Need Help....Do these numbers actually tell me anything?

[ace0073]

Thanks in advance for your time and inputs. I have been through two (well one for sure and not sure about the current one) fully built KA-T's in under 1000 miles. Engine #1 went for a good 400 miles before #2 c-clip broke and the wristpin came out. Ended up with two deep gouges in the cylinder from the wristpin and a block that had to be trashed. Now for the current engine that Im hoping can be saved without pulling it out, yet again! Here are the specs for reference:Up Top:P&P HeadJWT Cams/Cam gearsSupertech springs/retainersStock valves

On Bottom:.020 over 8.4:1 Supertech Pistons (Phosphate coated)K1 rodsTotal seal gapless top rings w/ conventional second ringLightened Crank

Extras:t3/t4 turbooil coolerintercoolerelectric water pumpJWT tuned ECUApex-i AVC-R boost controllerTial 38mm wastegate

I think thats just about everything.

So here is the run down of my woes.......

After we finished assembling the motor, of course, we dropped it in. Once wired it fired up on the first turnover and I, promptly, checked oil pressure. Everything was fine. I continued to let the car idle just long enough to establish a good idle and bring it up to temp (approx. 5 min at 2500 rpm). I noticed that about 3 min in, it started to let out some white smoke but just a little. Next I took the car around the block and babied it around a few blocks. I noticed that during driving it felt great and there was no smoke but everytime id let it idle the white smoke would come back. SIDENOTE: I keep saying white smoke but I guess the proper term would be blue smoke.....point is, it looks white to me but I can smell that it is oil so I guess its actually blue. Okay, back to my story.....I ignored this smoke trying to tell myself that it was just that the rings were not seated. The next day I took the car out for some freeway driving. I would try to stay in 3rd gear and run it up to about 60-70, then let it lug back down. basically I was on and off the throttle. I had a buddy following me and he said that there was no smoke at all. This, smoke at idle but no smoke any other time continues and is a major problem for me. The engine currently has 596 miles on it and the smoke seems to have gotten slightly worse. Reluctant to say its the rings, I decided to pull the head, even though I had a valve job done right before engine assembly, to change the valve stem seals.....maybe that will be it! No such luck the car still smokes at idle and the smoke smells like burning oil. Im kinda out of ideas, besides rings, and Im trying anything not the have to pull this motor again. I decided to do a compression test (wet and dry) to see what that would yield and Im not sure how to interpret the results. This is where you come in.....can you tell me what you think? what to do next? where to look? could it be in the evac system? ANYTHING??

COMPRESSION TEST RESULTS

CYL. DRY WET1 145 1652 145 1653 150 1704 145 170

Thanks again

[72nismo]

Hmmm. Happened twice already. Someone in here must know something.

LBG!

[trackslut240]

hows your pcv setup? positive crankcase ventilation?my hunch and reading on the forums tells me to doubt the pcv setup.compression seems very good, thats not the issue i feel.

[ace0073]

I was wondering about that also. My PCV setup is as follows:

starting at the vacuum tube that runs underneath the throttle body I have a T. One side goes to the intake pipe between the filter and turbo inlet. The other side goes to one side of my catch can. Then from the second side of the catch can I have a hose running to the valve cover. Does that sound like a problem?

Also today I had two other opinions from two different mechanics. One says he is SOOOO SURE that it has to be valve guides. Any opinion on this?

The other says the based on my compression test numbers it is my rings. Im out of ideas.

[NismoRacer34]

you have a vacuum leak if i'm reading this right, air is going through the filter and directly to your manifold pcv ports. completely bypassing the throttle body.

[trackslut240]

i agree with nismoracer, it seems the way you have it connected is not making sense, or i am just not reading it right.

heres how i have mine, coming from the block(i eliminated the four intake runner connections) goes directly to catch can, the other end of catch can goes to vacuum after throttle plate on the intake manifold. i left the vavle cover open with a filter on it. (does this read confusing?)

u could run the pcv block connection to the catch can and then run another pipe from the catch can to the four intake runner connection. connect the valve cover to the connection between filter and turbo. thats what i might do and see the smoke condition. make sure the connections are tight(use ziptie if needed), u dont want those flying out when your are boosting.

be sure to clean out that catch can every 2500-3000 miles, u will see watery brown coffee like sutff coming out...

[ace0073]

Thank you for the replies. After reading your reply and the thread on PCV, i pulled off the intake and removed the stock PCV valve. I purchased a new one and also purchased a grand national valve. I put them inline and ran that to my catch can. The other end of the can went to the 4 ports under the intake mani. VC to atmosphere. After starting the car, I still had smoke. I felt the valve cover and noticed it was sucking and Im not sure but I always thought it was supposed to blow so i started removing hoses. when i removed the PCV line from the catch can the valve cover immediately began to blow and the smoke went away...hmmmmm. throughly confused, I put the line to the 4-ports to the VC.....no smoke but a weird humming noise. Not knowing what to do, i thought I may have installed the GN PCV valve backwards so I took the intake off once again only to find out that it was installed correctly. Am i missing something, cause I dont get it???? i attached a pic of how I installed the valves.

[wa-chiss]

are there any arrows on the PCV valve to show flow? Because to me, it looks like the silver valve is backwards.

[ace0073]

No arrows but I just blew in both valves and figured out which direction is open and which is closed, then ran them inline. At this point I can suck air through the tube but I cant blow through the tube.

[C-Kwik]

Cople of questions. When you say dry and wet for your compression test results are you talking about running the compression test, then adding some oil then running it for wet?

If so, then that's supposed to mean that there is a problem with the ring sealing. Rings that are sealing properly will not experience a change in compression from adding oil (the additional oil helps to seal the rings). Make sure you aren't dumpong a lot of oil when testing for ring seal issues though. Too much oil takes up more volume and could increase compression by itself.

As for the PCV sucking, the design of the PCV system is to try and put vacuum in the crankcase to help engine operation. Modern motors are set up to get vacuum from both in front of the TB and from the intake manifold. Depending on where you are checking it, you may feel some suction. As others have mentioned it may be routed wrong. No pressurized of the intake should be routed to the crankcase. Any part of the PCV system that is typically routed to the intake should be routed in front of the turbo. The plumbing to the idle control valve does need to plumbed to the pressurized part of the piping otherwise boost air may leak from the manifold back into the intake piping.

Lastly, it could be your turbo. Smaller leaks past seals will be most prominent when the motor is in vacuum as it will have the greatest pressure differential between the oil and the compressor. A leak on the turbine side may not show up during engine operation if the exhaust manifold pressure is high enough that the oil won't leak. Of course make sure the return line is clear of any blockage.

[NismoRacer34]

my understanding of pcv system... thanks in advance for the picture compliments. edit:fixed
Modified by NismoRacer34 at 1:58 PM 3/4/2010