ok so i just finished up rebuilding my ls/v. and when i finished up droping it in my hatch i go to start it, it starts right up but my idel dident sound to healthy so i check my codes and i was throwing a map code and i couldent figure out why it was throwing the code i hook up a few map sensor and it still threw it. so i let it idel for about 15 mins to set the rings. as soon as that was done i called my friend who is good at wring and what not he told me to bring it over and he will fix my wiring. anyways im on my way there and its running pretty good, but about 2 mns in the drive i look in my rearview and see a big cloud of white smoke behind my car so imidiatly shut the car off and coast into a parking spot, i poped the hood started looking things over and i didne have anyleaks or any anything so i was like wtf? i sat there for a little and decided to start it back up again and it dident smoke any more so i figured ok its prolly just clearing its self out so i start driving again and about anouther 5 miles it dose it again so im shut it off check over everything again and dident find anything. decided to start it and it smoked for a minute or 2 at idel then stop. then i got to my friends house and my map sensor is fixed and my idel is perfect now (1k) but it constantly smokes white now? i drove it about 20 miles so far and i pulled my plug in cylander number 4 and smoke came out of my clyander i look down my cylander and theres a puddle of clear/green fludid on my piston. so im thing maybe i blew my head gasket? i checked over my coolant lines (i have clear lines) and i noticed little oil residue in the tubes, so i figured maybe my head lifed? so i torque my head studs down again and assembled it and it still smoked! so earlyer today i pulled my head off and check my head gasket and as far as i can tell it looked good. so now im stumped. im thinkng maybe myblock isent sealing with my head/gasket proberly? i know my head is not worped because its the same head iv had for 2 years. but im not 100% the block.

what do you think it could be? it blows white smoke out of the exhaust. i read its either burning coolant or a bad pcv system. please help i have alot of money and time in this motor so i would like to figure this out asap!

i have a ls/vtec with a cometic head gasket and a golden eagle block gard.

 

First, let me ask a few questions...

1. Did you straight-edge both the head and the block before you assembled the motor?

2. Is this Cometic head gasket new? Or did you pick it up used somewhere? It probably sounds like a stupid question, but I bought a car from somebody who just took a used gasket from the local salvage from a 230,000 mile car. Needless to say, it was flimsy and became a big problem for me.

3. Have you torqued everything down to Honda spec? What type of head studs are you using, are they factory or ARP? I've seen many people who have ARP head studs and they complain that they stretch because they don't torque them properly.

4. When this block guard was installed, did you just tap it into the block yourself with a hammer? That is a no-no! The proper procedure is to have it welded in by a reputable machine shop, and then have the motor line-bored or honed. Tapping it into place can lead to cylinder distortion at best, and, worst case scenario, locking that new engine up.

There is a possibility that, if you tapped the block guard in, you may have warped cylinder 4 and changed the position of it to the head gasket, causing "weepage".

Please answer these questions, so i can better understand your problem.

 

If all was installed right - have the head and block x-rayed to look for cracks in the water jacket.

 

Well it sounds like it might be a head gasket problem, If not the result of improper block guard installation. Reguarding the HG though,

1. Did you use the Cometic LS VTEC gasket, or just an LS gasket?

2.If you used a Cometic LS gasket, did you use an LS VTEC kit in which you were given special dowel pins that are tappered which allow you to swap the the head with no machining to the dowel locations?


I had this occur on the initial startup of my motor, but found out it was because I tried using LS VTEC kit dowel pins on an unmodified LS gasket which prevented the dowels from seating correctly. The head appeared to be torqued down properly but the margin of obstruction was ever so much to cause the coolant to mix with oil.

After doing so I pulled the head, cleaned up the mess and bought the LS VTEC specific gasket which was obviously better suited for the application. Most importantly (like the GE gasket) it features enlarged dowel holes on the exhaust side to allow proper seating/placement of the dowel pins.


On a side note, you'll want to get that coolant contaminated oil out of your oil passages ASAP. After you fix the issue, you probably have to flush your block out with about 3-4 oil changes back to back before the coloration of your oil will look normal.

 

^ yes i have the cometic 81.5 ls/v head gasket, golden eagle ls/v dowel pins/arp head studs and golden eagle ls/v convertion kit.

i bought the block with the block guard already in it, im not 100% on how it wwas installed i know it was brought to a machine shop and they did it. but its weird because i wasent leaking fuild on the block from the head gasket, just into the cylanders.

 

Maybe the gasket was installed upside down?

 

If it were backwards, he'd be gushing oil everywhere.

 

Was just a thought. I've never witnessed a motor run with an upsidedown installed gasket, but by looking at the oil drain back holes I thought it might be possible to have oil/coolant mixing issues internally without seeing leakage externally.

Proper installment


Upsidedown


(each of the oil drainbacks lineup, but the sizing of the 2 holes on the back of the block are offset)

 

Im not that dumb lol i know how to put a head gasket on lol and mine is on right.

 

is he block guard a 1/8 to a 1/4 inch below the deck surface?

 

you'd have to be an expletive idiot to install a headgasket upside-down...

I agree that his block should be sent to be inspected. I think that there is a possibility that the water jacket could be cracked. I highly advise to the OP that he straightedges the block for a certainty that it is not warped. However, I don't necessarily identify that the headgasket is incorrect, but that the #4 cylinder could possibly be warped by a subtle amount, leading to pooling only in that cylinder.

I would also take the studs out and check for stretching in the hardware closest to that #4 cylinder that could prevent that side from improper torquing.

also, why did you use a blockguard? are you intending on using forced induction on this motor? just curious. I've heard that blockguards are a viable option but devastating if improperly installed.