Head gasket? Rings?

[mountinpie]

Hi all. The A has recently started smoking, pretty badly and worse when I rev the engine. Also seem to be getting a lot of "moisture" out the exhaust. The black streams from around the head gasket are getting worse as well. I don't know a lot about motors, but eager to learn. My first thought is to check compression. Assuming I have a bad cylinder, where do I go from there? Any thoughts on where to start? Thanks!

[Mitch//pa]

Try retorquing the head first.. make sure ya oil is not milky

Then if thats a no go i would do a leak down test before pulling anything apart

[Tom Wesenberg]

I think it's the low tire pressure causing the problem.

Has the head been milled?
It looks thinner, and I see lots of thread above the head nuts.
As Mitch said, don't take anything apart without a thorough diagnosis first.
How long have you had the car, and did this problem just start?
Did it start after a high speed drive, after an overheat, run low on oil, etc. All the information you can add will help solve the problem.

[mountinpie]

LOL, thanks Tom...wheels and tires need work. I inherited the car with the motor, transmission, etc. already installed on the finished frame. Been working to get the fenders, body, doors, hood, etc. in alignment and just running the car every once in a while. For the past year, it didn't smoke and seemed to run good, but I've noticed the leakage around the head gasket getting worse. I retorqued the head several months ago, but it didn't solve the leakage problem. Last night I decided to run it a bit and couldn't miss the smoke. Is the moisture from the exhaust normal? Also, the oil is clean and clear (changed about a year ago) and not milky as Mitch recommended I check. Same with the antifreeze, clear and greenish orange (been flushing periodically).

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Most likely a head gasket will get you going.
Bill W.

[Tom Wesenberg]

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OK, the water is likely from the many short runs you gave the motor. I learned the hard way back in 1977 that the engine shouldn't be started unless it's run for at least 30 minutes to get the block and oil thoroughly heated to normal running temp.

For now I would retorqued the head and see if it weeps just setting.

[Jacksonlll]

Just put a new head gasket on after some inspection on the head and block. Don't pinch your fingers.

[katy]

the engine shouldn't be started unless it's run for at least 30 minutes to get the block and oil thoroughly heated to normal running temp.

Ditto

[Dick Steinkamp]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

OK, the water is likely from the many short runs you gave the motor.

Also, could the "smoke" be water vapor from all that water that condensed in the exhaust system from the short runs? Does the smoke go away after the engine and all components are thoroughly warmed up?

[mountinpie]

Seems I have more testing to do. I started the motor on Monday just prior to draining the radiator (trying to flush it good). As it sits, the radiator is empty and I cleaned the outside of the motor. I'll refill with water and run it for about 30 minutes to see what happens. I'll also note if the "smoke" is blue or white. I've also heard that by starting the car with the radiator cap off, any compression in the cooling system would push water out the top of the radiator. Any other thoughts/suggestions for my test run?

[Dick Steinkamp]

Originally Posted by mountinpie

I've also heard that by starting the car with the radiator cap off, any compression in the cooling system would push water out the top of the radiator.

I can't imagine a leaking gasket putting that much "compression" in the cooling system. Generally water overflowing from the radiator is due to overfilling the radiator. The water expands as the engine warms up and the rad overflows. Fill the rad only to the baffle plate.

As suggested, now would be a good time to do a compression and/or leak down test.

[SeaSlugs]

yup, compression/leak down should be #1 in any engine troubleshooting. make sur eits in 3rd with the parking brake set

yea radiator will self level, if compression has leaked into the water jacket you may see bubbles in the radiator, we did have one car with a blown head gasket to the water jacket that when doing a leak down test it geysered the water out of the radiator haha.

The head ended up being slightly warped around cyl #4 causing a poor seal.

fill the radiator with water and do a leak down test - anything else you do will just be wasting time...

[Chuck Sea/Tac]

You can fill the radiator over full so you can see the water, then run at a fast idle and watch for bubbles. Then you know there's a compression leak.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by Chuck Sea/Tac

You can fill the radiator over full so you can see the water, then run at a fast idle and watch for bubbles. Then you know there's a compression leak.

And it's even easier to detect if you remove the fan belt so the coolant stays calm. Then snap the throttle open several times, and any compression leaks should show as bubbles in the radiator neck.

[mountinpie]

A quick update, I pulled the car outside on Saturday and ran it for about 40 minutes with no smoke/steam except a little puff when I hit the throttle good. On Sunday, I removed the plugs and checked compression with the motor cold and throttle closed. The readings were 40, 45, 42 and 40. On Monday, I ran it for a few minutes get it warm, removed the plugs, opened the throttle and checked compression again. I got 47, 51, 49 & 49 psi. Seems way low, should I be concerned? Keep in mind that this car hasn't been driven yet so I haven't been able to run it with a load.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Sounds a bit low, but my car has good power with 50 PSI on each cylinder on my well used engine.