help new engine smoking
Turbo Mini Forums

hi chaps, im preety sure its the valve stem/guides, but heres the low down.

I bought the engine in bits last year, the bottom half had been rebuilt by someone and has a 40 thou over bore with Je pistons, the engine had been running appatently with the new pistons but smoking, the owner suspected the turbo, it was sent away and pronounced dead as well as a new head. this is all he done.
So i had (when i bought it)
new T3 water cooled for some reason
new head all ported, cut down guides the lot, stamped on the top MSPD 155, im guessing mini sport??,
plus a lot of very nice parts for a very handsome price.

I got the car going a week ago but its on 40 a day, it is really bad. I checked on here for probs, did the front in the air test and presto, smoke was a lot less. The head ive got i think is a later one, it doesnt have any guides for the oil to run back to the push rods. it has double valve springs, sodium exhaust valves, and stem seals on each valve, i have also checked to see if they have popped off the guide but they havent.

The car smokes at idle, also on over run, but when your going and boosting its fine. car is on 4 psi
is this the guides or the rings? what other tests can i do??
its using 10-40 at the mo, a bit thin as the car smokes more when its warm, i dont have an oil presssure gauge at the mo, just the light, also the oil pump is new.
I really would like someone to look at it for a second opinion, i live in caerphilly, south wales if anyone is near

cheers
lee

MSPD is morspeed.

maybe needs to bed in.

are the breathers nice and clear?

is the mixture set right? i've had vastly overfueling engines look like they were completely knackered and chucking blue smoke out

erm, is the oil drain for the turbo clear?

try and get a gauge and make sure the oil pressure isnt excessive

get some 20-50 in there and see what happens.

more speed eh, their quite good arnt they?, i spose the breathers could do with a wash, didnt think they were that bad to be honest. i was givin a rich needle with the bits i had that i put in but took out today, the one in there now says bdd, thats the standard one right?.i got it nice and warm and turned it down to its minimum as i thought the same thing, it doesnt pink or splutter etc. The car goes like hell and was pushing a clio 182 earlier. the lip on my exhaust is oil its that bad. ill check the oil drain also

cheers

Hi,
Just disconnect all the breather from the carb and turbo intake (if it's connected)
Then see what it's like. I'd put 20/50 in as this can make quite a difference on a T3.
If the smoke reduces with the front jacked up it's almost certainly the guides.
Cheers,
Gavin :)

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cheers gavin
The breathers just have little k&n fillters on them, It seems odd that a new head would be this worn wouldnt it?, yup 20-50 is the next step. I spose it makes sence as the car is better when its cold

lee

cheers gavin
The breathers just have little k&n fillters on them, It seems odd that a new head would be this worn wouldnt it?, yup 20-50 is the next step. I spose it makes sence as the car is better when its cold

lee

Hi,
If it gets to the point where you're pulling it apart to find the problem the guides are easier to check than the rings!
Cheers,
Gavin :)

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thanks for the reply guys, how long would excess oil in the exhaust take to burn off? i did the incline test again to reasure my self and it carried on smoking!!

Hi,
If you've got drips of oil on the tailpipe, it's going to take a long time to clear!
Take a look at Roberts thread "GT17" he had a similar problem...
Cheers,
Gavin :)

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Edited by minimole23 on 14th Apr, 2008.

just had a little play outside now, took spark plugs out and had a look at the pistons. 4 and 1 a bit cruddy but not wet, 2 is perfect and 3 has a pool of oil on the top, is this the stem seals, guides??

Hi,
Seals or guides you've got to take the head off and remove the valve springs.
You'll put new seals on as a matter of course, so that just leaves you to check the guides....
Cheers,
Gavin :)

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pheeww, thats a bit of a relief, i do hope it is these and not the rings. All i can say then chaps is morspeed do shit heads. This head is new and has only run a week.
Wheres the best place for guides and what type?, the bronze ones?

pheeww, thats a bit of a relief, i do hope it is these and not the rings. All i can say then chaps is morspeed do shit heads. This head is new and has only run a week.
Wheres the best place for guides and what type?, the bronze ones?

you stated NEW T3 ??? was it new seconhand NEW ...... or new
if its seconhand new even reconned

you can bet your thruster!
go for the turbo seals again
my monies there

no completly new, ill show you a pic

Hi,
I'd be surprised if you could only get oil on top of 1 piston with a knackered turbo?
Cheers,
Gavin :)

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i read this wrong Bat
a compression check is required, leak down test prefered
this would eliminate ... or prove the rings have gone down ?

guides head gasket maybe ?
or rings
but dont rule the blower out yet!.........

thanks guys, a mechanic told me to put deisel in the bores to check the rings, anyone tried this??

If you phone up Morspeed and quote the head number, he'll be able to tell you all about it. i'e' when it was made and to what spec and for who. He relieves the exhaust guides slightly to stop binding (as he should do) so you need to run seals on the exhausts.

I'm with Benross though, don't rule out the turbo yet. Just because only one piston was wet doesn't mean it's one guide.

I had a similar smoking problem which I cured by clearing the oil return from the turbo and ading an extra breather. those breather cans can get blocked up so check they are clear.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

also take of the little kn oil breathers as these can clog very easily causing crankcase pressure,

always looking for them bigger bunches of bannanas

ok cheers guys, phoned more speed and were very helpfull, offering to have the head back to repair it, cant fault them

cheers

lee

ok cheers guys, phoned more speed and were very helpfull, offering to have the head back to repair it, cant fault them

cheers

lee

a little update, found the valve stem seals not where they should be, but floating on the valvs.

I have an idea how to change the seals without taking the head off, string in the bore at top dead centre, how do you compress the spring??

You need to make a tool to do it.

It's impossible to explain what I made, but if I get a chance I'll take a picture of it over the weekend and post it up.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph