Blowing Smoke !!!

[gypsysdad]

my car is blowing smoke really bad. i bought the car blown up and completly rebuilt it from the oil pan to the head.the stock turbo(tdo4) was bad so i got a donor(tdo5) off of another car.whenever i step on the gas it leaves a smoke screen behind me. it looks to be white and blue smoke. it blew smoke with the bad tdo4 and still is doing the same.the turbo appears to be in good shape.compressor looks good and spins good.it has an oil leak coming from the bottom side of the turbo so i replaced the drain line gasket and still the same thing.could some one please help me ??? give me some steps as to pinpoint the problem.

 

[darkness_fallz]

Did you break the engine in properly? Was the block machined at all? How about the head? Have you done a compression test?

 

[I-luv-em-all]

headgasket...and check for shaft play dont just try and spin it try and move it up or down side to side and if it moves thats no good.

 

[gypsysdad]

Did you break the engine in properly? Was the block machined at all? How about the head? Have you done a compression test?

no the engine is not totally broke in.i'm afraid to run it to much with the smoke blowing.i had the block checked cleaned and honed at the same machine shop.head was completly rebuilt.no compression test yet.what will that tell me about the smoke?

 

[gypsysdad]

headgasket...and check for shaft play dont just try and spin it try and move it up or down side to side and if it moves thats no good.

no shaft play in the turbo.no damage that i can see.it has a new headgasket that has only been put down to torque once with only about ten minutes run time.then i had the head rebuilt a second time beacuse the first time the guy didn't seat my new valves.

 

[me612]

A compression test will let you know how well sealed everything in there is. Do a compression test. If that checks good, then I'd be looking at either your turbo or possibly valve stem seals. If the compression test has bad results, well then you're lookin at bigger problems like rings, pistons. Do the compression test since it takes a whole 10 minutes. If it checks good, I'd pull the turbo and take a look at the exhaust ports on the intake mani. If there's oily stuff in there, then I'd be looking at your valve stem seals. If there's nothing there, then I'd say it's a turbo problem. Was the turbo you threw in there a known good turbo?

 

[gypsysdad]

A compression test will let you know how well sealed everything in there is. Do a compression test. If that checks good, then I'd be looking at either your turbo or possibly valve stem seals. If the compression test has bad results, well then you're lookin at bigger problems like rings, pistons. Do the compression test since it takes a whole 10 minutes. If it checks good, I'd pull the turbo and take a look at the exhaust ports on the intake mani. If there's oily stuff in there, then I'd be looking at your valve stem seals. If there's nothing there, then I'd say it's a turbo problem. Was the turbo you threw in there a known good turbo?

i'll do a compression test tomorrow after work.the shop was supposed to new valve stem stem seals in the head.i even supplied the seals.i put new pistons and rings in on my rebuild.i hope it's not that.i have a spare head i can put on to test to see if the seals are bad.and about the turbo i took it off of my parts car(91 tsi awd) that i picked up off the back row of a car lot for $250.00.so no i'm not sure if it's good.i do know there is no play in it.thanks for the suggestions.

 

[gypsysdad]

sorry about the wording it's 3:30 in the morning here and i have to go to work at 6

 

[gypsysdad]

well i checked my compression and it was 150 all the way across. so what is the next step i should take. i don't wanna have to pull the head off if i don't have to.you other dsm'ers know what i'm talking about. i'm not sure if it's the turbo or not because it's giving real good boost and there is no shaft play what so ever. but there is oil leaking down the outside of the drain tube. i remember when i had the turbo off the last time oil being in my exhaust ports. i was thinking of pulling the turbo off and blocking off all the lines and the exhaust housing to see if it still smoked.has anyone tried it before?and if it does still smoke with the turbo off that would probably be the valve guide seals right ? well anymore help would be appreciated.
thanks

 

[Strm Trpr]

Well, you said that your previous motor smoked really bad....
Do you think there is any chance of residual oil and such in your exhaust system that's just burning out?

Isn't 150 low for having a fresh motor?
I would think 160 - 170 would be ideal for a fresh motor...

 

[draxus83]

i am in the same shoes my car is blowing white smoke pretty bad i am pulling the turbo first thing in the morning and checking every thing out if thats good then i am pulling the head even thoe my compresion reads 150- 162 (just for safe keeping) but if i was you i would yank the turbo and check it out good luck man

 

[saw wave analog]

arent freshly built motors known to smoke for a while while all of the assembly lubes and things burn out? hopefully its just something like that.. good luck

 

[gypsysdad]

Well, you said that your previous motor smoked really bad....
Do you think there is any chance of residual oil and such in your exhaust system that's just burning out?

