rebuilt turbo, but car still smokes....

[91-gsx]

hey guys, well i rebuilt the 14b that i had because it had a blown oil seal, thinking that was the problem i had when it came to the grey smoke that came out of my exhaust. well its cool that rebuilt it and all.... but the car still smokes. now from what i have heard on here it could either be leaking valve seals or a blown head gasket. anything i can do to troubleshoot and know which one it is.
thanks for the help

 

[GVR4592]

You need to do a leak down test. It could also be piston rings.

http://www.dsmgrrrl.com/FAQs/leakdown.htm

 

[brute]

If the valve seals were the culprit, the smoke would probably burn off after a little while. The seals leak oil down onto the piston while it's sitting there with the motor off. Then when you start it up, the oil burns off (smoke) then eventually stops smoking. This can also happen with rings, but it isn't as common. Do a leak down test to be sure

 

[91-gsx]

well then this is a blown head gasket because my car just keeps belowing out smoke... it actually does not smoke at all when i start it though, only after it starts to warm up, 3-5 minutes after start.

 

[91-gsx]

well, sense i am almost sure that the head gasket is what has blown, i want to make a few changes when i take the head off. just running these items by you to see if they work well. i want to get cams, comp 101200's, heard they have more top end then hks 272's. do you think i can pass smog with them? the next thing i need is the headgasket, which one do you guys recommend, i heard the 4-layer mitsu is good, what brand and trype do you recommend? last is a set of arp head studs, i heard that you could torque them down more then stock so that they can hold even better, how much more if possible?
thanks for the help

 

[GVR4592]

I would stick with the stock head gasket and ARP's. Don't get a Fel-Pro, or another replacement type gasket. Get a stock mitsu composite gasket. The reccomended torque values are included in the ARP instructions and vary depending on which type of lube you use.

The reason for sticking with the stock gasket is it can handle a lot of abuse when used with ARP's. The Mitsu MLS gasket is .067" thick compared to the stock composite gasket being .042" thick compressed, this will effectively lower your compression by 2 tenths of a point. It also eliminates the already minimal effects of the quench pads in the head and the squish area. Which can contribute to more knock

If you really want to use a MLS gasket go with a Cometic. They are thinner than the Mitsubishi MLS, and if they are installed according to Cometic's instructions they will last a very long time.

 

[GVR4592]

I still think you should perform a leakdown test to verify that it is infact the head gasket.

Is it possible that the turbo wasn't rebuilt properly?

 

[Turbocharged]

*broken record*

Complete a leakdown test to verify what is actually wrong with it.

 

[91-gsx]

I still think you should perform a leakdown test to verify that it is infact the head gasket.

Is it possible that the turbo wasn't rebuilt properly?

i rebuilt the turbo. there is not much to rebuilding one, the only place the oil could have come from was the oil seal in the turbo, which was dry but i replaced it. and when you replace it you have to compress the new one just to get the other parts in. the only thing i can tell you guys that is weird when the smoke comes out is that if you look at where the turbine housing meets the o2 housing, it looks like somehow oil is being sprinkled onto it. i dont know how to describe it. somehow oil is being sprinkled there, and in the beginning i thought sense the turbo was shot, that oil was spinning and throwing oil with it. another interesting thing is that the oil almost seems to be coming from the inside of the turbine/o2 housing. we did not see any leaks that could have sprayed the turbine housing, so i am assuming that it is coming from either the turbo, or going into the exhaust manifold, through the turbine wheel and being flinged upward. the thing is that the car still pulled strong with smoke coming out and everything, that is why the head gasket was not my original guess. if anybody has had this happen to them or knows anything about what it might be please post. sorry about the long post but this is getting very aggrevating, i almost sold my car when it started to smoke, now eher i am with new mods and a rebuilt turbo to only be screwed over once again.
later

 

[91-gsx]

*broken record*

Complete a leakdown test to verify what is actually wrong with it.

i just read it over. i have none of those gauges, no compresoor or anything. anyway else to do this?

 

[GVR4592]

Any good shop will have one.

 

[blue1]

Where are you taking your turbo oil supply from? the back of the head ot the oil pump. you haven't blocked off any of the crankcase breathers by chance have you.