[TimZappaEckert]

The other day I was driving the 72 E body (360/904 with 3.55 suregrip) down the highway. At about 60 mph I decided to drop it into 2 gear and romp on it. After about 10 seconds I noticed SIGNIFICANT blue oil smoke coming out of the TTI exhaust pipes. I got out of the carb but kept driving; thinking... OH SH** I must have broke a piston ring. But since then, with NO real hard driving I do not see any blue oil smoke.

My theory is that I pumped lots of oil into the valve cover and the oil reached a level where it could get to the valve stems and into the cylinders.

Is this a reasonable theory? Is this a common probblem and is there an easy way to help the oil drain back down to the pan??

Thanks, Tim Eckert

[dave-r]

Is it possible that you have a little to much oil in?

Also which way around have you got the PCV system hooked up?

Oil from the crank tends to be thrown up to the pasenger side cylinder head. If you have the PCV valve on that side oil thrown up will be sucked into the carb. Better to have the vave on the drives side and the breather on the passenger side.

Another help will be a windage tray in the sump. This restricts the amount of oil wrapped around the crank in a vortex and keeps more in the sump where you want it.

[Christer]

What if the car is overcarburated and gives the engine more air/fuel-mixture than it can handle? Can carburator problems cause smoke that looks like burnt oil? (or if your caburator needs some tuning?) Just a suggestion. I am not an expert in this field.

[spitfire9137]

What if the car is overcarburated and gives the engine more air/fuel-mixture than it can handle? Can carburator problems cause smoke that looks like burnt oil? (or if your caburator needs some tuning?) Just a suggestion. I am not an expert in this field.

Pretty sure the smoke wont be blue if its just too much gas.

[fbernard]

What if the car is overcarburated and gives the engine more air/fuel-mixture than it can handle? Can carburator problems cause smoke that looks like burnt oil? (or if your caburator needs some tuning?) Just a suggestion. I am not an expert in this field.

Pretty sure the smoke wont be blue if its just too much gas.

Too much gas : black, or, in some cases, white (way too much gas).
Coolant leak (head gasket) : white. Can't mistake the smell, either.
Oil leak (rings, valve stem seals) : blue

and if it's purple, you shouldn't be driving!

[Christer]

What if the car is overcarburated and gives the engine more air/fuel-mixture than it can handle? Can carburator problems cause smoke that looks like burnt oil? (or if your caburator needs some tuning?) Just a suggestion. I am not an expert in this field.

Pretty sure the smoke wont be blue if its just too much gas.

Too much gas : black, or, in some cases, white (way too much gas).
Coolant leak (head gasket) : white. Can't mistake the smell, either.
Oil leak (rings, valve stem seals) : blue

and if it's purple, you shouldn't be driving!

Thanks! Intresting info.

[neuralyser]

I need to leave a bit of a thank-you for Dave here.
Since my engine rebuild over a year ago I have been going through oil at the rate of about a pint per 100 miles with no obvious answers as to why, even well after the running in period and despite putting some very thick semi synth race oil in, thinking that it may be getting past the rings.
After reading the comment about keeping the vent tube on the offside rather than the nearside I went out and swapped my valve covers over without much real hope that it would make any huge difference, but I've just done 300 miles without using virtually any oil at all, so a big thumbs up there..

[dave-r]

Good to hear that.

Be carefull with the "offside/nearside" thing though. We drive on the other side of the road to most people here.