Max fuel pressure for Carter 3705 carbs?

[4406bbl]

Since you think it is oil and it is both banks all of the sudden I guess I would pull the intake and see if it is leaking on the bottom, after I was sure the compression was all even. Maybe someone you know has a camera so you could look down the intake and see if you see oil.

 

[fmahannah]

I honestly don't think it is oil, the smoke is too white. And it looks like coolant is not reaching the oil pan or showing up in oil fillter cap. So I am leaning towards intake manifold leaking versus head gasket, but if that is the case what would make it only leak after driving a mile or two, and then stopping after the engine is shut off and restarted? Is there a way to check for an intake manifold coolant leak that is letting coolant ito combustion chambers? I can buy a borescope if necessary. Man I really don't want to have to pull the heads as getting those monster exhaust manifolds off won't be an easy task.

If I can get it to smoke again and video the result would that help you guys to diagnose the cause?

Thanks

 

[Dragon Slayer]

If it is white smoke (water/antifreeze) and not oil. The intake even if it had a leak is not the problem. No water seal at that point. Just air intake, and exposure to oil from the galley area of the block. Water leak would have to be head gasket, cracked cylinder wall, cracked head.

Both exhaust putting out the smoke means both sides have issue unless some head leak on intake valve area is allowing water to be pulled through the intake manifold to the other side via reversion. A leak while hot and at rpm but not cold is always possible.

Doing a compression test could help eliminate some issues and is not as invasive. Pull a carb and see if there is oil/anti freeze in the intake area.
Get a good check cold of the oil and water levels. If it smoke again one or the other has to be dropping in level.

 

[fmahannah]

Exhaust has a cross pipe so I guess I could be getting smoke from both sides even if only one side was leaking?

Could bad backfires blow a gasket or only overheating. The reason I ask is because the car has never overheated since I got it (in fact it runs a little too cold). Unless the head gasket was already bad when I got it and had been temporarily sealed with something, which I would not be suprised at after the carb fiasco.

Guess I will start with a compression test on all cylinders. Does it have to be wet and dry r is just dry good enough? Would plugs be able to indicate if antifreeze was being burnt?

Thanks

 

[4406bbl]

Bad backfires would likely be a blown intake gasket. On compression I would do it cold and test the cooling system with a loaner tool. If you find nothing then you have to try to do it hot, that will be fun to do compression. With smoke it can be hard to tell, oil used to be bluish, but I was following a Toyota down the interstate the other day, fogging the whole lane with white smoke, figured it had to be antifreeze, nope it was oil by the smell.

 

[fmahannah]

I bought a combustion leak tester kit and did the test according to the instructions twice. It showed negative. Also no sign of water/antifreeze on dipstick or oil filler cap. Not losing coolant.

I am still going to do comp test wet and dry on all cylinders but I don't think I have a head gasket issue. The only other explanation for the white smoke might be that weeks of idling put a lot of water into the exhaust system and that is what I am seeing?
After the comp test if that does not show any issues I am just going to take it down the road and see if the white smoke stops at some point

 

[steve340]

A by-product of gasoline is water - and they puke out a lot more if running rich.
Yes the mufflers/exhaust could be full of water.
The exhaust will only get hot enough to fume off all that water when you drive at speed for a while.
I am not saying it is for sure - but it could be.

 

[Dragon Slayer]

Interesting problem. I will say this, cross pipe shouldn't cause a leak on one side to be equal on both. So if major smoke as you described and from both pipes, it has to be from both sides of the motor.

Condensation should not be heavy smoke as you described. A gallon of water in your exhaust would leave a pool of water on your floor even at idle.
No oil in PCV system, especially to intake, is a good sign.

I guess going out on another test drive with someone driving behind you and see if the problem comes back.

 

[fmahannah]

Interesting problem. I will say this, cross pipe shouldn't cause a leak on one side to be equal on both. So if major smoke as you described and from both pipes, it has to be from both sides of the motor.

Condensation should not be heavy smoke as you described. A gallon of water in your exhaust would leave a pool of water on your floor even at idle.
No oil in PCV system, especially to intake, is a good sign.

I guess going out on another test drive with someone driving behind you and see if the problem comes back.

Yeah that is the plan tonight after my wife gets home so she can rescue me if I blow it up or break down
I do get quite a bit of water out of drivers side tailpipe idling.
Another concern is that it is actually a crack in the head or block that does not leak until a certain temp is reached, but I think that would still show up in the combustion leak test? Or is it possible for coolant to reach intake or cylinders but not go the other way and let gases into the cooling system?

