Smoke issues?

[LilBerx]

Ahhhh, Where to start?

basically my car is running like ...

Car is a 1986 5.0

So here we go....

My car loves to eat oil, it is not burning it, it is coming out of the exhaust. It does it on hard acceleration occasionally, when it does it, its on going, then will go away the next day. Also, the #8 Plug is getting a hard buildup on it.

These are the thing that i have kind of singled it out to.

#1- Bad valve seal

#2- Bad Ring

#3- Cracked head

It has a explorer intake, is not MAF yet.

I read online that the 1986 5.0's have flat topped pistons, so i am limited with a head selection.

Would i be better of going with a whole new 5.0 motor?

 

[88LX5.Oh]

I don't know how much engines go for where you're located, but I bought a complete late 90's Explorer motor for $200 for my car. I'm just using the block though, not the heads. But if you do go that route, the GT40P heads will work with your speed density set up. I had a rolled late 90's Mountaineer come in mine and my father's shop and we got to pull the motor and use in my '92 Bronco (speed density if you didn't know) and it runs like a top! If I were you, I'd just get a newer engine and run it. Plus the newer engines don't have the flat tops that the '86 does so your head selection will be much larger. Of course you'd for sure have to convert to MAF if you went aftermarket with your heads.

 

[LilBerx]

What I'm trying to ask, is what does the issue sound like it is?

 

[88LX5.Oh]

I'm no expert, but I would assume that bad rings would cause it to smoke CONSTANTLY (blue smoke) and a cracked head would not only burn oil but also water (white/blue smoke) and valve seal would smoke a lot on start up but not so much while driving down the road. This is only what I've personally experienced so please don't take my word as fact because I haven't run into a car that smokes one day but doesn't the next.
But what I was trying to say earlier was if you can get a new motor for pretty cheap, might as well get one.
Your motor is 26 years old and has untold amount of miles, it has to be getting pretty tired

 

[LilBerx]

83k original miles... I'm guessing it may be a cracked head then...

 

[LilBerx]

Here is a post that someone posted on another forum

"When was the last time you put a new pcv in or checked it? and does it have the oil air separator/ restrict-or in it? if its sticking open it will burn oil and run like .. and it coats the back cylinders mainly #8 and #4. That might be something to look into but if your rings are shot and you have excessive blow by its gonna do it anyway.

You could just find a explorer motor in the junk yard use your cam in it through some springs in the heads and have a 13 sec car with supporting mods. I think is about 130-150$ for a long block around here at the yards."

i then replied with

"When i first got the car, it had bad PCV issues, and the temp gauges always read hot (which i thought it was broken first time i laid into it really really hard, We all pulled over to check out, and seen that it blew the pcv valve out, then seen it also blew a lower intake gasket in the rear.

I then replaced the lower intake & upper intake gaskets, along with the Thermostat.

When i would shift really hard into another gear, it would blow a little cloud. Well me and Cdubb go down to ogden to get a part off of a member here. He checked my car out, and seen that there was not a PCV screen underneath the valve. Kindly he had one around and stuck it in for me. He also told me to get different plugs, and gap at 45 thou. Which I did that same night in ogden. On my way home I was notice alot of smoke behind me through the canyon. The next day, i went and bought a new PCV valve, stuck it on. I noticed that the smoke had settled a little.

But recently as I drive, it seems as some days that it smokes. it smokes on acceleration.



You mentioned something about a junk yard motor?
Which years would i want? As i heard that 96 has the best motor cause it has the gt40 3 bar heads. "

 

[RangerJoe]

A buddy of mine rebuilt his 347 a few years back. Upon start up it smoked horribly. After a day or two of head scratching, he decided to pull the motor. When he took the midpipe off, liquid oil poured out of it and the headers. Long story short, it turned out the machine shop who cleaned his block and installed new cam bearings forgot to put the oil galley plug back in the back of the block. It was located directly under the pcv valve, so as oil squirted out, the valve sucked it up. It was so much oil that the engine couldn't burn it all and was spitting it out of the exhaust. Don't know if thats your problem, but you said it wasn't smoke, but dripping out. Something to think about, may be worth pulling your intake to see.

Joe

 

[LilBerx]

Maybe the wrong kind of pcv filter is in there?

 

[LilBerx]

So I pulled plug #4 and it had oil on it, then I pulle #8 and it has a buildup on it.

All other plugs look fine.

 

[88LX5.Oh]

4 and 8 are both towards the firewall, which is where the PCV valve is located. Now, I'm unfamiliar with the Explorer intake so I must ask, is the vacuum port you're using for the PCV valve at the back end (towards the firewall) of the intake? If so, the screen under the PCV valve just may be your culprit.

 

[LilBerx]

The pcv valve comes off of the back of the block by the firewater, and connects to a hose that runs to the front of the intake.

 

[88LX5.Oh]

Well shoot, I dunno what to tell you then. Sorry I can't help ya man