Well yesterday I noticed whiteish smoke coming from underneath my hood so I poped the hood and just thought that it was my cat leaking, so today I open my hood right after I started my car and the smoke was coming from my breather filter. What could this be?

 

I think it's blow-by. When the car idles, the PCV valve closes, so when there is excess pressure in the engine it's forced out the breather tube. The white smoke can be because of synthetic oil, if you are using that.

 

Well I am using synthetic oil. But I just did a compression test and it went like this
#4 195
#3 205
#2 75
#4 150

Hmm problem....I think so!

 

time for a rebuild!

 

Yea im trying to figure out how im going to do this....
Im either gunna sell the turbo kit and pay off my CC and go N/A for a while then go turbo again. Or just put more money on the CC and rebuild. I guess Ill know in a few days.

 

Rebuild, they are a good learning experiance and the seem to be the best thing to do.

Lee

 

What happens when there is blow by?

 

Excessive oil burning
bad emmisions
smells like burnt oil
need for more frequnt oil changes

 

ouch...

 

What can cause it? (blow by)

 

1. Bad rings ringlands, or pistons.
2. bad pcv valve
3. dirty air filter
4. oil too thin
5. too much oil
6. blockage in the exhaust



[Modified by MiraiZ, 8:00 PM 11/9/2002]

 

Do you think a blown head gasket can cause the blow by?

 

you can blow a head gasket and get white looking smoke out of the breather. If you blew the gasket which covers an oil port it will do that. I had the same white looking smoke from my breather filter too. My compression was under 50 in each cylinder. I broke all my ring lands!!!!!!!!!!! oops!!

 

You broke all your ringlands due to that? So if you break your ringlands, how do you fix that? Pistons or rings? Or are ringlands the same as rings? Thanks.

 

no dude, I broke my ring lands boosting my b16 as hard as it would go. The white looking smoke from my breather was caused from that. To really know if you blew a head gasket or cracked ring lands. you need to pull the head and take a peak at the head gaket! I do have one question. Were you running the car really hard right before it happened?

 

Yes I was running it hard. So are ringlands different from rings? What are they exactly. What did you do exactly when you had the blow by?

 

Do the easy repair first...
1.change PCV (less than $10)
2.change oil and filter (use heavier weight)
3. make sure that is not your compressor.
4. change air filter

if this doesn't help; then do the hard stuff

 

he's right do the small stuff first. If your lucky you may have only blown the head gasket. check the gasket for scaring and change it. Then check your compression again. If it still smokes from the breather and or the oil fill cap when its off you need to pop the pistons out and check them. The ring lands are part of the piston. If they are cracked then the rings will not seat right and pressure from the base and oil will blow by the oil and compression rings causing white looking smoke and a rough idle. In my case I just put new pistons, rings, bearings.

 

What kind of pistons, rings and rods? How much labour was put into it? $$$

 

Well guys, I pulled the head and luckly it was just a blown head gasket.
Here is a pic.



I noticed one the head when I took it off, it had liek a couple nicks where is appeared the oil was getting into the coolant etc. I should have this milled correct. Ill post a pic tomarrow morning.

I would also like to thank stan for pointing me in the right direction for taking the head off. It was a god learning experiance also (first time getting into an engine). As was putting the turbo kit on.



[Modified by BVM, 12:41 AM 11/14/2002]

 

i put my money on your ringlands being busted. Seen 2 motors do that. the ringlands just fall out when you pull the piston/rod out of the block.