gonna whine for awhile. Please say something encouraging.

[big_al_71]

sounds like a simple fix, I would go out and buy another engine and if I cant do it have someone do it for me pay a little and remember these trucks appreciate they dont depreciate.
good luck it is just one little bump on the road to hapiness!!

[CC69Rat]

Sounds like valve seals to me. Which is not a big deal to repair but, you either need the tools to keep the valves from dropping or pull the head on that side. When you mentioned oil coming out of the spark plug hole that's what makes me think the seals might be the culprit.

http://www.e36-tech.com/phpBB3//view...hp?f=36&t=4609

Yes, .. I'm a BMW nut too.

If it is the valve seal (could just be one) they just get dry and brittle / cracked / worn on that valve and let little drops of oil drip down on top of the piston as the engine cools. that's why when you start your truck in the mornings, the smoke comes out the tailpipe. Usually a good indication of either a seal or piston ring issue is smoke from one side of the exhaust (unless you have single exhaust) If it's duals .. it will smoke from one side.

In your case, I would look at the seals first. One very good thing is the 305s had the old 882 casting cylinder heads on them which are pretty decent to use on a 350. I had some on a 406 one time that was worked pretty well in the bottom end and they seemed really good for a street motor.

A complete valve job on the 305 wouldn't be that expensive. It's a half day job. Not a big deal atall.

Don't worry about it man .. it's just an old truck. They leak! Mine does ..

[RenoKeene]

Lots of smart folks with good advice here. First, your truck has huge potential so don't get discouraged, many people would trade places with you just to have a sweet short fleet. Whatever the fix is it will be well worth the money so don't sweat spending the cash to make it right. Even if you have to save up for a while.
As far as the wife goes....your truck has a bed, use it.
Good luck brother and welcome to the dirty side of our hobby. You will be a better man for it.

[Dunenutt]

It doesn't sound like valve seals. I believe he it saying that the smoke is coming off of the header, not from the exhaust pipe.

If it is getting on the header at the spark plug area, it has to be the rocker cover, or something right around that area. There is not alot of possibilities in that area.

Just because there is gunk in the rocker cover, does not mean it's time for a new motor.

Where's the pics?

[dhughins]

I meant it smoke out the passengers exhaust when I start the truck. A lot of bluish/white smoke. I've read before that it could be seals.

then it also smokes from the oil leak on the passengers side when i drive it.

I really am thankful for all the advice ya'll. ya'll gave me some ideas i hadn't thought of yet.

about the wife she would most likely understand, and we even have some money right now, but when i bought the truck (which she encouraged me to do) she said she hoped it wasn't a money pit. she meant any old vehicle not this specific one.

[CC69Rat]

.. he said (or at least I thought I read) it's coming out of the spark plug hole.

It could be the valve cover, absolutely but I'm thinking that wouldn't cause the blue smoke out the tailpipe (?) Combination of both maybe? ..

Yeah, pics would help


If you pull that spark plug out after the truck has sat for a while, does it have oil on it?

[dhughins]

here are some pics. the oil runs down on the starter as you can see. and it also runs down on the 2 crossmembers near the front of the truck( i assume this is because the front is lower than the rear). i had cleaned off all of this when i changed the valve cover gasket and changed the oil last weekend. this is from driving it about 25 miles.





on the starter


i honestly can't tell if there is any new oil above where the headers attach. if so then that would still be a valve cover leak.


look below the fuel pump on the crossmember

[robnolimit]

Here's some "'ol school" advice, don't scream at me too much for this. Does it have chrome valve covers? Looks like it from the picts - if so, throw them away, use stockers or cast aluminum, chrome covers always leak. Time to clean the inside of the engine. (here's the cringe part) It's probably due for an oil change, but hold on a moment. Pour in a quart of ATF and start it up. Let it idle until warm, 15 - 20 min. them drive it for 40 or 50 miles easy, just cruise it around. Back at home, don't shut it off. Let it idle in the grass, - no stains on the driveway. Get a small water bottle, 12 or 16 oz, filed with water. Pull the air cleaner off and hold the RPM at appx 2000. Put your thumb over the bottle opening and drip water into the carb, a steady really light stream of drops is best, not enough to slow the engine more than 100 or 200 RPM. It has a dual plane intake so you have to do both sides of the carb, two bottles each. Put the air cleaner back on and drive another 20 - 30 miles. Now change the oil while its hot. Spray down the engine with some Gunk or other cleaner, that will make it easier to find the leak. It is most likely a valve cover or the intake manifold. Cleaning the inside of the engine will free up the rings, pistons and valves to work properly. If it continues to smoke, and it might, you can live with it a while if the leaks stop. Don't loose heart, disk brakes was a good move for safety. Any car/truck requires a payment, to the dealer or the parts store, or in hours. Remember, "Better to spend it on a car, than spend it in a bar".



Oops, just saw the last picts, no chrome VC - thats one off the list.

