Oil burning... shatty

[98spydert]

So my car was fine the whole day and night until we went to Denny's at abour 1:30am. Ate, came back out, started the car and let it idle to warm up while I played with Shanes SAFC. When I walked back to my car I noticed some nasty smoke that was part blue/grey and that awful smell of oil burning up. Drove it home back to YC and I could still smell it every time I stopped at a stop light and could see the smoke in my rear view mirror when head lights were behind me.

Pulled the plugs and oil was on the threads on 3 ouf of 4 but the electrodes all looked perfect as far as color and the piston tops are still nice and clean. There didn't seem to be any oil besides maybe a drop or two coming from the spark plug hole gaskets for the valve cover. Did a compression test today and it read 191 190 187 190 WOT cranking. I just had the head rebuilt 2000 miles ago including new valve seals when I changed out my dead head gasket. Just changed the oil/filter about 300 miles ago. Haven't modified or changed my tune in a long time besides little stuff like mounts and clutch line. No oil in coolant, no coolant in oil.

I didn't even beat on my car at all last night so I'm not sure what happened here. Any ideas?

I'm positive this is related to two things. First, two other Spyders died that night so I was jinxed. Second, I told someone there that "I never have stupid DSM problems that everyone always complains about" so I jinxed myself again... :) I need to keep quite lol

[98spydert]

A litte more info. Car runs, idles, and boosts perfectly fine like it always has. Oil level hasn't seemed to drop.

I backed off the boost last week and I've only been running like 17psi with a fairly rich mixture. Knock gauge hasn't picked up knock at all that I can remember for the last couple weeks.


Temp gauge stays put while accelerating, while boosting, while idling, cruising, anything. No heating issues what so ever. Oil pressure reads fine and consistant. No wierd noises... ok that's all.

[Shane916]

How old are the spark plug gromets and valve cover gasket? Do you have a crack in the head?

[98spydert]

Just consider everyhing related to the head less than 2000 miles old. All gaskets, all seals. Everything.

I think a crack in the head would bring a lot more hell than a little burning oil. No oil/coolant mixture. No over heating. No other problems that would lead me to believe it's a head gasket, head, anything like that.

Only thing I can think of is the rings are bad and the oil in the combution changer is giving me that "wet test" effect and I'm getting good compression readings. But when looking down there, I don't see any excess oil in there or buld up on the pistons.

Edit: The only sure thing I can think of is the spark plug hole groumets though. My stupid valve cover gasket has always leaked so I'm sure they're leaking a little too. Just seemed like a lot of smoke and smell for a little leak like that and not much evidence in the spark plug holes besides the threads.

[ZenkaiRacerDsM]

Mine leaves a smoke trail all the time. Isnt that normal for DSMs? Haha j/k

[peregrine]

sounds like your turbo might be going. pull an intercooler pipe and see if theres oil in it.

[98spydert]

I just had a pipe off on thursday and there was no sign of oil, I'll check again though. Spool up is as good as ever, no wierd noises, no shaft play as of last thursday. I hope it's not the turbo, it's less than 5k old.

[98spydert]

Double checked the lower intercooler pipe, bone dry, no oil coming from the turbo.

[Jon]

worst case scenario you can give it to me so I can put my GSX parts in it :lol:

So, plugs look good, head's virtually brand new, compressions good, no oil in the intercooler or turbo.... but you're burning oil? Are you sure that it's burning it *IN* the motor? Have you checked for external leaks dripping onto the pipe? could also be that the oil is dumping into the exhaust side of the turbo (turbine instead of compressor?)

[98spydert]

Blue smoke is coming out of the actual exhaust, not from under the car or anything. I can't even smell it from the front of the car unless the wind blows it back at me. And if oil was dumping into the hot side of the turbo, it would never reach the spark plug threads.

[Jon]

hmm.... well, I would double check them plugs again, cause it's gotta be burning it... you said you had everything done on the head... including valve guides? Just something I thought of, cause when the valves close you would have good compression, but the guides would let in oil...

[blinded]

Blue smoke is coming out of the actual exhaust, not from under the car or anything. I can't even smell it from the front of the car unless the wind blows it back at me. And if oil was dumping into the hot side of the turbo, it would never reach the spark plug threads.

I'd still drop the downpipe for peace of mind.

[98spydert]

What good would dropping the down pipe do?

[1BADTSi]

this is how i found out my turbo was leaking a little, take the mani bolts out, disconnect the feedline, and turn it upside down with the intake and o2 housing off, then youll know if its leaking, this test will at least prove your turbo isnt leaking

[peregrine]

could be valve stem seals too.do this, let it idle for about 5 minutes then gun the shit out of it. if it smokes its valve stem seals. not a big deal but a pain in the ass.

[blinded]

What good would dropping the down pipe do?
Since it doesn't sound like oil is in the intake tract or even in the combustion chamber, I would also suspect that the turbo's puking oil into the turbine housing. If this is the case, the oil might appear to be "smoke" if passing all the way through the exhaust, but if you drop the downpipe and start and free-rev the car, you'll probably see oil, not oily smoke.

The oil on your spark plug threads would merely be a coincidence in this case.

I hope you don't like your neighbors if you do this test though.

[ZenkaiRacerDsM]

I agree with the oil on the threads being a coincidence. How will the oil seep past the threads from the top? Ive had my sparkplug holes filled with oil when my valve cover had a huge ass crack in it and it never seeped past the plugs.

[98spydert]

I don't buy coincidence but maybe Im in denial:). Engine has never burned oil and has never had oil on the plugs. Now the engine burns oil and has oil on 3 out of 4 plugs. Could be a coincidence but I've got a completly rebuilt head, new head gasket, new turbo, compression is near perfect and the engine runs and pulls as good as ever.

I'm gonna get new spark plug gromets (OEM this time, no ghey Mapco parts) and go with that idea. A guy I talked to had the same problem, leaking oil from the gromets seeping slowly past the plugs and kicking some blue smoke and was fixed with new gromets so that's why I know it could happen (although you're right, it doesn't make sense that oil could seep past the plugs when they're tourqed down properly) We'll see...

[peregrine]

you say the head is freshly rebuilt. ive run into the problem before that when the valve guides get old they tear up the valve stem and when new valve stem seals are put on they leak. you need to consider this. talk to the guy who did your head and see if he cleaned up the valve stems.

[98spydert]

I'll go talk to him. Two different shops said the guides were fine and I thought they were fine but who knows.

[98spydert]

Can the stem seals be replaced with the head on the car?

[Jon]

the valve guide seals should be able to be replaced on the car, the valve guides theselves however would require the head to be removed.

[peregrine]

Can the stem seals be replaced with the head on the car?yeah you just need to fill the cylinders with air.

[ZenkaiRacerDsM]

And if you come across a valve spring compressor that works with the head on the car.... I may need to use it too if my smoking doesnt stop once I swap my turbo.