problems with burning oil

[dcann34]

i believe i need to change my head gasket...when my car idles at a stop light it will smoke and it is burning through oil bad...do i need to change my head gasket?...and if so how hard is this to do?

 

[Colt4G63 also]

Sounds like valve stem seals.

 

[VETTE_50_TH]

I would say the same. MY 1g laser had bad valve seals as well. It burned oil like a motherf%%er. Another reason i knew this, was i had no mixture of oil and coolant, and the oil pressure dropped considerably when at idle. I would rebuild the head first. But, i guess you will have to change the HG anyway then.

James

 

[Lofer]

You should do a compression test as well. You may have blow-by, and need rings.

 

[dcann34]

ya i thought it was my rings...thats what my dad said....how hard is it to replace them, easy?

 

[Calan]

You should do a compression test as well. You may have blow-by, and need rings.

You need to do both a compression and a leak-down test to help isolate the problem.

Here is an article explaining what they are, what is needed, how to do them, and what to expect.

 

[Colt4G63 also]

I still say valve stem seals. I've done this before. The reason it smokes more when you idle, is because the vacuum sucks oil in through the intake valve stem seals.

I've done them a few times on 4g6 series engines without pulling the head. It always worked for me, so what do you have to lose. It can't hurt to do the compression test too, but you need valve stem seals.

Ps. If you suspect blowby on your rings that mostly happens at idle, check your intake pipe and IC pipes. They would probably be full of oil from the breather if the rings were bad.

 

[DSM1G90]

Valve stem seals - been there and done that ... nothing else.

AND, if you got bad valve stem seals, oughta think on main crank seals as well since they'll be as dried up as the valve seals..

If you had a going HG, you'd have water in the oil or blowing coolant into the overflow bottle.

-DSM

 

[Afroclipse]

ya i thought it was my rings...thats what my dad said....how hard is it to replace them, easy?

Yes they are very easy to remove just take the pistons involved and remove the rings, ring comes out pretty easy, its the piston removal thats the problem

 

[dcann34]

Yes they are very easy to remove just take the pistons involved and remove the rings, ring comes out pretty easy, its the piston removal thats the problem

okay last time i tore my engine down my dad said something about sanding down the top of the piston and polishing them would this help....my dad is a very experienced mechanic he has been working on cars for over 20 years....but i am trying to learn some stuff for myself..would this help or hurt my car

 

[Colt4G63 also]

okay last time i tore my engine down my dad said something about sanding down the top of the piston and polishing them would this help....my dad is a very experienced mechanic he has been working on cars for over 20 years....but i am trying to learn some stuff for myself..would this help or hurt my car

Sand and engine internals don't mix. If you do that, make sure you have the pistons out of the engine, and wash them really well before you put them back in.

If you just want to stop burning oil, change your valve seals.

 

[MichaelSuch]

Valve seals, my 1g had the same problem. You'll want to just take the head off and take it to a machine shop, have them do a valve job and new seals put in, maybe get it surfaced.

But before you do anything as said before, do a compression and leakdown test to make sure your rings are good. I would say if compression is lower than 140psi I would go ahead pull the pan, re-ring the pistons, and put in new bearings while your head is off then (121psi I believe is service limit according to the manual). Be sure to check your clearances very carefully though, you don't want anything out of spec, it will just lead to a bigger headache and more money.

Put all new timing components in while your at it.

 

[dcann34]

Valve seals, my 1g had the same problem. You'll want to just take the head off and take it to a machine shop, have them do a valve job and new seals put in, maybe get it surfaced.

But before you do anything as said before, do a compression and leakdown test to make sure your rings are good. I would say if compression is lower than 140psi I would go ahead pull the pan, re-ring the pistons, and put in new bearings while your head is off then (121psi I believe is service limit according to the manual). Be sure to check your clearances very carefully though, you don't want anything out of spec, it will just lead to a bigger headache and more money.

Put all new timing components in while your at it.

thanks but i just replaced the timing and all the belts not even 3 months ago so they are all good and i spent 130 dollars cause a bolt broke on the tension pully so the timing is good

 

[Colt4G63 also]

Do yourself a favor. Connect your air hose to your compression tester fitting and pressurize the cylinder. That will hold your valves in place, and allow you to change out your valve seals without pulling the head.

 

[DSM1G90]

or..pull the plugs and roll the crank so each set of pistons is at the bottom of their stroke (BDC), then insert a good length of nylon rope down the hole.

Then, roll the crank til the pistons comes up and that compressed rope will hold the valves up when doing seals.

Here's a link to all of this from FVAQ: Valvespring compressors

Good luck - DSM

 

[VETTE_50_TH]

Do yourself a favor. Connect your air hose to your compression tester fitting and pressurize the cylinder. That will hold your valves in place, and allow you to change out your valve seals without pulling the head.

To go even further, get this tool right here, GA317, Remover/Installer, Metric Valve Keeper, and a air compressor like he said, and pop those keepers out, pull the springs, and replace the seals. DONE

James

 

[dcann34]

i did a compression test and in valves 1 and 3 the psi is like 190 and in 2 and 4 its 153 with no leak down...but does the valve stem seals come with the re ring kit?...and how much would a complete rebuild kit be?

 

[Calan]

i did a compression test and in valves 1 and 3 the psi is like 190 and in 2 and 4 its 153 with no leak down

What do you mean by this? With most compression testers, you won't see leakage. Did you do an actual leak-down test?

 

[VETTE_50_TH]

i did a compression test and in valves 1 and 3 the psi is like 190 and in 2 and 4 its 153 with no leak down...but does the valve stem seals come with the re ring kit?...and how much would a complete rebuild kit be?

Valve stems and piston rings are two totally different things. Having 40 psi difference is huge from one cylinder to another. Was the car warmed up?

James

 

[Calan]

Having 40 psi difference is huge from one cylinder to another.

Not to mention really odd if it was equally screwed on alternating cylinders, considering the 1-4/2-3 arrangement of the pistons.

Something doesn't sound right here...

 

[VETTE_50_TH]

Not to mention really odd if it was equally screwed on alternating cylinders, considering the 1-4/2-3 arrangement of the pistons.

Something doesn't sound right here...

Agreed. That really doesnt make sense at all actually. Either way, you need to change you valve stems at the minimum. I would try to do a leak down test if you can, and if not, rip the head off and have a machine shop redo the head for cheap if you cant/wont do it.

James

 

[dcann34]

ya thats what i was planning on doing does any body know how much it would cots to get the valve stem seals the ring kit and and get the job done at a machine shop? or a complete rebuild kit

 

[dcann34]

so nobody knows how much a re ring kit would cost?

 

[VETTE_50_TH]

Around 150 bucks from Mitsu. Not sure if ebay sells them for the 420a. You would have to check.

James

 

[Chicken Patty]

have you tried to take out your spark plugs, see if they are full of oil, at least if you do see one or more full of oil, you know where the problem is coming from.

For example, my SRT-4, I had some water get sucked into the engine via the intake, car was burning oil. I took out the plugs and plug 1 had oil all over it. Ended up being valve seal in cylinder 1 that had gone bad. At least it helps to pin point the problem. After that a leak down test can pretty much tell you exactly what is wrong with it.