[dhughins]

i said it's in the area of the spark plug, not sure it if coming out there or not?
i'll take the plug out next and look at it.

[CC69Rat]

Not thinking seals now .. Yikes.

I might replace the fuel line too. Does it run rough?

[dhughins]

the valve covers and the entire engine are painted black. the camera flash makes the valve cover look chrome.

[dhughins]

it doesn't run rough just stumbles off idle and a little rich. I believe the stumble is from the quadrajet needing rebuild.

[dhughins]

here is some more pics

Attachment 941796

Attachment 941797

Attachment 941798

Attachment 941799

Attachment 941800

[CC69Rat]

Seal on the front of the oil pan maybe (?) Under the timing cover where it meets the oil pan. It looks like maybe the oil is leaking there and when it gets into the fan it just sprays everywhere. There is a lot of oil build up on the trans cooler lines, the bottom side if the lower radiator hose, etc. From there as you drive it, .. it just blows back on to other stuff.

Smoke from the tailpipe still kinda concerns me. Doe the smoke go away after about a minute? Remember - one drop of oil on the piston = a whole bunch of smoke.

I'm seeing oil in the lower part of the fan shroud too .. I think I'd pull it out. You can get one of the 260hp GMPP crate motors for $1800 or so (?) .. if that's an option. Or just search around and find a good 350 to swap into it.

[Belairbob]

Hows the PCV? If it is stopped up preasure building up in the engine
can produce oil leaks.

[davepl]

If this is your only vehicle, then you need a quick fix. But if its a project truck you can afford not to have running for a couple of weeks, relish the challenge. Pull the motor, install a gasket set to fix the leaks (and if needed, fix whatever else needs doing), detail the engine compartment, paint the engine, put 'er back in.

You'll wind up with a nice running, nice looking, reliable unit that you can take pride in and know you did it yourself.

You'll make mistakes along the way (I've been doing it 30 years, still haven't made them all). But each one makes you smarter.

After all, no one buys a 40 year old vehicle just for cheap reliable transportation. That's what they make Toyotas for.

I've had cheap cars, expensive cars, fast cars and slow cars, but the most enjoyable are the ones I knew were "right" and done myself. And you can't buy that! So enjoy.

[ole dollor]

dhughins: look between the fuel pump and timing cover on the front of the motor and see if the two holes are open, no bolts in them, if so one need a short bolt in it, it looks like in your pic, that you also have a lot of oil out front also.....one hole goes into the motor to make it easier to hold the fuel pump rod up....its the one that needs a short bolt in it....

[dhughins]

what about a oil pan gasket leak? the reason i ask is i cleaned it all off, than ran the truck on jackstands 20 minutes (idle and revving) no leak. i put the truck on the ground ran it for 20 minutes (idle and revving) no leak.

i took it for a 5 minute drive with lots of turns, stops, and accelerations. got home and had oil all over the area near the fuel pump. will post pictures in a second.

Ole dollor both holes by the fuel pump are plugged.

[dhughins]

some pics may be hard to see. they were hard to get. I weigh 240# and my truck is lowered.

the back of my right hand and hot headers do not mix!

[ATTACH]







[/ATTACH]

[CC69Rat]

It is not easy to do, it almost needs to be on a rack but .. maybe try the pan gasket and front seal around the timing cover ? I'm 85% sure it's coming from the front lower section of the block ..

Does it have an oil cooler on it maybe? any lines in that area that might be carrying oil in that general area ?

[terry b]

Someone in one of the earler post brought up getting a head job. What the hell that and a beer always makes my day better. Look on the bright side. At least in won't rust.

[dhughins]

no oil cooler that i know of. what is this sensor looking thing in front of the starter coming out of the bottom of the block? oil pressure and temp gauge have been replaced with aftermarket gauges.

[Dunenutt]

That is a water drain port for the block. Why someone screwed that sensor in there, I dont know. Be careful installing a new plug in there, some blocks are thin in that spot.

[vectorit]

To me it looks like someone has tried to fix the valve cover with a home made spreader. I would take the valve covers off, make sure they are not warped, then use a new cork valve cover gasket with a good sealant.

The fuel pump area looks to be a possible contributor to the problem.
There is a bolt hole in front of the block that if not plugged with a short bolt, it will produce an oil mess but not as bad as yours.

The fuel pump gasket could also be bad, and can cause a big mess of oil spray due to the fan blowing it back.

Below are pictures of what I am talking about.
In my case in my '70 k10 it had a huge mess of oil all over the passenger side, and I found the culprit to be the fuel pump gasket. Apparently it had been this way for a long time.

In your case I would take the truck to a place where you can wash the engine down with a high pressure hose, then look for the leak when you get home. Your engine has a lot of fresh oil all about, so the leak shouldn't be to hard to spot after you get all the mess cleaned up as best you can.

[71swb4x4]

That sensor you are asking about is a knock sensor. It isn't used on these old trucks. I am not sure when they started, sometime in the 80's maybe?