it that it most likely is not my headgasket? Would any of this cause oil to be burnt through the exhaust?