Does it sound like rings or a headgasket???

[DaPurpleRT]

Alright, I was pretty sure this was rings, but not thinking it might be what some suggested in another thread, an improperly installed head gasket.

It has gotten worse since I got the car back from the "shop". At first it'd only smoke some at idle, and run real rough at idle. Now it runs a lot rougher at idle, and off idle it sttuers only what I could call violently on occassion, and sometimes not at all, and most times mildly until I get up to speed/rpms, and will do it again when I slow down again. It also smokes much more badly, again this is only one occassion too but it will do it every time if the car is left to idle for several minutes. The smoke is grayish white. It's gotten so bad now it's going through about a quart of oil a week!

I will likely have to fix this now since the shop refuses to do so. Is there any surefire way of pinpointing a blown HG aside from oil (it may not be broken at the water jackets, I think it's actually not seated properly) or a leak down test? it will also occassionaly send grayish white smoke out from under the hood but this is very rare. And of course the power on it is laughable.

TIA and thanks for reading this long message guys!

-Ryan

 

[Kash]

I don't know your answer, But i am going threw the EXACT same problem with my 91 talon i just picked up for 500$ =). I dont notice any smoking coming from under the hood, but when you shift, it just seems like it puts out a "plume" of grayish white smoke out of the exhaust.

 

[DaPurpleRT]

Also, the motor is realllly loud, sounds almost like a diesel truck.

 

[blue1]

You can do just a basic compression test and the cyls that are low just sqirt some oil in them an if the comp comes back up it 90% rings. what did they do at the shop?? in the first place.

 

[tavas]

Check the compression with a compression gauge. Make sure the motor is nice and warm. Cross check that against the shop manual but generally 140 - 160 psi is good. Pull all your plugs when you do this so you don't drain your battery.

If compression is down, squirt about 1/2 teaspoon of oil in, and try compression test again. If compression raises then rings are knackered.

If compression is good, then could also be valve stem seals.

If power is down considerably then I would suspect a blown head gasket as you are now sharing compression across adjoining cylinders. You say it sounds loud which is a good indcation of blown head gasket. Busted rings don't lose that much power unless they are really shot.

 

[DaPurpleRT]

The compression test I did a week or two back was 139, 138, 141. and 151. I'll run another tomorrow evening and do a wet test though.

It is extremely low on power and stumbles like a mofo off idle.

-Ryan

 

[UNDR PSI]

have you been trying the things i have told you?

 

[mojoman]

Well I had the same problem on mine and it ended up being valve stem seals. My compression was just fine but the oil gets down into the cylinders and burns through the exhaust. It will fowl your plugs out and cause your idle to go to crap therefor massive power lose. You can especially tell if your sitting at idle and then take off and see the plum of smoke and if your coasting through a parking lot and barely give it any gas as well. Now if your getting a lot of smoke out of the breather than you could possibly have bad rings. Typically crankcase ventilation is sucked into the valve cover breather and on heavy throttle and boost it is pushed out which is normally recirculated back into the intake stream. Even N/A cars do this. It is normal to an extent.

 

[sphillips91]

If its a blown headgasket would there not be oil in the coolant?

 

[tavas]

If its a blown headgasket would there not be oil in the coolant?

Sometimes, but not necessarily. Might be bubbles in the coolant (constant stream), and possibly steam in the exhaust.

Cars are like women...no similar problem has the same symtpoms, problems are difficult to diagnose and you never know exactly what it was you did to cause the problem.