First off thank you Vader, I couldn’t have made it this far without this board and your help!!
Ok, did I head swap on the Z 1.94 intake and 1.50 exhaust on stock heads with all new hardware, also did this with motor removed and did not disturb bottom end. I set TPS, IAC and timing as per the tech articles and car idles great, no smoke, nice and smooth, but as I dip into the throttle, I get white smoke billowing out the exhaust when the engine is cold and as it warms up it goes to blue smoke. So I pulled all the plugs and drivers side are wet with oil and fouled with #1 being the worst and getting better as you move to towards the firewall with #7 being almost dry. Passenger side look perfect, a nice light tan. So I pulled the drivers side valve cover off to re-adjust the valves and that had no effect as well?? I don’t think it could be the rings since I didn’t disturb the bottom end and I didn’t have this problem before I pulled the motor. When I did my compression check all cylinders read about 125 IIRC. Where is this oil coming from????
If I don’t solve this soon my neighbors are going to hire me for mosquito control!!!!!
TIA for the help

 

please tell me you put the valve seals in.... please tell me you put the valve seals in... Also if you did did you use new ones?? Thats the only thing that i can see going wrong if your compression is alright with manimal leakdown.

 

or what about even a bum head gasket. White smoke = water/anti-freeze. Blue smoke = oil.

 

89350RS,
heads were put together by machine shop and then I bolted them on, as far as a bum head gasket,?? Is that possible??
Damnit man, I really hope its not the head gasket

 

how do the cylinders look?? this was taken right before I did the re-install and shows #1 and #3 cylinders

 

can you pull a valve cover? If so look inside the valve spring and on top of the valve guide you should see a rubber or teflon seal around the valve. If it isnt there take the car to them and have them fix it. They can do it with the motor in the car. Or you can go to autozone and rent the tool that pressures up the cyl. so you can get the valve springs off and check. You could have blown a head gasket on startup, you just dont know. But if your compression test was good id check and see if the valve seals are there. As for the cylinders in the pic... They are both wet with something. Loos like oil but could be water. But that could have been from the antifreeze when the head was pulled. Id check to see if the seals are there. also see if the machine shop charged for new valve guides.

 

I assume you milled the heads, did you have the lower intake manifold resurfaced / angled for the milling of the heads? If you didn't you probably have a gap at the bottom of the intake so that it isn't actually touching/crushing the gasket. This is a way too common problem. Machine shops should require anyone that has their heads milled to bring in the intake so it can be done as well.

 

to be honest I am not sure what the shop did as I purchased them over the internet...
thats a thought for later though

 

make sure the oil cap & dip stick are on/in all the way, pull the pcv valve & breather hose from the valve cover, plug either hole in either valve cover, start it up & now check to see if you have a vacuum at the hole left unplugged in the valve cover.

 

???????

 

Does the manifold milling apply for when the block it decked also?

 

Maybe intake gasket bad? I can see if it was kinda at an angle, the front would we the worst and maybe getting better as you went back. Just a thought.

 

Hey, can I ask where did you get the heads from? What internet company?

I would say that it would be something in the head or intake gaskets, but leaning more twards head gaskets.

I plan on doing just about the same thing you are. I hope that you get your problem fixed.
What kind of head gasket did you use?

 

Do a leakdown test, that should narrow the playing field greatly.

 

By the way, is that red overspray all over the deck surface and on the one dowel pin and in the cylinder bore. That can't be good, but probably not the problem.

Some dumb questions for you...Did you torque the heads down in the proper sequence? Proper torque steps? Maybe the machine shop installed the valve seals BEFORE reinstalling the spring retainer. That is a common problem, and it knocks the o-ring seals out of their groove when the springs and retainers are reinstalled, usually destroying them or rendering them useless.

Maybe if they used those perfect circle type seals (the ones that clamp around the base of the valve stem on the head) they didn't push them down all the way. Again rendering them useless.

Just because you physcially see seals there, doesn't mean that they were installed properly and working correctly.

 

Sounds like a head gasket problem to me as well. I say you try re-torquing the middle and front head bolts to proper specifications. If there is oil in the threads, multiply the torque specification by 1.2 (adding 20% to allow for oil lubrication/pressure)...