So yesterday I ran seafoam through the carb and things wear good. This morning I started up and white smoke went EVERYWHERE! It later started to calm down and now it blows just a very minimal amount of white smoke from one of the tailpipes. Also, it is dripping oil very very slowly from the tailpipe? WTF?
Just keep driving it. The smoke will go away. White smoke everywhere is noramal. If you are seriously dripping _engine oil_ out the tailpipe, you had a problem before the Seafoam treatment. Check your crankcase oil often and see if that level is changing. Might not be engine oil that comming out the tailpipe. Could be just condensate with nasty stuff the Seafoam "broke loose". It does worry me that it is from one side however. Good luck, ElectraJim
You need to perform a leak-down test to find where you have oil control problems. That is the only correct way to know for sure. You may need a valve job, new piston rings, or both and a rebuild. You may just drive it "as is". Just don't run OUT of oil. I would think oil would burn up by the time it would reach the tailpipe. Whats the history of this motor? ElectraJim
i don't know what the seafoam stuff is , but i think if it is white smoke not blue it could be burning trans fluid , dis. connect the vacuum pod line that runs up to the motor and see if it stops smoking.
Seafoam stuff http://www.seafoamsales.com/motorTuneUp.htm Excellent idea on checking the vacuum modulator leaking from the transmission. Again, check all fluid levels, monitor closely. Check spark plugs. Are any "oil fouled"? ElectraJim
Well over the last fews days i have noticed some things. White smoke is visible at startup, but only stays visible for about 30 seconds. Smoke smells like rubber, but is def. coming from one exhaust pipe HELP!
How many miles / how old is the engine you treated? This sounds like old original crusty valve stem seals to me which a Seafoam treatment will bring to light as it washes away the crap that barely sealed the valves prior. Now nice and clean, oil leakes by those old hard crusty valve stem stem seals while the engine is off and when you start it up , it burns the oil off. Sea Foam works wonders, but, on older engines, caution needs to be taken on a few fronts. As it celaned the gunkl off the valve stem(s) and seals, it also breaks all the hard carbon gunk away fromt eh engine which built up over umpteen years, wreacking havock on the oil filter, crap in the pan and floating around in general. I saw the previous thread on Seafoam and was amazed at the fact no body talked about this aspect. I have been a Seafoam user for 20 years and swear by it; as with anything, you gotta know WTF before doing it. Use it wisely, from the onset of new / low mile well maintained engine, and it is great. Add it to old tired engines, and live with the results!
Are there any parts I can replace to fix this problem? I mean, if it has a leak in the valve stem seals, how can I fix that? I am trying to avoid having an engine shop work on my 350 because of the high $$$ they charge. Are the valve stem seals part of the Head? Can I just replace the head or somethien else?
Clam down its an easy fix! All you need are a few wrenches, valve cover gaskets and a valve spring compressor. The valvespring compressor can usually be borrowed or rented from a shop (a deposit helps...). All you need to do is remove the valvecovers, unbolt the rocker arm assemblies, compress the valvesprings, remove the retainers, remove the springs, remove the old valve stem seals, put the new ones in and put back together. Make sure you clean up both thehead sealing surface and the valvecover itselft and dont overtighten the valvecover bolts. I think TA lists the torque specs for all the bolts, if not PM me for them. 20 min job.
phew! ok thanks ill give it a shot would you mind directing me to a link or showing me where I can find detailed instructions on how to do this
Make sure that is the problem before tearing into it. A usual symptom of worn out valve stem seals is what you first described. Have you noticed that when you start it up that it pukes out that black suity stuff maybe leaving a black patch on the ground under the tail pipe(s) if they point downward? The smoke is not pure white but greyish white? Pure white may also indicate water leaking into the cyllinder. If you determine you need to replace valve stem seals, you also should keep the valve from slipping down when you remove the keepers; use old rope method which or best bet is to remove the spark plugs, use an air compressor with hose and correct fitting that screws into the spark plug hole and charge up the cyllinder with air before removing the valve springs and keepers; that should keep the valve up (seated) unless the seat and valve face are not in good condition. If you don't do this, it can be a very long job as the valve will want to keep falling down and getting the keepers back on is a BEYATCH! Georges site shows the process to replcae a valve spring which is exactly what you will do except take it one step further by replacing the seals, which one of the photos points to (5th one) http://www.buickperformance.com/ValveSpringChange.htm
will replacing the valve stem seals fix the white smoke problem? There is only a very minute amount of oil leaking out; its the white smoke that bothers me. It is only at startup and last for just a few seconds. But in the morning after sitting overnight, it will last about 30-60 seconds and sometimes blows smoke very violently. Will replacing the valve stem seals also cure the white smoke problem, or is that probrably a head gasket?
How long does the white smoke last? It sounds like the main problem is your leaky valve stem seals but you may also have a head gasket leaking as well. I tend to get these old motors running, make sure they work ok, take note of any problems and then take em out and re-gasket the whole motor from top to bottom. No harm in just doing the valve stem seals for now but you might as well order a full gasket kit since you'll need em at some point. Thanks for the link Mark, good contribution and details.
the white smoke shots out of one exhaust pipe for about 30-60 seconds after startup in the morning. Throughout the day, the white smoke only shots out at startup for about 2 or 3 seconds and is somtimes visible at idle when at a red light.
same thing happend to my 80,000 mile 350. white-grey smoke for a few seconds after start up and then it cleared up. i didnt use seafoam or anything. it was the valve stem seals.
