What did I break?

SaturdaysGS

TCG Elite Member
Jul 15, 2007
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Chicago (Southside)
Car started running like shit one day, so I used my Bluetooth module and noticed my O2 sensor died, replaced the sensor. While I had the car running I noticed that I'm getting a lot of white smoke out of the oil breather (where my oil cap would be, if I wasn't running a breather. Seems to puff like a cylinder lost compression and it's getting to the crankcase. Don't seem to be losing any coolant or getting a mix of coolant oil.

Also think I have an alternator that can't keep up (when the high speed fans kick on the cars idle dips down and the voltage drops) or maybe a ground that is shitty?

Did I fry the rings? Seems like it's cylinder number 6 (per the misfire code that JUST popped up)
 

Turbocharged400sbc

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Jun 16, 2007
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hangover park IL
A bad sensor really f***** with fueling but aside from managing to run really rich and wash down the cylinder walls I could only think of one of your injectors possibly streaming and killing the ring seal that way.
A new O2 sensor with it reading proper stoichiometric I could imagine it would start better and faster.
The Rings you might have gotten worse but you may just be stuck with it at this point unless it is a clogged fuel injector that is not misting properly
 

SaturdaysGS

TCG Elite Member
Jul 15, 2007
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Chicago (Southside)
A bad sensor really f***** with fueling but aside from managing to run really rich and wash down the cylinder walls I could only think of one of your injectors possibly streaming and killing the ring seal that way.
A new O2 sensor with it reading proper stoichiometric I could imagine it would start better and faster.
The Rings you might have gotten worse but you may just be stuck with it at this point unless it is a clogged fuel injector that is not misting properly



Hmm anything to check or try? Or just run it and see what happens?
 

P40E

TCG Elite Member
Nov 4, 2012
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What did the sensor look like when you pulled it ? Are you getting smoke out the radiator ?

Blown rings will cause black smoke out exhaust. And smoke in the crankcase , but it's usually not white. Grey ish maybe .

If you think its one bad piston making the car run like shit , pull a spark plug wire till you find the hole that doesn't change idle . Then look at the spark plug . Or do a compression test on all .
 

SaturdaysGS

TCG Elite Member
Jul 15, 2007
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Chicago (Southside)
What did the sensor look like when you pulled it ? Are you getting smoke out the radiator ?

Blown rings will cause black smoke out exhaust. And smoke in the crankcase , but it's usually not white. Grey ish maybe .

If you think its one bad piston making the car run like shit , pull a spark plug wire till you find the hole that doesn't change idle . Then look at the spark plug . Or do a compression test on all .



Sensor was whiteish. This car seems to eat these things for some reason. I only use denso too. I don't know about smoke out the radiator. But no smoke out the over flow.

I'll try to take a video later. Smoke seems white to me.

The car runs pretty fine so long as my idle doesn't dip down when I go to stop at a red light, then the alternator only charges about 12 volts and it idles like shit (and rich) until I bring the idle up a couple hundred rpm. I ordered an alternator, hope that's my problem that it just can't put out at idle. Was a autozone alternator from 3 years ago.

Is it possible I have a head gasket that's messed up but not leaking coolant? I am running about 14/15 psi on a stock compression stock gasket L36.
 

Rent Free

TCG Elite Member
Jan 26, 2015
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Nowheresville North Dakota
The car runs pretty fine so long as my idle doesn't dip down when I go to stop at a red light, then the alternator only charges about 12 volts and it idles like shit (and rich) until I bring the idle up a couple hundred rpm. I ordered an alternator, hope that's my problem that it just can't put out at idle. Was a autozone alternator from 3 years ago.

that does sound like an alt. runs fine besides low rpm or idle makes me think a damn MAF dont know why but my s1x e85 car used to eat those.
 

SaturdaysGS

TCG Elite Member
Jul 15, 2007
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Chicago (Southside)
Does your cooling system build pressure before the engines even warmed up?



How would I know? The engine warms up pretty quickly. In the overflow I see an air bubble every few seconds when it's up to temp and running. But the overflow has a vent..

If I wasn't leaving a dusting of smoke randomly when driving I wouldn't much care since the car runs decently.
 

SaturdaysGS

TCG Elite Member
Jul 15, 2007
4,982
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Chicago (Southside)
Definitely don't wanna do that. Motor seems strong considering.

James you wanna tear into it? lol I don't really wanna pay a shop since it'll be a ridiculous amount especially since they might say my shit isn't stock so they really don't wanna do it.

Idk if a guy I used to work with would be interested, now that it's getting colder out and I'm not sure his garage is heated.
 

Turbocharged400sbc

3800 & 4T80E > ALL
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Jun 16, 2007
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hangover park IL
Definitely don't wanna do that. Motor seems strong considering.

James you wanna tear into it? lol I don't really wanna pay a shop since it'll be a ridiculous amount especially since they might say my shit isn't stock so they really don't wanna do it.

Idk if a guy I used to work with would be interested, now that it's getting colder out and I'm not sure his garage is heated.

best I could suggest is my buddy JR up at Harry's on rand, he's always looking for racecar $ for the nova.

if you narrow it down to a bank, you can just do the one and yank the other exh manifold to Rtq the studs. or are you oe bolts?

Maybe you can zip tie it, 10sec style.

I chuckled

He has like 1 problem but the car is fine, why the FUCK should he care? Drive it, fuck looking at it.

what in the hell is wrong with you?

he's pushing combustion gasses, he can save himself a lot of $ and headache.

its like I hardly know you anymore
 
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