6 bolt just installed and big 16g, now bluish smoke, and oil around exhaust manifold.

[96gstdsm]

Ok well got my car back yesterday from getting a rebuilt 6 bolt block installed with my stock 2g head. MLS headgasket also. Today after getting an oil change the pointed out to me that there was oil on the water pipe etc.. I got home and noticed my exhaust was billowing out bluish looking smoke. At idle it was not much, but when I revved it up to around 3 or so, it would puff out a lot of smoke. I checked under the hood and it seemed to be getting pretty wet in there. It looks like it is coming from all around the exhaust manifold. It is wet on all sides, and underneath the exhaust manifold. It looks like in one place between 2 of the runners, I can see some oil oozing out from the manifold gasket and the head.
I also notice a sound when driving when it seems to start boosting(still keeping real low since breaking in engine) Kinda like grinds or ticking noise when it seems to start building boost. This would make me think turbo(even though it is brand new). As soon as I let of the gas when boosting a little it stops that noise but comes back in the next gear when reaching the same rpm level.
Does this sound like something in particular? Would the oil leaking from the exhaust manifold and the smoke coming out of the exhaust be two separate problems?
What is the usual cause of oil around the exhaust manifold?
I am going to pull the intake pipe off and check for oil in the turbo or for shaft play.
The engine was professionally built and installed. Spoke with them and they highly doubted that it could be rings or something like that or even head gasket. Could valve seals just go all of a sudden like that? It might have smoked a little bit prior today upon startup for like a second only, never noticed any real smoke coming out before.


Any suggestions? I was so happy to finally get my car back after a month and now this! Gonna drive me crazy!

 

[Dream On]

I would change the exhaust manifold to head gasket and make sure that you don't have any broken exhaust studs. Some go into oil passages I believe. Are they all tightened down? You may want to check them. Is the valve cover gasket leaking? It sounds like the manifold is just burning the oil, causing the blue smoke.

 

[96gstdsm]

OK I just checked the turbo to make sure, and it seems fine, no oil and zero shaft play. I cleaned all the oil around and then started the car up and it definitely is leaking from the exhaust manifold gasket area. I could see it kinda bubbling up past the gasket. Valve cover is not leaking as of yet. The oil only seems to be coming out of the right and left side of the exhaust manifold. A very small amount I saw around the other two bolts in the middle for the manifold. There was smoke coming from the right side of the manifold, but I would assume that is just the oil burning off.
So the manifold could burn the oil and make it plum out the tail pipe? Definitely is blue smoke now that I double checked. And lots of it.

 

[96gstdsm]

Well I just brought it to a show to lift it up and see whats going on. There seems to be a few oil looks going on. It also looked like the turbo was leaking. How can I determine if the turbo is bad? I saw no oil when I took off the intake pipe, and also no shaft play at all. There is only like 150 miles since the rebuilt 6 bolt and new turbo etc. If it is the piston rings, it would be fine yesterday the whole drive home and then act up today? It seemed find until I took it to get an oil change. Or if it is the valve guide seals that could also just happen over night? Would the head gasket be blown some how possibly? I have not boosted hardly at all, and it was a brand new mitsubishi mls head gasket.

 

[Gs Dewd]

If the bolts that run into the head for the manifold are leaking and the manifold isn't torqued down tight yes the oil can leak around and INTO the manifold causing blue smoke out the tailpipe. Remember the amout you see leaking on the outside of the gasket can be leaking in the inside of the gasket into the exhaust runners. As for you other leaks like the turbo, see where the oil is actually leaking from. It couls all be related to the leak at the manifold running down and blowing across the bottom of the engine. Your turbo is probably good just fix the leaks.

 

[96gstdsm]

If the bolts that run into the head for the manifold are leaking and the manifold isn't torqued down tight yes the oil can leak around and INTO the manifold causing blue smoke out the tailpipe. Remember the amout you see leaking on the outside of the gasket can be leaking in the inside of the gasket into the exhaust runners. As for you other leaks like the turbo, see where the oil is actually leaking from. It couls all be related to the leak at the manifold running down and blowing across the bottom of the engine. Your turbo is probably good just fix the leaks.

Can oil actually get into there? The guy who did the swap and all for me, who also runs an 8 second dsm, said that oil could not get in there no matter what. It seems to be leaking from all around the exhaust manifold. I thought the only place that is drilled into the head was the lower middle bolt, It seems to be worst on the right most side of the manifold. Anything else there that could be leaking oil? I will take the timing belt cover off and take a look around there, see if maybe the valve cover gasket is leaking around that.

 

[96gstdsm]

One thing I forgot to mention I only noticed this right after I went to get my 100 mile oil and filter change. Got home and noticed it smoking and the oil leaking around the manifold. I just not checked again and you can see oil bubbling up out between the manifold and gasket and head. The oil level was definitely high! Seemed to be maybe a quart over. Unless my dipstick is wrong, it showed like the same level between the two grooves above the top one which I would assume is for full oil. Could that have anything to do with it? The receipt says they gave me 4.7 with a new filter so sounds right, but don't know if they actually added more. I just checked now and it seemed like the smoking stopped for the moment out the exhaust.
Where the oil is bubbling out, you can see air bubbles as well, so wouldn't that mean that the gasket was bad if it is allowing air to escape?

What all could cause oil to get to the exhaust manifold.

Also I just smelled the oil fill hole, and it smells a bit like gas. Would that automatically mean piston rings? I am really hoping not as this just has 150 miles on a fresh rebuild. I have not driven this car hard at all not even over 4 hardly and no full throttle at all either. What other reasons could it smell like gas in there? The smoke out the exhaust was definitely not black smoke meaning gas.

 

[96gstdsm]

Well it is smoking again, seems to come and go, and smokes mostly when just giving a tap to the gas peddle. If I hold it steady above idle it doesn't smoke as much.
Anyone have any experience with this? I really gotta find out soon so I can see what my next steps are going to be. And I gotta contact the engine builder if it is a piston rings problem which I am dreading if it is!!