So i replaced the valve cover gaskets today and went to start up.. it went fine.. then smoke began to pour out of the back of the engine.. I shut the engine off and let it sit for an hour and went out and checked it out.. I put my hand on the back and my hand was covered in oil.. I dont know if its just burning off the oil from the cover gasket leak or what.. My exhuast is acting weird too.. I start it up.. it smokes for a second then stops.. then smokes again.. Its coming out of the left exhuast smoke then the right.. I really need help pinpointing this problem so i can fix it and be done with it.. If it ends up being too much work.. I might just get a new engine and put that in.

Sorry for making so many threads about the same problem.. Im just getting fustrated here and want it fixed.. I thought the valve cover gasket replacement would fix it but i guess not..

 

Could be the oil sending unit, rear intake manifold seal, or distributor seal.

 

Alright.. I just washed the back of the engine down and started it up again.. Let it start smoking then shut the engine off.. I stuck my head in there and tried to pinpoint where it was coming from and it looks like its coming from the driver side exhuast manifold towards the back.. Now the driver side exhuast tip is the one that smokes more then the other so could it be the exhuast gasket leaking? or maybe some oil got around the manifold and is burning off? Hmm.. Ill have to do some more investigating!

 

Would it be possible that oil is getting into the exhuast causing it to smoke out of the exhuast tips?

I had a bad valve cover leak on both sides and i was just wondering what the possibilities were..

 

Do you have "TRUE" dual exhaust on the car? If not then it's hard to determine where the smoke is coming from coming out the exhaust. You could have a bad valve seal which can cause the car to smoke when started or oil could be going through the piston rings and into the combustion chamber and out the exhaust.

 

Nope.. I have magnaflow.. Smoke was coming from the last 3-4 inches of the driver side exhuast.. right under the valve cover..When i turn off the engine.. I can hear a crackling noise like its cooking bacon or something.. I got alittle scared for a second

How hard is it to change the valve seals? Ive been hearing that alot and that could be a problem. I just dont want to take it to a shop and be milked with labor fees when i could be killing off some time and doing it myself.

 

I did another test just now.. Had someone start the car for me.. While doing that.. 1 quick puff a smoke came out of both tips and that was it.. All in about 30-40 seconds the engine check light came on and the engine started smoking and once it started smoking.. The exhuasted started to smoke a bit.. I turned off the engine and checked out the smoke and it was coming from under the valve cover on the driver side.. And it had a bit of oil around it too.. So i think my driver valve cover is leaking a bit again and is somehow causing the exhuast to start smoking. What can it be?

 

Hard to replace them while the heads are on the car. Do a search and there are ways to do them while the heads are on the engine. My 92 had the same problem with smoke coming out the air breather that was on the valve cover. Since my car had a lot of mile on it, I decided to put in 350 instead.
When I took the engine apart, I notice the piston rings were shot which was the cause of the smoke blowing out the exhaust. If your car has a lot of mile on the engine, I would suggest rebuilding/upgrade the engine. IMO just fixing the valve seal (all if them) would be a

 

It has about 115k on it.. Is that considered alot? lol.

 

So ill bump this before i go to bed.

Anyone know what this is?:

"I did another test just now.. Had someone start the car for me.. While doing that.. 1 quick puff a smoke came out of both tips and that was it.. All in about 30-40 seconds the engine check light came on and the engine started smoking and once it started smoking.. The exhuasted started to smoke a bit.. I turned off the engine and checked out the smoke and it was coming from under the valve cover on the driver side.. And it had a bit of oil around it too.. So i think my driver valve cover is leaking a bit again and is somehow causing the exhuast to start smoking. What can it be?"

I'm thinking the exhuast manifold gasket is shot or there is something wrong with the exhuast somewhere..

Im still learning about these engines.. But i know my smog pump isn't hooked up right now.. Im sure the 02 sensor is shot since its running rich.. If you stand behind the exhaust.. itll make your eyes burn.. Im not sure about the converter..

I dont think my head gasket is blown.. The oil is dark and rich looking.. not milkshake like.. and the engine runs very very good.. I dont need to give it gas or nothing to start.. and it starts instantly as soon as i turn the key even on a cold start.. I just got this smoke issue right now.. and im starting to weed out the possibilities.

OH!.. Could bad gas be a possibility of the smoke problem out of exhuast tips? I know the guy i bought it from said he had the car sitting for a 3-4 months and i'm sure the gas sat along with it..

