Just installed heads/cam and now car is blowing smoke and won't idle
Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 353
Likes: 0
From: Evansville, IN
Just installed heads/cam and now car is blowing smoke and won't idle A couple friends and I installed heads/cam on my car this weekend. We had to use the regular valves from my old heads as we didn't have my other valves yet due to an error. Anyway, now my car is blowing smoke that smells like coolant and is overheating. It also won't idle at all which it would do earlier. Any ideas? I used new gaskets and the such.
<small>[ July 09, 2002, 08:48 AM: Message edited by: Z00 ]</small>
<small>[ July 09, 2002, 08:48 AM: Message edited by: Z00 ]</small>
Re: Just installed heads/cam and now car is blowing smoke and won't idle Are you certain that you have filled your coolant system? They take a while to fill. When you pulled your old heads did any coolant get into the headers/manifolds? If so that could be the smoke and smell you are getting. Did you connect all of your vacuum lines? I have left a vacuum line off of the back of the intake on an LS1 car and it blew a lot of smoke until I connected it. That could also be your idle problem as well. What are you cam specs?
Just hoping that it could be an easy fix. If it isn't any of those things it may be that you didn't put the gaskets on the correct sides. There is a right and left side on these cars. They will fit on both sides but there is a top and bottom to the gaskets. Did you use new bolts? They are torque to yield bolts.
Edited because I can never remember how to spell <img border="0" alt="[guns]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_guns.gif" /> VACUUM.
<small>[ July 04, 2002, 01:16 PM: Message edited by: CRASH 02 ]</small>
Just hoping that it could be an easy fix. If it isn't any of those things it may be that you didn't put the gaskets on the correct sides. There is a right and left side on these cars. They will fit on both sides but there is a top and bottom to the gaskets. Did you use new bolts? They are torque to yield bolts.
Edited because I can never remember how to spell <img border="0" alt="[guns]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_guns.gif" /> VACUUM.
<small>[ July 04, 2002, 01:16 PM: Message edited by: CRASH 02 ]</small>
TECH Regular
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 401
Likes: 0
From: Waxahachie, TEXAS
Re: Just installed heads/cam and now car is blowing smoke and won't idle </font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Z00:
<strong>A couple friends and I installed heads/cam on my car this weekend. We had to use the regular valves from my old heads as we didn't have my other valves yet due to an error. Anyway, now my car is blowing smoke that smells like coolant and is overheating. It also won't idle at all which it would do earlier. Any ideas? I used new gaskets and the such.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You used your old valves?
<img border="0" alt="[jester]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_jest.gif" />
<strong>A couple friends and I installed heads/cam on my car this weekend. We had to use the regular valves from my old heads as we didn't have my other valves yet due to an error. Anyway, now my car is blowing smoke that smells like coolant and is overheating. It also won't idle at all which it would do earlier. Any ideas? I used new gaskets and the such.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You used your old valves?
<img border="0" alt="[jester]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_jest.gif" />
Re: Just installed heads/cam and now car is blowing smoke and won't idle AgaveCorvette- The stock valves were lapped and seated perfectly in the heads. So thats not the problem. You know they make valve lapping compound and a tool for this purpose to seat them into the heads don't you? If you dont have any suggestions than don't reply.
AgaveCorvette--------> <img border="0" alt="[hail]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_hail.gif" /> to me--- <img border="0" alt="[devil]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_devil.gif" />
AgaveCorvette--------> <img border="0" alt="[hail]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_hail.gif" /> to me--- <img border="0" alt="[devil]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_devil.gif" />
Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 353
Likes: 0
From: Evansville, IN
Re: Just installed heads/cam and now car is blowing smoke and won't idle Yeah, we used new bolts and I'm pretty sure we put the gaskets on the corect sides although I wasn't the one who did it so I can't tell you for sure. I was working on another part of the car at that time.
I know it's not spilled coolant in the headers because it just started doing it and I've put probably 100 miles on it so far. It would have done that before hand if that was the problem.
I checked my coolant today and it's not very low, could use a little but not too much so I doubt that's the problem as well.
I have the 227/224 tr cam. It would idle before yesterday so I doubt if it's a vacuum line as well.
As Alex said, we lapped my valves but that might still be the problem. I know I'll probably have to take the heads off but I'm just seeing what everyone thinks the problem could be first.
I know it's not spilled coolant in the headers because it just started doing it and I've put probably 100 miles on it so far. It would have done that before hand if that was the problem.
I checked my coolant today and it's not very low, could use a little but not too much so I doubt that's the problem as well.
I have the 227/224 tr cam. It would idle before yesterday so I doubt if it's a vacuum line as well.
As Alex said, we lapped my valves but that might still be the problem. I know I'll probably have to take the heads off but I'm just seeing what everyone thinks the problem could be first.
TECH Resident
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 917
Likes: 0
From: Chattanooga,Tn
Re: Just installed heads/cam and now car is blowing smoke and won't idle who did the heads? were they not cut for larger valves? Just curious Brent
One thing I would check when I had the heads of is to make sure they didnt make the chambers to large.if the are to large the metal ring on the gasket will overlap into the chamber and could get burnt out very easy.thus causing a blown head gasket in such a shot time.
<small>[ July 04, 2002, 02:49 PM: Message edited by: H82BBad ]</small>
One thing I would check when I had the heads of is to make sure they didnt make the chambers to large.if the are to large the metal ring on the gasket will overlap into the chamber and could get burnt out very easy.thus causing a blown head gasket in such a shot time.
