wdurham

I have a 92 coupe LT1, with 123k miles. I purchased the car in July of last year as a weekend and occasional roadtrip car.

The car had no maintenance history or records.

I did the normal fluid flushes and changes recommended with such a car, plus some other obvious maintenance to upholstery, new shocks and weather stripping.

I drive it a few times per week. There is a valve tick from the right cylinder head, but I haven't removed the cover to isolate the exact cause. I noticed burnt oil smell after the drives when I pulled into the garage. The smell is getting stronger as the weeks go by.

Last week I detailed the car. Before the thorough wash I noticed some soot in the tailight indentions (bodywork by the lenses). There is also a blue smoke puff at start up, but I haven't noticed a cloud as I drive.

There are zero leaks from the car. All of the smoke is out of the tail pipes.

I'm leaning towards worn valve stem seals as the smoke problem, but wanted to see if there were any other items to consider. The ticking seems to be from just below the valve cover, not down in the block, but it is 'loud' or intense enough that a sticking lifter has entered my mind.

bjankuski

I agree with the puff of smoke at start-up as valave guide seals. The tick could be valve train or a small exhaust leak. If it is an exhaust leak it should be tick louder with more throttle.

Kubs

Smoke on startup is usually a good sign of leaky valve stem seals. The burnt oil smell after driving could be rings possibly.

wdurham

I know i asked for input, but Kubs you're not telling me what I want to hear.

BTW-Great threads on your car build.

leesvet

You might also have an intake leak in the back thats dripping down on the exhaust causing the smell to follow you in the garage...

if you had burnt rings you;d be seeing that on the dipstick. Bad valve seals is a puff at start-up but its a minimal amount of oil consumed...hardly ever see the loss on the dipstick..Valve seals are common on SBC...some folks enjoy that shot of lube in the upper end at cold start.

Kubs

Thanks!

Leesvet has a point too if it is an external leak and hitting the exhaust it too can make deposits on the bumper and a smell. However an external leak would show on the dipstick too if it is large enough, and you should be able to smell it at a stoplight with the windows down.

wdurham

I appreciate the comments. The plan is to check this out over the weekend.

When I detailed the car, the engine bay was part of the project. There were no noticeable leaks and the garage floor is spotless. I suppose it could leak while driving / running, but I would expect at least a drop or two to appear on the floor.

I'll post up over the weekend with my findings.

leesvet

yep...
as Kubs suggest,. look at the back bumper for tiny specs. Thats a clue that something is wet and blowing under the car and being thrown back against the bumper. I have a minor PS leak from the rack and that will leave tiny spots on the bumper that tell me I need to check the fluid level...
Intake manifold leak will do the same,.

wdurham

I'm going to tackle this project over the weekend.

The valve cover removal process looks pretty involved (of course it is).

Passenger Side:
* EGR tube will need to come out of the manifolds. I'm assuming it will be siezed in the exhaust manifold, so I already sprayed it with PB Blaster. (Do I remove the oil dipstick/tube for access to the connection at the manifold, or is there enough room to work this? If it can disconnect from the exhaust manifold, will it tilt up so I don't actually remove it completely from the EGR valve and the back of the intake? Fuel lines limit how far it can tilt.)
* Fuel injector wire harness and FPR vacuum line will need to be disconnected and moved aside. (Yes/No?)

Driver side (Holy Cow!):
* EGR tube looks like it is in sections that can let it be disassembled, so it may be easier. (Same question from passenger side can it be tilted and not removed, especially with the separate sections?)
* A/C, Power Steering pump, Alternator moved. I will look at this some more...(Can these be moved as an assembly if the correct brackets and serpentine belt are removed, or is it to much of a PITA?)
* Injector harness, same question as the passenger side....

The more I think about this, I should start a new thread simply covering valve cover removal, wow!