jacob80 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I'm seeing a considerable amount of smoke coming from my valve cover/catch can, and I don't like it. The car has been doing this since I replaced the head gasket. Compression tested it at 120 for the lowest cylinder and 135 for the highest, which is about a 9% difference. Here's a short video I took to try and show the smoke. It's obviously not a whole lot, but it is there. When should I really start worrying about this? I realize some smoke will come through, but this is more than I'm used to seeing coming from this motor. I noticed the 'pulses' as well. Smoke from the valve cover means bad valve seals, correct? I have some pretty crappy oil in here too only because I've just started it, and an old filter as well. I plan to change it this weekend. Any suggestions? Could this be because of the quality and weight of the oil in addition to me recently starting the motor for the first time? I'm using the Nissan 2mm HKS head gasket, as well. Let me know what you guys think. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazeum Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 (edited) I do see some smoke also coming from my engine. I'll be interested to hear some feedback from other members. Mine was smoking before & after full rebuild. I believe it is normal. Everything is new on my engine, block & head were milled, head is fully rebuilt, pistons & rings are new, all gasket are new and I'm running Castrol edge 10w60 oil so far in it. My cam is internally oiled + spray bar also. I've got a turbo oil pump & oil restrictor in block has been enlarged for more oil flow. Timing is ok, valve clearance has been checked & set. Edited May 24, 2012 by Lazeum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Gotta have something to worry about... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacob80 Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 I'm kind of in the same boat. The motor has been rebuilt and doesn't have a significant number of miles on it. Rebuilt head, rebuilt bottom end, new metal head gasket, the works! I'll do another compression test and see what I come up with, but if it remains the same, I'm really not going to worry about it too much at this point. The car runs great and doesn't appear to be affected by it. Any other suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacob80 Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 Gotta have something to worry about... Do you have any input on this John? Being a heavy L series racing guy, perhaps you have experience with this type of issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I don't know if its just me, but I hardly see anything coming out. If that's the case I feel like john is saying that its completely normal. If the oil has been in there a real long time, enough to build up, maybe seafoam it and put in some new oil. If you don't notice any drop in performance I wouldn't worry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Its not an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beermanpete Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 If you do not have a PCV valve it is normal. If you have a PCV valve (and it is working correctly) you could have worn rings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacob80 Posted May 25, 2012 Author Share Posted May 25, 2012 Okay, long as you guys think it's normal. It's kind of an eye sore to see the smoke coming out of the breather catch can, but I'm fine with it as long as it isn't an issue. I also noticed I have 2 fouled plugs, perhaps that could be related to the issue in some way? I'm going to clean them up and see if there is any improvement. I'll also be changing the oil to Mobil 1 10W30 synthetic. Like I said, I have some super duper cheapo oil in there, just to collect all the rebuild residue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 If you have to live with the smoke, one of these would at least add some cool - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazeum Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 (edited) On a side note regarding rebuild residues, I strongly advice you to drop the pan. I know it is a pain but I had many chips that remained in my pan after the first oil change. I only run the engine with fresh oil after rebuild for 10 minutes. I expected to do the same with the next oil change that should occur in 200-300 miles. Here's what remained after I wiped the pan once with a paper towel Edited May 25, 2012 by Lazeum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacob80 Posted May 25, 2012 Author Share Posted May 25, 2012 Yikes! I intended to do the same thing, but I got carried away and haven't. I plan to change the oil and filter here in about an hour. I've driven it maybe 30 or so miles. I'll report back with my findings! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazeum Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 It will also help me to believe it is very normal. I'm going for a 300mi road trip weekend, hopefully the engine will remain in one piece Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kash Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Your compression numbers look a little low even for a turbo...the last time I had too much smoke coming from my valve cover I had a broken ring land and the compression in cylinder #1 was in the low 120's while all others were in the 150's. All your numbers are consistent so that's a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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