<small>[ July 04, 2002, 02:49 PM: Message edited by: H82BBad ]</small>
Teching In
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
From: Nashville, TN
Re: Just installed heads/cam and now car is blowing smoke and won't idle Alan, is it smoking at idle or WOT? What color is the smoke? if it's billowing smoke at idle, then yeah, something is messed up. You talked to Andy? Has he seen it?
What's up Mr. Bird? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" />
Matt
<small>[ July 04, 2002, 02:55 PM: Message edited by: Sporadic ]</small>
What's up Mr. Bird? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" />
Matt
<small>[ July 04, 2002, 02:55 PM: Message edited by: Sporadic ]</small>
Trending Topics
Re: Just installed heads/cam and now car is blowing smoke and won't idle I am thinking there is somethign wrong with the heads/machine work and nothing to do with installation. I think if hydrlocking of the bolts was an issue the car would have blown a headgasket within the first 5 miles of the car running. Either way, the heads will have to come off, and we will go from there.
This really sucks Allen. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Sad]" src="gr_sad.gif" />
This really sucks Allen. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Sad]" src="gr_sad.gif" />
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Topdon ONE vs. Artidiag 800 BT2: Which is the Diagnostic Tablet For You?
Pouria Savadkouei
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 353
Likes: 0
From: Evansville, IN
Re: Just installed heads/cam and now car is blowing smoke and won't idle Joe Riggs ported my heads for me and I had them milled .035" at TEA. The car smokes at idle, be good for a burnout competition <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="gr_images/icons/wink.gif" /> I'll probably call Joe tomorrow and see what he thinks about it. While the car is down I'm probably going to send my pcm off to get reprogrammed as well. I'll start taking it down tomorrow and see what's up.
Alex and I will do a compression check on it and go from there.
<small>[ July 04, 2002, 06:01 PM: Message edited by: Z00 ]</small>
Alex and I will do a compression check on it and go from there.
<small>[ July 04, 2002, 06:01 PM: Message edited by: Z00 ]</small>
Teching In
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
Re: Just installed heads/cam and now car is blowing smoke and won't idle Yank all of the spark plugs out of it, put a pressure tester onto the cooling system, pump the pressure up to about 20 psi and wait about 3-4 minutes. Crank the engine (still with the plugs out) and see which cylinder is pumping coolant...
you may be able to just pull one head off.
you may be able to just pull one head off.
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
Re: Just installed heads/cam and now car is blowing smoke and won't idle Sorry to hear about this Allen. I did not remove any Chamber material except for a clean up and polish. I tend to think there was a hydro-locked bolt that caused the head to not sit square. I have seen this on Greg M's car when we did the heads and cam a few months ago.
Let me know how it turns out, and if you have to get another set of heads, I will be glad to do them free.
Let me know how it turns out, and if you have to get another set of heads, I will be glad to do them free.
Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 353
Likes: 0
From: Evansville, IN
Re: Just installed heads/cam and now car is blowing smoke and won't idle I'm betting on the hydrolock as well. I have some serious oil in one of my intake ports (first one on the driver head). I'm going to take a picture of it today and post it. Have to get the digital camera from work first. I've been a little lazy getting it all apart but should have the majority of it done today.
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 242
Likes: 0
From: Columbia Mo
Re: Just installed heads/cam and now car is blowing smoke and won't idle From Experience <img border="0" title="" alt="[Sad]" src="gr_sad.gif" /> It is possible that when the heads were done that there is an imperfection in the aluminum that will allow water to pass into the cylinder. This happened to me and the damage was not pretty. After the head was removed I could not see anything wrong with it but the shop did a pressure test at 20lbs with dye and found the problem. The car would not idle and eventually started blowing white smoke that smelled of coolant. <img border="0" alt="[whiner]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_cry.gif" />
Re: Just installed heads/cam and now car is blowing smoke and won't idle I think the problem lies in your gasket choice. I saw in an other post that you said you are using sotck 5.7 gaskets iwth your 6.0 heads. When using the 6.0 heads you must use the 6.0 gasket as well. When using a 5.7 gasket with those heads, the fire ring of the 5.7 gasket lies just inside the 4.100 bore of the 6.0 heads. This would easily cause a blown gasket when the fire ring burns out. Look at these pictures for reference showing the comparison between 5.7 and 6.0 gaskets on the 6.0 heads. The 5.7l gaskets are intended for use on the stock ls1 bore and nothing larger. Take a look at your gaskets...Hope that helps
Gasket Comparison
Gasket Comparison
Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 353
Likes: 0
From: Evansville, IN
Re: Just installed heads/cam and now car is blowing smoke and won't idle I have a couple of friends that have run 5.7L gaskets on 6.0L heads without the problem so I am not sure if it is a gasket problem. I am thinking we hyrdolocked one of the bolts as the driver side was hard to get off and that's where the coolant leak was at.
Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 353
Likes: 0
From: Evansville, IN
Re: Just installed heads/cam and now car is blowing smoke and won't idle See this post where a guy is running 5.7l gaskets on 6.0l heads.
https://ls1tech.com/ubb/ultimatebb.p...=005480#000002
https://ls1tech.com/ubb/ultimatebb.p...=005480#000002
Re: Just installed heads/cam and now car is blowing smoke and won't idle Allen, I think the bolt holes need to be THOROUGHLY cleaned and the deck material completely removed. Get a bunch of the Scotch Brite Green pads to get ALL of the gasket material off. This is what we did on Saul's head install and all went well.
Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 353
Likes: 0
From: Evansville, IN
Re: Just installed heads/cam and now car is blowing smoke and won't idle That's what I'm going to do this time. I don't want to have to do this again anytime soon <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" />