kgkern01

iTrader: (10)

Found out this when taking it to the track the other day, apparently my car smokes out of the exhaust at high RPM's. It's a light bluish color smoke, and I've lost some oil but no coolant, and if i am by the exhaust when someone revs the engine up towards 5k or so, it has a slight oil smell, not sweet at all so I assume it is oil. The shortblock has 53k, but the top end and cam is all new. Has zero smoke at idle, mid throttle or low-mid RPM's, it's only up top that it emits smoke. Oil is VR1 Synthetic 10w-30, Melling Select 10% HV pump with GM 'white' spring, Canton 244t, oil pressure is around 70-80 psi at high rpm.
My hose from pass valve cover to TB is not very snug, and there is some oil around the hole on the valve cover. I know the rocker studs were well sealed with thread sealant, so I know it's not that.

Any possibilities, and or way to narrow it down?

95z28onjuice

iTrader: (-2)

do a compression test and a leak down test this will tell you if its your rings or not.

wrd1972

iTrader: (12)

Mine was smoking at WOT on the dyno and I could also see it in the rear view mirror. From time to time, I would get a quick whiff of burning oil.

Did a leak down and the cylders were 5,5,5,5,5,5,4,6, in percentage so no issues there. It was the PCV sysytem causing the smell and the smoke out the rear under WOT. The PCV sucks in oil and it goen into the motor to be burned. When I was making dyno pulls, it really pulled in a lot of oil.

I recently installed a catch can and the oil from the PCV is not a problem any longer. Motor smokes less at WOT and I have never since smelled burning oil.

kgkern01

iTrader: (10)

With the shortblock only having 53k on it and no smoke whatsoever, at any RPM or throttle position BUT High RPM and WOT, not even at cold start, is making me lean towards PCV possibly?

RamAir95TA

iTrader: (2)

Valve seals?

kgkern01

iTrader: (10)

OK, so I got under the car today and pulled the plugs, expecting to find very oily or fouled plug(s). Once I got under there, I noticed everything on the back half of the engine on passenger side is covered with oil. First thought was the Canton 244t pan, but no oil along the sides of it, just some on part of the kickout. The LT4 starter, covered in oil. The #6 & 8 spark plug wire heat boots are soaked. The headers also have burned oil on them (possibly causing the smoking I am seeing?) Compare the plugs from #6 and 8 to the rest, and they all look great, only one looking slightly different is the #8 plug which smelled just a touch rich of alcohol (I run E85) but not oil. Here's pics of the #6 and the #8 plugs.




Since the plugs look great, this has me to believe that the smoke that I am seeing behind my car WOT and my friend saw at the track was actually oil burning on the headers during going wide open.

My dipstick tube is also easy to turn (is missing the tube bolt). Is it possible that excessive crank pressure (or other reason) at WOT is causing oil to come out of the dipstick tube and splash on the side of the engine and headers causing what appears to be exhaust smoke when coming out of the back of the car at high RPM?

wrd1972

iTrader: (12)

Yes oil can come out where the dip stick tube is but you will normally notice the leak when its parked. I RTV mine in and no leaking occurs.

kgkern01

iTrader: (10)

I topped off the oil last night, and now the leak must be getting worse, it is now starting to smoke on occasion at stop, usually after some more spirited driving (upper mid throttle, with turning), and smoke is coming out from under the hood when it does...embarassing! I just noticed also that I can EASILY move the dipstick tube by hand, so it is not very snug in the block AT ALL. I'll try taking that tube out and put in the one from my old motor with some RTV, that one was a b.... to get back in the block! We'll see if that helps.

ThorsLT1

I had a situation like that mine was missing the bracket that holds the dipstick tube in place. There ended up being holes in the tube spraying oil onto the headers while I made hard lefts or was WOT. Fixed the holes with JB weld.

kgkern01

iTrader: (10)

Took the old tube out and that was exactly the problem, holes in the bracket of the tube! Plus the tube wasn't very hard to get out, nor was the other tube very hard to get in. RTV'd plenty around the block-to-dipstick area, JIC. Hopefully this solves the problem.