<VV> Smoking Engine

[kevin nash]

> 
> 
> Message: 4
> Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2010 15:56:20 -0600
> From: Robert Paul <barnaby at shaw.ca>
> Subject: Re: <VV> Smoking engine
> To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
> Message-ID: <d030b84097d6b.4c9f6d24 at shaw.ca>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> 
> Hi folks just want to get a quick opinion. Just took my Corvair out for drive on a sunny day. I am still breaking in a re-built engine ( about 700miles) The right side has had a little smoke from time to time on a cold start, I put that down to running a little rich. The engine runs quiet and very smooth. I head a loud cough and I saw a large cloud of blue smoke behine me. The engine made no more sound, still runs smooth and good eceleration but it is blowing smoke out the right side. Is it rings? Valve? Any guess? Thanks a bunch. Robert Paul
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> 
Robert-
I'm betting that your engine went back together with total seal piston rings- correct? if so, the best thing that you can do is take your car on a good long trip
somewhere- like 1500 miles or so. The smoking will stop! In Clarks catalog they describe total seal piston rings as " some people swear by them, other
people swear at them!" and it is because of problems like you are having that cause people to swear at them! it can take a very long time for them to seat up correctly. If you are not using total seal rings, then the cause of the smoking is probably that the gaps on the rings somehow lost their stagger, causing the oil to go past through the gaps. It is not unusual for a bit of smoke to appear from time to time on a fresh engine- if it were mine and it was doing that, I wouldnt worry too much about it for another 700 miles. If it continues or gets worse, worry about it then, not now. Make sure to let that thing rev once in a while (helps with ring seating) and keep the oil clean, it will
settle down, assuming that the problem is ring seating. If the valve stem guides were worked on when the engine was apart, your problem is ring seating,
but if the guides on the heads were not looked at, then I'm afraid that you have a few worn valve guides, and that is the source of the smoke.
Kevin Nash