supercow

brief history:

-tib was turbo'd for 30-40k then started smoking badly at about 100k on the motor. It had overheated terribly bad on a trip to houston so I attributed it to that.

-Replaced Head Gasket - still smoked

-I then replaced center section on turbo but it still smoked

-replaced motor with 60k motor and the smoking went away.

-I drove it for maybe 1000 miles last year.

-It's been parked all winter and I got it out, ran an autocross sunday and I drove it all this week.



That brings us to today. I went to the post office and it was just fine. Came out, started it up and it's been smoking like crazy since.... One of my employees is a honda guy and seems to think I might have lifted the head. I've been running 12psi on a t3 super 60 for a while now, with the old motor too. The tune is a little on the rich side.



In the stickied stock compression thread vs horsepower output it looks like the beta should handle that amount of boost/power easily. The weird thing is there was no loud bang, nothing that would make me think something bad happened. In fact the power output feels about the same. Just yesterday it was breaking tires loose in 3rd, no complaints at all. Still does it but looks like I'm spraying for bugs.



I'm baffled, what do you guys think? btw, this is definitely oil smoke.

Turboron_99

What is your PCV Setup?

Tom@MidnightMotoring

Have you done a compression test on all the cylinders? What's the compression across all four?

supercow

never did a compression test, did a leakdown before install and all were consistent.



PCV... well maybe there is something there. Well after inspecting the valve cover I noticed that both vents (before and after TB) are pretty much the same so I plugged the pcv and vented the other one to the catch can. I have a lot of fuel and gunk in there after just 50 miles or so of driving. Given there was an autocross in there though. Anyways the weird thing I noticed is apparently enough pressure is building up to force oil out around the oil cap. Its a fairly new one too from one of the group buys. There is oil residue all around the cap though. Even on the bottom of hood.



So maybe too much crankcase pressure? ... I noticed that tank vented the valve cover directly, maybe I should look into that.

Stocker

Test, then (as required) replace the PCV. Don't plug it. If you don't have a plugged Positive Crankcase Ventilation setup, and you have excessive crankcase pressure buildup, then you have bad rings or worse.



Edit: run the working PCV to the catch can!

supercow

stocker I don't think it's necessary to have the pcv at all at this point since the design of the pcv was to open only when needed and my goal is to vent as much as possible. I'll just put another barb fitting there and run it to the catch can as well.



I'm still thinking I'm getting way to much smoke for it to just be a ventilation issue though. The massive crankcase pressure might just be a sign of really worn out rings in this junkyard motor...



btw, here's what I got out of the catch can after about 50 miles or so, I drained it before driving those 50 miles.

Turboron_99

Okay, you have the same problem I had, I ended up just deleting the fitting in the intake elbow that would normally go to the intake throttle body elbow.



Then i took the PCV completely off the valve cover, tossed that b*tch into the trash, then replaced with just a straight through fitting, then ran both the Breather and the other Breather to a catch can, that was vented. I know have zero smoke. Yet, that did cause my valve guides to go bad at a really fast rate at which i ended up having to replace, bascially what you will find is a bad PCV and the breather wont let it enough air escape, and your boosting your head. Forcing oil thorugh your valve guides....



Atleast that was my outcome, you can even just undo the PCV valve and go for a test drive and see, oil wont go pissing every where there is a gaurd in the vavle cover to keep that from happing, even when it is removed!

Ryanator

sorry to hijack here... IN a turbo setup its best to remove the PCV and run both barbs to a vented catch can, I had my pcv go back into the motor and the other to my catch can...????



CHeers Ryan

supercow

I'll give that a try turboron. I'm smoking at idle though not just under boost.

03tibe85

Are you running the right size oil feed restrictor for your T3 turbo? Is your drain line below the oil level in the pan or kinked in any way? Typically smoking at idle can be attributed to excessive oil pressure going to the turbo. Check your turbine and compressor housing for oil residue.