Help

[Five0roller]

I am trying to go through my engine to fix the leaks it may have. Several people think my valve guides are bad. I am on a budget and dont want to pay a mechanic to do the work. I am looking for step by step hand holding instructions on how the determine where my engine is leaking oil from and how to change the bad parts out. Like the valve guides, gaskets etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have an 85 V8 305 totally stock for now.

[N2TRUX]

You should start with a thorough cleaning of the motor. If you have access to a pressure washer you can do it at home. If not, the coin operated car wash will work just fine.

I prefer Gunk brand "Engine Bright" cleaner but there are several that will work. Follow the instructions and get the motor as clean as possible.

Once the motor is clean you can start looking for signs of oil leaking. Valve covers, and oil pans are common. Rear main seals, and intake manifolds are next in line.

Get it sealed up and go from there.

[84 400]

you said some think it is the valve guids so that would lead me to believe it is using oil??? as in blue smoke out the tail pipe? This could be a few things but valve seals and leaking intake gaskets are at the top of the list. Valve seals are comon on small block chevys and are normally indicated with a puff of blue smoke at start up.

As N2 said a good pressure washing will help you to locate leaks on the outside of the motor. I used simple green or purple power . I also keep the pressure washer away from the electrical components and the dizzy if I drove it to the coin car wash. currently all the valve cover gaskets on all 3 of my trucks are leaking. It is very commen and an easy fix. My freind prefers the resealable fel-pro rubber gaskets and they are nice to use if you do have to replace the valve seals which involves lashing valves.

[gchemist]

Is it leaking or burning oil? Do a compression check on each cylinder. You can save yourself some time by troubleshooting.

[Five0roller]

Its definately burning oil. It smokes at start up. I smell gas so i think its running rich too. I am not a mechanic. Im trying to learn though which is one main reason for being on this forum. I want to learn how. I guess Im lookng for a new hobby.

[gchemist]

A compression check would be my first step. If the cylinders are withing 10-15 PSI of each other, I would suspect the valve seals. You can install umbrella seals. Umbrella seals will reduce oil going down the valve. I had it done to my old 305. Smoke was dramatically reduced. However 3 cylinders continued to burn oil.

[Damien]

If you are going to replace valve seals you will need to remove the valve springs. To do it on the vehicle you will need an air compressor and an adaptor to screw into the spark plug hole to pressurize the cylinder and hold the valves in place while you remove the springs with a valve spring compressor. You will also have to reset the valve lash when you put the rocker arms back on.

As you can see, you need some special tools and a manual or someone with the knowhow.

The valve guides need to be taken off, machined and have new inserts pressed in, or they could be knurled. This is not something most of us can do and it may not be cost effective.

I would start with the cleaning and a tune up if one has not been done recently. The gas smell could mean the carb need to be adjusted or you have a fuel leak.