The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Running engine after long slumber

My truck has finally reached the point where most of what is left to do is the bodywork. I've redone the chassis but left the engine alone, besides a few new gaskets. I recently started the engine up for the first time in a few years and the engine fired right up and seems to run decently well. It has been smoking a fair amount though, the lifters are a bit loud (but are getting oil), and there is quite a bit of condensation coming out of the tailpipe. I haven't let it run too long though because it's just the bare chassis and I don't have any gauges hooked up. So my questions are:

-is there a good/easy way to connect a temp and oil pressure gauge to the engine to be able to tell exactly what's happening?
-should I be concerned about the smoke? (I will be pressure testing the engine in the next couple of weeks)
-should I be concerned about the condensation?

The smoke looks white/slight bluish tint maybe, but comes out clean on my hand when covering the tail pipe and doesn't smell like burnt oil but more like unused fuel. Any suggestions?

I would mount the gauges on some sort of stand and connect them up. I wouldn't even run an engine without an oil pressure gauge.

See if the smoke changes after runing it for a while.

How old is your gas? If it has been sitting a while it is stale and can cause valves to hang open which can cause serious damage. White smoke can also mean water in the combustion chambers. Condensate in the tail pipe is normal.

Chances are if the engine has sat for some time the valve seals could be dry which will let oil seep into the combustion chamber. If it doesn't clear up after a short run time you may need to replace these. It can be done with the head on the engine, but it can be a PITA.

When I've had this problem in the past (SBC) but they only smoked on start up. The seals let oil in when I let the engine sit overnight. Once the small amount of oil burned off at start up it was good.

The gas is brand new (running it out of a 5 gal tank)... maybe it is water in the cylinders? I did put Marvel Mystery Oil in, so it might be that burning off too. I don't know if I can trust my gauge cluster so I have an order in for aftermarket oil and temp gauges, so once those come in I'll hook them up and try running the engine for awhile. When I do that I'll post up an update.

Thanks for the help!