Looks like head gasket time

[quickster]

My '87 6.9 project that I started back in January was just about done. I've been noticing some smoke under hard acceleration. So I picked up a compression tester; which I probably should have done in Jan. At the time the driver side head was weeping coolant from one corner. I pulled the cover and found a broken head bolt. So I put in a a new one, torqued both sides and no more leak. Well after I was finally able to get it titled and registered I was able to drive it more than 5 minutes. So I did a compression test, and the same cylinder that was weeping is the lowest in pressure. It went like this--
7-475 8-475
5-470 6-480
3-475 4-500
1-480 2-420

It's a HF compression tester, so I'm thinking 500 should be 400, etc. Unless the pressure gets that high-- I don't know. There was no leakdown, I held the cylinders for a minute.
A mobile mechanic I know thinks I'm pulling in oil from a return galley. I'm not losing any coolant, or blowing bubbles. So does this sound about right? I'd appreciate the input. So I'm going to pull the head, or heads. Any particular brand, just stay with 6.9 gaskets , or do the 7.3 gaskets. I'm kicking myself in the ass because I told myself I should test it, but took the gamble instead. Here's a few pics, one from when I found the broken bolt, the the gauge showing 500. And my garage paint job.

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[IDIBRONCO]

The 7.3 gaskets have the one coolant passage blocked off so I'd stick with the 6.9 ones. I prefer Fel-Pro for my gaskets. The heads gaskets are .010" thicker than the Victor-Reinz ones are.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

This would also be the time to think about head studs if you're even thinking about a turbo in the future.

 

[quickster]

I was thinking about studding it. But here in jersey they are impossible to find. You see them occasionally but they are missing parts and look burned up. And I don't have cash to go new. Think that sounds right --oil getting pulled into the cylinder from a bad section in the gasket?

 

[quickster]

Turbos are are hard to find that is.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Think that sounds right --oil getting pulled into the cylinder from a bad section in the gasket?

I can't think of hearing anything either way, but my gut feeling is that this is extremely unlikely to happen in our engines. As for the turbo, just keep looking. Someday, there will be something that you'll be able to afford. Even if you have to start a "turbo fund" and just put a little bit out of every paycheck into it (just a suggestion).

 

[quickster]

Would a bad valve guide cause something like this? I don't know if that much oil gets up top. It doesn't smoke at idle, just when you accelerate kind of hard. Again tonight when I went for a coffee. Truck sitting idling for 5 minutes and when I take off hard, I get a good cloud. Like it loads up.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

So is it oil smoke or fuel smoke?

 

[quickster]

At first I thought it was fuel. But when I look behind as I drive the smoke is blueish.

 

[quickster]

The mechanic said it smelled like oil. Kinda burnt.

 

[quickster]

Loading up would be fuel- I know. I'm only on my third full tank of fuel since I got this. Going to time it again before I start pulling it apart. I don't feel like tearing this apart again.

 

[riphip]

You will need to replace the valve seals when you do head gaskets. