I've got oil on the flange and lower bolts of my exhaust manifold... and the cabin of the car sometimes gets smokey when I boost hard.

My guess is its coming from where the head meets the block... and then when I boost, its squirting out on the ehxaust manifold and burning up from the heat and smoking ino the car (since I've got 2 unplugged holes in the firewall). Any other guesses/confirmations?

Here's the catch... I just changed the headgasket for this same problem... It was much wores last time... I had the read resurfaced ( 6 thousandths needed to flatten it out) and put on a new OEM gasket. Could the block be warped (I never checked it when I pulled the head... )? What else could my problem be?

 

Is it turboed? Did you check your oil lines?

 

Yes... it's a turbocharged b18c. The oil lines unfortunately are fine....

the oil seems to find a way aroudn my entire exhaust manifold flange... both underneath and up top, too

 

If it were leaking from the headgasket, it should only be on the underside of the exhaust manifold flange?? Maybe its just your valve cover...

 

the area around the valve cover gasket is dry... its really strange...

I was maybe thinking my dipstick.. because the rubber seal on the dipstick has missing chunks...

What about the PCV valve?

 

Change that dipstick first, that's easy.

The PCV valve is way on the other side of the engine - under the intake manifold.

How did you handle the entire PCV system when you put on the turbo? I don't know what's usually done on Hondas, but Saab turbos have check valves in the PCV lines so the turbo can't pressurize the crankcase. When those check valves start leaking you get all kinds of trouble like this.

 

can you elaborate on the check valves on saabs(ie, where are they in relation to the whole system)? I changed the PCV valve... the thought was that if the pressure can't release from there back into the IM, than the pressure will go to the weakest point.... HG maybe?

I have a valve-cover breather on the valve cover, then the rest of the PCV system is stock and in place.

 

On non-boosted cars the PCV hose which goes to the intake manifold normally sucks vapor out of the crankcase because the manifold has lower pressure. Ordinary PCV valves allow flow in both directions, but the manifold doesn't have any way to get pressurized above atmosphere. I've never checked a Honda one, though. Try to blow thru it into the crankcase. If it closes completely shut, then that's already acting as a check valve.

When the boost is up & the manifold pressure is above atmospheric; this would pressurize the crankcase, which is bad. So they put a check valve which closes when manifold pressure goes high. When that happens, any blowby is released thru the PCV inlet tube, which goes to the intake pipe upstream of the compressor. On your car thats the tube that went to the intake duct, you probably took it off to install your VC breather.

I suppose when you boost, you force air backwards thru your PCV valve & into your crankcase. Then your breather tries to allow that air out, but it also leaks out thru your dipstick tube & anywhere else. Dipstick tube is low enough to push some oil out with the air.

Get a check valve, like the one for the vacuum booster of the brakes. Install it in the PCV line in series with the PCV valve. Arrow pointing towards the intake manifold. I'm a little surprised that a turbo kit doesn't have something to deal with this.

 

I know that the PCV valve on a honda is a 1-way valve... it allows the oil vapours to go to the IM, but doesn't allow them back into the motor.

I think you're right about the dipstick... I'll try a new one... hopefully that's the main problem. That would really make my day. I don't want to pull the head again unless I'm going toss some nice rods and pistons in there... thanks for the advice