My Truck Every Time I Crank It Exhaust Smoke Comes Out, Its Not A Diesel, But Its A Old Chevy 87 Pickup, Help
Posted in Exhaust and Mufflers | Asked on Jul 10, 2010
Someone told me that it may be the valve covers, but can someone tell me if that could be the problem?
There are 6 Answers
they are bad about stopping up inside the valve cover on top of the heads in the back there is holes they get dirty and let the oil sit on top of the motor or it let it drain into place where it shouldn’t…. either that or its shot
It’s most likely the valve stem oil seals. When these fail they allow oil to drain into the cylinders where it gets burnt off during cranking or starting, causing smoke. It’s not a big job and you could ignore but common sense says it using more oil than it should and costing YOU money as a result. Take it to a garage if you’re not confident about removing a cylinder head. Hope this helps.
If the smoke comes out the exhaust it is not the valve covers. If a lot of miles on odometer then it could be worn piston rings or valve guides or both. do you burn a lot of oil like a quart every 1,000 miles or less? To prove do a compression test.
not the valve covers but the valve guide seals or even giudes. they r rubber or neoprene seals that go around the valve stems 2 keep the oil from spilling out. they dru up when not running and when u first start it a puff of smoke comes out.
do i suggest replacing them, prolly not. see, this is an ’87, and it has so many gaskets and seals that it would b akin 2 trying 2 sandbag a waterfront…u fix these seals and the oil finds another place 2 come out, u fix that and it finds another.
u have 2 options: leave it like it is and just keep a closer eye on the oil level or rebuild/replace the whole engine.
It’s nothing to do with the valve covers. It’s time to learn how to do a compression check. The gauge is cheap.
If it smokes the worst on startup, it’s not valve seals.
Chances are, it’s just a worn out engine. On a truck that old, it usually means retirement time. If you start replacing seals and gaskets you’ll be pouring money into that thing forever.
Go to; http://www.bowtieguy.proboards33.com/index.cgi it is a ’73 to ’87 chevy truck forum, ask in there and tell ‘em, Bigtendude sent ya.