 

[Dragon Slayer]

A crack in the block has to put water in the oil. A head crack could be much different. Water into combustion chamber. Water into the exhaust manifold. Water into the oil.

The colder exhaust manifold is a sign of incomplete combustion or misfire on that side, or possible water into the exhaust manifold keeping it cooler than the other side. Is the heavy condensation on the same side as the cooler exhaust temp?

Stuck valve, broken spring, any of the leaks discussed, bad distributor or coil not firing all cylinders. The smoke came from something at one point. Got to think it will come back.

 

[fmahannah]

A crack in the block has to put water in the oil. A head crack could be much different. Water into combustion chamber. Water into the exhaust manifold. Water into the oil.

The colder exhaust manifold is a sign of incomplete combustion or misfire on that side, or possible water into the exhaust manifold keeping it cooler than the other side. Is the heavy condensation on the same side as the cooler exhaust temp?

Stuck valve, broken spring, any of the leaks discussed, bad distributor or coil not firing all cylinders. The smoke came from something at one point. Got to think it will come back.

Yes the cooler manifolds are on the same side as the heavier condensation.
Distributor is new, wires are new, plugs are new, no signs of actual misfires on either side
There is no water getting into the oil at all.
There are no combustion gases getting into the radiator, but I will recheck that when I get back from my road trip if I get it smoking again. Will also take a pic or video if it smokes
A head crack will kill me LOL, block crack will bury me.

 

[fmahannah]

OK, new test drive and I was quite wrong. Drove about half a mile and it started smoking, bluish tinge not white. Kept smoking, got it home and while still running shot this video and put it on my facebook profile.

But just like before, if I shut it off and immediately re-start there is no smoke at all? No idea what could cause that. Any ideas appreciated about why it would stop smoking after hot restart.

Polara Smoking

 

[steve340]

I have found if they smoke when warmed up it is the piston rings.
A point here is you can have adequate cranking compressions and still burn oil.
One other time I found a loose valve guide in the cylinder head gave a similar issue.
But that was an aluminium head which had replaceable valve guides. I have found/heard of them being loose more than once.

 

[fmahannah]

I have found if they smoke when warmed up it is the piston rings.
A point here is you can have adequate cranking compressions and still burn oil.
One other time I found a loose valve guide in the cylinder head gave a similar issue.
But that was an aluminium head which had replaceable valve guides. I have found/heard of them being loose more than once.

But why would the smoke stop immediately on hot restart if it is rings? That is what I can't figure out. Engine only has 2600 miles on it.

 

[steve340]

It is hot and the oil drains off the cylinder walls and the crankcase pressure drops because the engine is stopped.
You run it the oil splashes up on the bores and the crankcase pressure builds up again and forces it past the oil control rings - smoke starts again.
I bet it gets worse the longer you run it?

 

[fmahannah]

It is hot and the oil drains off the cylinder walls and the crankcase pressure drops because the engine is stopped.
You run it the oil splashes up on the bores and the crankcase pressure builds up again and forces it past the oil control rings - smoke starts again.
I bet it gets worse the longer you run it?

I guess next step is the wet and dry compression test to see what is really going on in there.
The thing is after hot restart it will idle all day and not smoke, in other words it does not start back up again until I take it down the road.

 

[steve340]

If it is a problem with the second or oil control ring a compression test will tell you nothing much of value. In other words it could have quite good compression and still blow oil.
Is the crankcase vented?
Do your due diligence but if it is the rings you will have to bite the bullet and pull the motor.

 

[fmahannah]

It has a PVC valve hooked t the intake for vacuum, the valve is on the passenger side valve cover, and an oil filler/breather cap on the other valve cover. Factory style I think?

Because of the low vacuum at idle, someone here expressed concern that the PVC valve would not operate correctly? I have ordered a Wagner Dual Flow Adjustable PCV Valve which is supposed to work with low vacuum cams but won't know until it gets here. The current PCV valve is clean, no oil or residue of any kind, and at idle if I hold my finger over the end with it out of the valve cover it does have vacuum.

 

[Dragon Slayer]

That comment was a red herring I believe. At idle low vacuum the pcv closes except the orifice as a controlled air bleed. At low vacuum the valve opens and you have more bleed. Mopar used 2 calibrations, 1 for 6 cylinder and 1 for 8. You have enough of a vacuum to scavenge it seems.

 

[Geoff 2]

Definitely oil smoke. I would suspect oil getting drawn into the chambers from leaking intake-to-head gaskets.