Engine Oiling Problem

[sleeperstang]

Hello All,

I posted the following in the classic mustangs thread, but since it's an engine issue I think I kind slide it in here and get a bigger response I hope.

My engine has approximately 3500 miles on it. At approximately 2100 miles I took it to Vegas from Los Angeles. It made the trip there fine, but on the way back my oil pressure gauge started jumping. I checked the oil and it was low.

Up to that point it had never showed any signs of oil consumption, no white smoke, no burnt oil smell, nothing. Not even on the way there. I filled the engine up and got home with no problems.

It's December, a month after the trip and I just added another quart of oil, but again I didn't see any symptoms of oil burning, until this morning. I was going up slope in third gear when the engine started to knock (rpm too low), so I shift into second and the engine revs up. I stepped on it so I could get the rpms up and as I look back I see white smoke. Soon after I get the smell of burning oil.

What course of action should I take here. What suggestions do you all have on the possible cause of this problem. By the way, I also have a lifter noise that does not go away. I tried adjusting the rockers last night and I got rid of nothing. As far as I can tell, it's my #5 Intake valve where the noise is coming from. Could this be the cause of the oil passing through? Enlighten me please!

[USMC302]

Have you recently switched to synthetic or a different type oil? Pull your plugs and check them for some oil build up or deposits. Your piston rings could be wearing down.

[sleeperstang]

Nope, I'm using 20W-50 oil per the engine shop, non-synthetic, and the engine only has 3500 miles on it. Is this normal ring wear???? Am I missing something.

[Ieatcamaros]

Just my opinion, but 20w50 is awful thick especially for a new engine. I also think that the heavy oil is the reason for the lifter acting up. I would change the oil and filter and see what the results are.

[1989GT]

Maybe it's just me but I don't think the motor should knock at low rpm under load. Not that I think it has anything to do with your oil consumption problem just pointing that out. It's a possiblity that you're sucking oil thru the intake from somewhere else. I'm assuming that you're running a carb set up. Which I don't know a whole lot about since I've been dealing with EFI much more than carb. But you might check your PCV valve and other things along that line.
-Ryan

[sleeperstang]

I think the knock is there because I have my vacuum advance too high, I've been meaning to adjust it back.

[XBAJBUSX]

are u using super or reg,maybe is the fuel

[sleeperstang]

I've been using regular fuel.

[XBAJBUSX]

haha i bet that you problem try switching to higher octane and if the problem don't go away there is soemthnik wrong,haha

[rwhite65]

ok, Oil burning should not be white.... I believe there is more then just one problem here, Definately pull the plugs.
When u check the oil...any odd odor? Bubbles?
Ryan

[sleeperstang]

I'm not entirely sure the smoke was white. It could have been grayish, but it was 6:45 am and I didn't have full light to clearly tell what it was. I am going to replace my lifter as soon as I can, I already adjusted my vacuum advance and the knocking is completely gone. I recently replaced it and only did 1 sweep on it's adjustment.

I know for a fact it isn't the exhaust cause I repaired a leak that it had and I checked that already. I'm going to try to locate a leak down tester so that I can test the sealing of the cylinders and go from there. I was hoping autozone would offer that tool under the loan program, but they don't.

[MEDIK418]

Had you changed the oil prior to the trip to Vegas? The reason I asked is several years ago I built a new engine for my 16 year old. After about a month he came home complaining that his oil pressure was low. After checking the oil, I found it about 2 and a half quarts low. We had changed the oil at 500 miles with no problem but he didn't check the oil after that thinking that a new engine would not use any oil. Wrong! By the time we found it in a too low condition, the damage was done. Time to rering and do another bottom end. Valuable lesson but expensive.

[PKRWUD]

Sounds to me like the rings weren't seated properly.

Before you change the lifter, check the oil supply. Pull the valve cover and the distributor, and crank the oil pump with a drill (just like when you primed it before initial start-up). Observe the rockers and make sure you get oil coming out of each one.

[sleeperstang]

If I pump the oil and it does flow through the rockers, what does that mean? Is there a difference between pumping the oil manually through the engine and taking the valve covers off and watching the oil pump while the engine is on?

I ask because if there isn't, then when I took off the valve covers there was oil going through all of the rockers and that would take care of that concern. Are you suggesting that a bad lifter would not pump oil? Are there exceptions to this?

Oh, medik, yeah I had changed the oil about 3 weeks before I left to Vegas.

[PKRWUD]

If oil is reaching the rocker at the same rate as the others, odds are that lifter is fine. It's not a rule, just what my experience has been. I prefer to test it manually, but that's just me.