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Its A Smoker!


Guest Hawaii Steve

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Guest Hawaii Steve

Have my Pinto 2.0 running like a top and now I'm trying to fix some of the external issues. Been reading lots of posts on the forum and see that many of the Pinto 2.0's smoke from the valve cover and leak some oil from the dipstick. Mine does both! (the white smoke is kind of cool but I could do without the smell!) My engine does not have a PCV: there is just a hose that goes from the PCV connection on the crankcase to the ground. I already installed an oil catch can and connected both the crankcase breather and the valve cover breather to it. So now I have just a few drops of oil coming from the top of the dipstick and a nice plume of white smoke coming from the vent filter on the oil catch can.

 

All that said I'm thinking about turning my catch can into PCV vacuum can by using the vent connection on the top of the can as a vacuum connection to the upstream side of the intake manual with a new PCV valve. I'm suspecting the smoke will then just burn up in the engine and with a little negative pressure on the crankcase it may help the oil drip situation from the dipstick. I have not seen on the forum that anyone has tried this? Anyone know of any reason not to give it a shot?

 

Thanks!!!

 

Steve

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Steve, has your catch can got a small outlet breather filter on it? If so, I have found with mine that it causes too much back pressure in the system and I had oil from my dipstick and it actually lifted the cam cover sealed filler cap. I took the filter off and put a pipe from the can outlet towards the ground, since the can was a cheap Chinese one and didn't work properly I filled it with stainless pan scourers to separate any oil from the gases. Problem solved.

 

I have never had a pinto smoke as heavily as yours, doesn't white smoke from the filler indicate water in the oil?

 

Rob

Edited by cb750
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Some people have had crankcase pressurising in the past because the Ford produced elbow that fits into the block breather has a one way valve in it. This valve does require slight intake vacuum to open and ford plumbed it into the inlet manifold. This ensured negative pressure to open and evacuate the crankcase and burned the oil fumes by passing them through the engine. All good till kitcar builders put the pipe into a catch can or vented it below the car. Without inlet vacuum to open the valve pressure builds.

So remove the valve from the elbow or better still feed it into the inlet manifold. Below is the breather valve. The lower edge has been ground off and the lightly sprung 'penny valve' plate has dropped out.

post-21-0-33509300-1541369361_thumb.jpg

Edited by Longboarder
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Guest Hawaii Steve

All, thanks for the tips. cb750, Don't you have "auto-correct", it gets me all the time!!! I believe the white smoke is coming from leaky valve stem seals, Its not really too bad, at idle it just looks like a white mist floating up from the breather. Not bad enough yet to change the seals but bad enough to create an oil smell. I tried your fix but it turns out my can breather has less pressure drop than a tube so that really did not work for me. Longboarder, I didn't have all the right fittings but was able to hook up the crankcase breather on a temp basis (using my brake assist tubing) to the intake manifold and it immediately made a difference. I could pull the dipstick and instead of having oil mist flying out, I could feel the vacuum. Will get the right fittings and do a permanent installation tomorrow and give it a real try. Blue, I'm running non synthetic 10W40 right now.

 

The engine ran fine with the crankcase breather hooked up so I don't even think I'll need to lean it out.

 

Steve

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Valve stem seals can certainly cause oil smoke from the exhaust but are very unlikely to pressurise the crankcase so I would be more inclined to think its bore/ring wear and a rebore/bottom end rebuild is a long term option/fix if the problem persists. You could try a quick 'cheap and cheerful' new set of piston rings and see if that helps but if you were to strip the engine down far enough to fit new rings, another half dozen bolts and the block is ready to be taken for a rebore.

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20/50 oil is what I've always used on a pinto engine even though some of the oil companies say 10/40 is ok. I use Valvoline Racing VR1 oil as it is supposed to have extra additives to protect the cam.

 

Steve, yes I have autocorrect and that's the problem!

 

Rob

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you can change the stem seals with the head still in situ. I've done it and it was relatively easy. Using the info on this site (sorry can't remember who posted it as it was years ago). But all you have to do is remove the spark plugs and push some rope in through the hole - turn the engine until the piston locks the valve against the rope and then you can remove the valve spring and replace the seals.

 

Is the smoke coming out the exhaust? are you sure there is no water/oil in the exhaust that is heating up and burning off? just a thought.

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Hi thanks for letting me know on the oil

As Peter bell says 20/50 in a pinto -modern oil is just to thin

My neighbour had a fiesta that used to blow blue from the exhaust and burn oil at an alarming rate -it was only a chance chat while he was -in his words filling it with oil again I noticed him using semi synthetic 10/40

He want back to a full mineral oil and all problems went with it

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Guest Hawaii Steve

Did a good installation for the crankcase vent piped to the intake manifold today and let the engine warm up and then I tried racing the engine. What I found was smoke coming from the exhaust, 10 times more than what was coming from my oil catch can vent when I had it piped up normally. So I put it back to the way it was and went out and bought 20/50 oil. I will also mix in a quart of Lucas Oil Stabilizer which does a pretty good job of making older engines a little tighter.

 

I have changed valve stem seals before using the rope in the cylinder trick and will try that next if I decide the 20/50 oil is not taking care of me.

 

I put a new head gasket into the car last week along with all new timing gears, belt, water pump...... I see no oil in the antifreeze and no water in my oil so I’m pretty sure that’s all good. Will report back after the oil change.

 

Thanks all for the help!

 

Steve

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I recently stripped my Pinto to pieces and rebuilt. After rebuild I was blowing smoke from the exhaust when giving the car some beans. Turned out, I'd made a schoolboy error and overfilled oil. It wasn't much over level, but it made a big difference once level corrected; no more smoke. Worth a check?

 

BTW mine has PCV plumbed back into inlet manifold.

 

T

Edited by RedTrev
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I remember doing a head gasket and for some reason it didn't seat right at the back of the engine. took it for a run and as it built up pressure it pushed oil out and dropped onto the exhaust which then created a nice smoke cloud... just as i rounded a corner to see a police car checking cars. They were convinced it was going to blow up for a while but i let it cool for 5 mins and turned it back on again and because it only smoked when enough pressure it was fine sat there idling so they let me on my way. Had to then work out what was happening as it was only when i was driving it.

 

This obviously won't be your problem as it's coming out the exhaust but smoking engines got me remembering.

 

I still use the same inlet and carb on my pinto so pcv still plumbed in on mine too. Mine smokes as the engine is tipped forward in the 2b so oil sits on no.1 cyclinders valves. I've changed the inlet stem seal but i think the exhaust also needs doing. Prob need new rings too but hey ho. I mean a 26yr old engine with 128k on it and it's smoking? they don't make things to last anymore :crazy:

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