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Hi all

My 63 4x4 burb with 1985 350 started smoking for a couple of minutes when I fired her up in the morning. The truck had been sitting for almost 6 months. It got worse each day. I guessed the valve seals were gone because when the oil burned off the truck stopped smoking for the rest of the day. I had a friend with the right tool replace the seals which where almost non existent with new positive valve seals. He adjusted the valves and I drove it home. 3 days later it started smoking at start up again and on the 3rd morning it took 10 minutes for the blue cloud to clear. Once it clears it does not burn oil until it has set over night. The engine runs very good since a full tune up was done at the same time as the valve job.

WHAT NOW!!!

Any help is appreciated.

EB.

eb's 63


WHAT NOW!!!!

If I were to guess I would say your guides are shot in your heads. Seals will temporarly help but the original problem will come back as you saw. Thats mt 2ct's
Good luck anyway.

eb,

It sure does sound like a guide or stem seal issue, but I wonder if the PCV valve could be involved somehow. Has it been replaced lately?

Rings usually don't exhibit smoke sporadically, but if one is sticking, it's possible. We always pinned the problem on the guides if the engine would lay down a smoke screen after running down a hill under compression, then hitting the throttle. Will your rig do this.

I don't know how bad the engine was pumping or leaking oil, but if the muffler was inundated, it can take longer than one would expect to cook it clean. Keep us posted.

Stuart

i agree with the bee guy...........guides are shot...when you shut it off oil runs down the valve/by the guide........

Thanks guys...
New PCV valve with the tune up

Wed I will pull the covers and check. I am wondering if the replacement seals are wrong. If so they would be chewed up after the highway test drive.

Will keep in touch.

EB.

Some of these engines don,t have enough space for the umbrella seals or positive seals. That is why they used the O-ring type.

My friend who did the seal replacement told me the original seals where virtually non existent and he decided to use both the positive seals and also the usual o ring type. But he said the positive seals where quite tight. That's why I'm thinking they got beaten up when I test drove the truck on the highway. I'm just an average back yard mechanic so I have to rely on a little help from my friends
We'll see when I check on Wed.

Thanks for the replies!

EB.

re smoking

Checked the seals and they were intact. The sysmtem of smoking when cold, burning off the oil and then not smoking keep saying "valve seals" to me. Decided to take the positive seals off the intake valves and leave the O rings. OK this may sound SILLY but the positive seals were very tight and we thought the increased vacumm was maybe suching the oil through the rings!!!!
I did not work....still smoking ( but worse )when left over night. Now I will check the drains, pull the hose from the PCV valve and check for vacumm, check the # on the block to make sure I"ve got the right year of the engine to see that the seals we are using are the right ones. WHAT AM I MISSING HERE...WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO CHECK?
Thanks guys

Eric
eb's 63

I do have a lead on a 283 out of the same burb as mine. If it works out I will build up and swap out the smoker!!!

valve guides,,,,,,,,,,not seals

Could you wiggle the valves any w/the springs off? The guides are prolly worn. The umbrella(Ford)type will help w/worn guides, the o-ring kind really don't. But you can run w/no seals on an engine w/good valve guides-many folks use them on intake only.

Now I think that it's the exhaust valves that are leaking into the exhaust manifold because there is no smoke on start up for 1/2 minute then she starts and really smoked for about 8 minutes.
After it stopped smoking I took the burb for a test drive and tried to get her to smoke. All speeds all gears coasting etc she would not smoke until she sat over night.
I still think it is the exhaust seals that are wrong. I don't know the age of the engine or if the heads are matched so I am swapping in a fresh set of heads I have and see how that works.
Will keep in touch.
Eb's 63