 

You have two seperate problems. One is leaking oil, the other is a problem with your engine. They are not connected. Change your valve cover gaskets and get rid of the oil leak. If your exhaust was bad you would know... You would be hearing a loud tic, tic, tic. What color is the puff of smoke you see? Blue? If it's blue then you have some "blow by" either bad valve guides/seals or a bad piston ring(s). If it's dark or black you have something going on with your air/fuel mixture.

 

ok first thing i saw was you replaced the gaskets but what did you use? Did you buy an actual gasket or did you do it up with rtv? I used blue rubber felpros on mine and never had a leak since, second when you tightened it did you follow any pattern or did you just start cranking on them front to back? If you dont even out the torque when your applying a gasktet it likes to pop out and apply itself unevenly if you have centerbolt covers id do the ones on the outisde first and go from there but dont just tihgten them down all the way, if they're perimiter bolt do something like rear left, front right,rear right, front left etc.

Secondly oil dripping on your exhaust manifold, i highly doubt it would make it through your exhaust because those things run so hot it would just burn off causing smoke in the engine bay.

Check your vavle cover job and then start cranking out the other problems, trying to tackle everything at once will just confuse you

Good luck

 

Actually Master.. Now that you bring that up.. The covers looked pretty beat up and bent in some places.. but the parts that are bent aren't leaking.. Ill do some more investigating this afternoon.

 

Hey guys.. I think i found the prob... well part of the problem.. I checked the back of the engine out with a flash light and it looks like i've discovered a missing exhaust bolt that connects to the cylinder.. I thought it was suppose to be like that but i went over to the other side and saw a bolt there.. So there is indeed a bolt missing.. And it kinda makes sense to me because the missing bolt is on the driver side and the driver side exhuast is the one that smokes alot more then the passenger side.. And i believe i messed up on the gasket on the driver side since i'm seeing old spilling out now.. So i'm guessing some of that oil coming out is getting into the exhuast that is missing the screw and coming out of the exhuast.. So that means a good chunk of that gasket is fried.. I love discovering things like this. lol.

 

Also remember, even though the bent parts aren't leaking, whenever metal bends, something has to give. There could be other strectched metal that looks good but isn't in the right shape.

 

Yeah.. I did a very poor job on the valve cover gasket change.. I actually bent the passenger side one trying to get it off.. I'm going to run up to riebies this weekend sometime and get some chrome covers and new cover gaskets and new exhuast manifold gaskets and a new screw for the exhuast.

Soon.. Ill get a new 02 sensor and fix my smog pump.. Hopefully that will take care of the exhuast problem slightly.

 

yeah i bent my passenger side up pretty good too, i got frustrated and just yanked it out and spent an hour strightening it back out, worked well though, my only hangup with your missing bolt theory is exhaust is expelled from the block outward, there shouldnt be any reason for smoke to be pulled into that hole, itd be like trying to throw dirt at a fan it would just blow back

Id say if your vavle covers are really bad go junkyardin for a new set, then try again lol

 

Missing a bolt and oil getting inside? Aren't you hearing an exhaust leak? That should be unmistakeable.

 

It just makes sense to me for some reason.. i guess the only way to find out is to fix it and see what happens.. and when the engine smokes.. thats exactly where the smoke streams out of.. The area around the missing bolt.. and as soon as that starts to smoke.. the exhuast tips start to smoke pretty much at the same time..

 

ok but it doesnt add up in reality, firstly an exhaust leak is the most annoying thing ive ever heard next to a sticky vavle, every stroke on whichever chamber (1st 2nd whatever) it ticks, and as engine rpm rises that ticking gets faster, it reminds me of a lawnmower.

secondly, your manifolds run at very high temps, anything you pour on them willl burn up in the case of oil it will smoke, you have an oil leak, that is your problem not a missing bolt on your exhuast, start at step one then work your way up and if its coming out of the bolt hole thats an internal problem in your motor what color is the smoke out of the hole and out of your tips?

 

The valve cover is leaking on that side.. which is causing a puddle of oil between the manifold and underneath the valve covers.. Then i bring up the the missing bolt and the obviously fried gasket.. which is probably opening up a passageway for the oil to seep through.. It isnt coming out of the bolt hole.. Its coming out of the the manifold around the bolt hole.. I cant tell the color of the smoke in the engine since its too dark but its like a baby blue color coming out of the exhuast.

 

well fix your valve cover and your problem is solved the words oil and puddle dont mix and should be taken care of before you worry about anything else

 

Yep.. Just came back from riebies with new chrome valve covers.. Im going to do it right this time.