Reasons for burning oil?

[Chevyguy111786]

My buddy just bought an 86 Dodge Ram 4x4 with a 318 and dual flowmasters. When he got it about a week ago, he put oil in it. It smoke and when he checked it it was below the add line already. I was thinkin a faulty gasket. The smoke is comin out of his exhaust tho and not from below the engine or engine compartment. any other ideas???

[lukecp]

Rings or valve seals....is it coming out when the engine is started in the morning, or when it is warm and running?

[Chevyguy111786]

it smoke when it runs

[Chevyguy111786]

he also just told me that it drips oil from the bottom of the engine when it's running. and it drips a little after he turns it off and then stops.

[lukecp]

If it smokes out the tailpipes when it is running, either the rings or valve guides and seals are shot....i would reccomend doing a compression test. If the rings are shot, the motor is due for a rebuild.....

[cduster]

I had a well loved (abused) 318 that burned oil when I got it. I pulled the valve covers off and the oil return passages from the heads were plugged solid with sludge causing the tops to fill with oil and run through the already weak valve seals. I cleaned out the passages and it quit burning oil for about another 30,000 miles.

Just a thought. Dan

[Chevyguy111786]

THANKS! How do you figure up the compression ratio? I have a compression tester. The ration should be about 8.9:1. What psi should i look for? i will take the valve covers off and check that out...THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP!

[71-longbed]

my 350 is original ...it has 241k on it .... i burn 1/2 a quart in 100 miles @ 75 mph ...around town it barley burns any ... i wanna rebuild or a crate sooo bad ...

[Broken_down?]

not sure if this is similar or not.. but once in awhile my truck just suddenly has very low oil pressure. I mean on a road trip I check fluids and such and head out. and I look down @ gage and it says very low. and I am like wtf? so I check it and sure enough it is liek 3 or 4 courts low. what is going on? does not smoke or leak oil anywhere. and it is not liek it happens every other week. just once in awhile. and I know to check oil every other day and for it to just be out asap. what coudl cause that? My gramps and I did compression check back a few motnhs ago and it is kicking fine. engine runs strong. only prob I notice recently is my power steering pump line is leaking. any ideas on this occurance?

--Broken_down?

[Fred T]

Originally posted by Chevyguy111786
THANKS! How do you figure up the compression ratio?

Compression values are difficult to calculate, even if you know the displacement and the head volume. What you do is check all the cylinders and compare the readings. If one is more than 10% off, you have engine work to do.

To check the compression, remove the spark plugs, disconnect either the coil wire or the wire to the coil, turn off the fuel supply and block the throttle and choke wide open. Write down the readings and compare. sometimes you have to check more than once to be certain your readings are correct.

[lukecp]

Also, squirt some oil in the cylinders after making the 1st compression reading. If the compression goes up significantly with the oil in the cylinder, your rings are worn.

[Fred T]

Originally posted by Broken_down?
not sure if this is similar or not.. but once in awhile my truck just suddenly has very low oil pressure. I mean on a road trip I check fluids and such and head out. and I look down @ gage and it says very low. and I am like wtf? so I check it and sure enough it is liek 3 or 4 courts low. what is going on?

If you let the engine sit does the oil level go back up? If it does, you have the signs of blocked oil drain holes from the head back to the crankcase. Remove that valve cover, and in the valley along the lower edge of the heads there are some holes that allow the oil to return to the crankcase. These will plug up with gunk if the oil hasn't been changed at the proper times.

[Broken_down?]

ha. thats proballoy it. thx man I apperite it. Is there any fluids or something that I can put in it when I do the oil change in a few days to help break down that build up?

--Rich

[Chevyguy111786]

thanks for all the quick replys, we're about to do a compression check. hoping for good results. The smoking was a lot worse today than yesterday so it doesn't look good. Thanks again.