'74 13-B puzzler

bowjangles · 11-14-2013, 07:03 AM

Last summer, after an oil change, my old 13-B started giving off clouds of smoke at start-up. As engine "warmed up" the amount of smoke would lessen, but would not go away completely.
After investigating our Forums, consensus was that either that smoke was from defective coolant seals allowing coolant to get into exhaust somehow, or from bad oil seal(s) .I have been checking coolant level throughout this ordeal, but did not see much of a loss at all on the reservoir.
The car did overheat once, for a short amount of time

Apparently the color of the smoke is supposed to tell me which of the above is the cause. Well, It is difficult to see the difference between gray and white smoke. so, I looked into both possibilities.

First the coolant seals possibility; Again, consensus from the Forums was that an engine rebuild is needed.Were talkin big bucks here so, I looked for cheaper fixes and tried Aluma Seal in the radiator.No reduction in smoke

Well then, maybe smoke is caused by bad oil seals- again the best fix, but most expensive fix would be a rebuild-so back to the Forums for a cheaper solution. I decided to try one quart of Lucas Oil Conditioner with an 4 quarts of fresh oil- No difference in amount of smoke

Next try-Some one from a Forum suggester that maybe the oil injector metering device was set too high therefore putting more oil into carb than needed. So,I adjusted the rod to deliver the correct amount of oil in one minute and the amount of smoke has diminished somewhat.

But, yesterday when I started her up there was almost no smoke at all- The only difference from all the other start-ups was that yesterday the outside temp was 30 degrees compared to 50-60 degrees during the earlier start-ups. This is my puzzler and I welcome any help solving this.

Pete_89T2 · 11-14-2013, 08:24 AM

The smell of the smoke is really a better indicator of whether it's coolant or oil being burned. If it has a sweet smell, it's coolant. If it has an acrid stench that makes you want to close up your nostrils, it's most likely oil being burned.

t_g_farrell · 11-14-2013, 09:27 AM

Your oil is now a lot thicker due to the temps. I think you have an oil seal issue.

11-14-2013, 07:03 AM	#1
bowjangles Rotary Fan in Training Join Date: Sep 2013 iTrader: (0) Posts: 62 Rep Power: 12	'74 13-B puzzler Last summer, after an oil change, my old 13-B started giving off clouds of smoke at start-up. As engine "warmed up" the amount of smoke would lessen, but would not go away completely. After investigating our Forums, consensus was that either that smoke was from defective coolant seals allowing coolant to get into exhaust somehow, or from bad oil seal(s) .I have been checking coolant level throughout this ordeal, but did not see much of a loss at all on the reservoir. The car did overheat once, for a short amount of time Apparently the color of the smoke is supposed to tell me which of the above is the cause. Well, It is difficult to see the difference between gray and white smoke. so, I looked into both possibilities. First the coolant seals possibility; Again, consensus from the Forums was that an engine rebuild is needed.Were talkin big bucks here so, I looked for cheaper fixes and tried Aluma Seal in the radiator.No reduction in smoke Well then, maybe smoke is caused by bad oil seals- again the best fix, but most expensive fix would be a rebuild-so back to the Forums for a cheaper solution. I decided to try one quart of Lucas Oil Conditioner with an 4 quarts of fresh oil- No difference in amount of smoke Next try-Some one from a Forum suggester that maybe the oil injector metering device was set too high therefore putting more oil into carb than needed. So,I adjusted the rod to deliver the correct amount of oil in one minute and the amount of smoke has diminished somewhat. But, yesterday when I started her up there was almost no smoke at all- The only difference from all the other start-ups was that yesterday the outside temp was 30 degrees compared to 50-60 degrees during the earlier start-ups. This is my puzzler and I welcome any help solving this. Last edited by bowjangles; 03-20-2014 at 08:04 AM.. Reason: delete

11-14-2013, 09:27 AM	#3
t_g_farrell Waffles - hmmm good Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Huntersville, NC iTrader: (0) Posts: 757 Rep Power: 0	Your oil is now a lot thicker due to the temps. I think you have an oil seal issue. __________________ 1980 GS stockport, Fat Nikki, RB Dual Facetfuel pumps, Holley regulator, RB Street port exhaust, 2GDFIS, MR2 MK I electric fans, 2G strut bar, relayed fans, lights and fuel pump, LEDs Project Fat Nikki Budget 12A rebuild Video setup < $30.00

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11-14-2013, 08:24 AM	#2
Pete_89T2 Lifetime Rotorhead Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Elkton, MD iTrader: (1) Posts: 874 Rep Power: 15	The smell of the smoke is really a better indicator of whether it's coolant or oil being burned. If it has a sweet smell, it's coolant. If it has an acrid stench that makes you want to close up your nostrils, it's most likely oil being burned.