BADSS

iTrader: (7)

Is this possible? I have 205-210 psi compression in all cylinders, but I am burning a quart of oil every 300 to 400 miles. The car smokes at idle and smokes at WOT. I have the LS6 PCV system, AMW catch can, and a Metco valve cover breather. The rocker arm bolts have been properly sealed. Brand-new TEA LS6 cylinder heads. I have been told that bad valve seals and/or valve guides could not cause this level of oil consumption, anyway. Is this true?

What if the compression ring was doing it's job, but the oil control ring was not? Could that lead to a scenario such as mine?

BADSS

iTrader: (7)

TTT...come on, someone must have an opinion!

Can an engine have good compression, but poor oil control? If so, what is the root cause? Because I had always assumed that if a compression test came back okay, the rings were assumed to be fine.

I'm begging for help, here- I don't want to pay for a rebuild or a new shortblock unless it is absolutely necessary. TIA.

Ryan02SS

iTrader: (3)

There are really on 2 ways oil can get into the CC's. Rings or Valve guides. Seeing that you have new TEA heads I would tend to think it's the rings. The guides would have to be pretty loose to get that level of oil consumption.

Are your compression #'s dry or wet?

I would do this........ Get the #'s from a dry compression test then perform a wet compression test. Squirt a little oil onto the top of the piston from the spark plug hole and reinstall the compression tester and retest. Say you get 230-240 psi, this means the oil is filling up the gap from the worn ring causing the higher pressure.

You can get a general idea of how bad the ring wear is by the difference in #'s between the dry and wet tests. HTH

'01 WS6 TA

iTrader: (5)

Do a leak down test....it'll give you the heads up on if it is the rings or not. Also check the PCV system and see if the intake is full of oil. It might be sucking oil back through the intake and burning it that way.

robertbartsch

You can suck a bunch of oil into the pvc system.... take of the TB and stick you hand inside the manifold... Oil in there?

BADSS

iTrader: (7)

Thanks for the input, guys.

Ryan- I don't know if the compression test was dry or wet...I will ask the mechanic who did it for me.

I don't think the PCV is the culprit here- I have the LS6 PCV system, an AMW catch can, and a Metco valve cover breather. There is usually very little oil in my TB and intake manifold.

The oil consumption did increase when the TEA heads were installed- but this engine has always burned a fair amount of oil. I'm thinking the TEA heads, which are making more power and more compression than my previous JPR heads, have just magnified the problem with the shortblock.

So I guess it's looking like it's probably the rings.

robertbartsch

...valve stem seals could be the wrong seals...??

goober35

iTrader: (1)

Do you have a front and or main seal problem. I would check on that also. You could have a lot of small problems and they just add up. A little in the can, a little burned and a little leaked is no longer just a little bit of oil.