Isn't 150 low for having a fresh motor?
I would think 160 - 170 would be ideal for a fresh motor...

what previous motor??? i bought the car from a car lot and it was blown up pretty bad.the body is great and so is the interior.i wanted an awd turbo since i had my 1.8 eclipse.so i thought $1000.00 bucks was a steal. about the comp.ratio i only have about five miles on the engine so i'd say that will probably go up.it was even all the way across so it's better then that spun bearing and f'd up head and everything else.i was afraid to run the car to much to break it in cause of the excessive smoke.i have oil on my fresh plugs and it's pooling on my pistons.don't want to run it to much and blow it up again after spending all that money and 7 months trying to get this thing right.i would appreciate any suggestions on what to do next.someone that's had the same problem and fixed it.

 

[gypsysdad]

does anyone think it could just be were i only have a few miles on it since the rebuild.the oil coming from the bottom of the turbo scares me.but it seems like the smoke screen is a little bit to much smoke.could that smoke be from a bad seal in the turbo.if so what seal and where can i get one cheap.

 

[gypsysdad]

well i pulled my turbo off and it seems to be just fine.no shaft play at all.and i think the oil leak could have been from a bad gasket seal in my drain tube.if the turbo seal was bad how could i tell it?there don't seem to be any oil on the turbo itself.

 

[gypsysdad]

and wouldn't there be oil in the compressor housing because mine is dry as a bone.somebody please ???

 

[Strm Trpr]

what previous motor???

You need to slowdown a little bit there dad....

You bought it from a lot with a blown motor and all that oil,
smoke and sh!t had to exit the exhaust at one period in time right?
I bet this previous motor had been sh!tting oil and crap for quite sometime before she finally let lose.
The entire exhaust system my need to be replaced...
Check all O2 sensors too, I bet those are wasted....

Hence the reason I said that perhaps your cat was clogged with oil and sh!t if that previous motor sh!t out a lot of oil,
then you'd be blowin blue smoke once the cat heats up no wouldn't ya....

Anyway, I've been told that if your LICP at the IC connection has oil in it, then your turbo seals are going....
I've read of guys having oil blown all the way up to the Throttle Body from bad turbo seals.

You said that the head was all F'ed up, did the machine shop magnaflux it and test it to make sure it wasn't cracked or warped....

If oil is pooling on top of your 5 mile old pistions....
That points to valve seals.... for sure....

That car has a turbo right, ever hear of a thing called pre-detonation....
That's when the fuel/air charge in the combustion chamber preignites before the sparkplug actually sparks.....
This is extremely hard on valve seals, this allows hot azz gases to pentrate back up past the valve seats, and up to the seals.
I'll bet if you pull your exhaust manifold off you'll find that your exhaust ports have oil and sh!t in there...

 

[92awddsm]

Did you ever clean the ic? If the old turbo was blown and the engine was too, there could be a few qts of oil still sitting in the ic and exhaust.

 

[MyEclipse5]

Ok i didn't read all of the posts, so i dont' kow if you've had this asked, but what kind of oil are you running? My buddys civic will do the same thing, it smoked like the Head gasket was blown. turned out it was because he was usuing synthetic oil, which also burns white unlike other oils. so check what kind of oil your using, since the engine is rebuilt the sunthetic oil will get passed the seals.

Let me know...

 

[gypsysdad]

i pulled the turbo off and ran it and sure enough still had the smoke.it smelled a lot like gas.so that would probably be the 02 sensor right ? but that doesn't explain the oil on the plugs. ahhhhhhhhhh someone please help me or shot me one.

 

[gypsysdad]

Ok i didn't read all of the posts, so i dont' kow if you've had this asked, but what kind of oil are you running? My buddys civic will do the same thing, it smoked like the Head gasket was blown. turned out it was because he was usuing synthetic oil, which also burns white unlike other oils. so check what kind of oil your using, since the engine is rebuilt the sunthetic oil will get passed the seals.

Let me know...

i'm using casterol.10w40 i think

 

[MyEclipse5]

i'm using casterol.10w40 i think

Is it synthetic?

 

[gypsysdad]

well i checked my licp.it looked good. then i checked in my ic. oil oil and more oil. from there up it was oil caked. my exhaust system is the same. i'm guessing that the oil on the plugs come from the ic. actually hoping. don't wanna have to pull the head again. i'm gonna change my ic, exhaust and o2 sensors and see if that fixes it. if it don't then a 16 valve dohc dsm head will ever so politely be inserted into the rectum of the local shop tech.
thanks for all the help !!! i'll keep you posted on the outcome .

 

[leakyfaucet]

Is it synthetic?

nope

 

[me612]

someone brought up a good point. It's a freshly built engine. They might smoke due to residual crap in there from assembly. I'm no expert, but I would take it on a few break in pulls. The rings might not even have a great seal yet since it's still so new, and plus you said your only at 150 compressoin. Take it on a few break in pulls to get them rings sealed. Then drive her around for a few days and see if the smoking eventually disipates. If not, then well I'd be suspecting the turbo. Also maybe after you do some break in pulls and drive it around a couple days, do a compression test again and see if it improved at all.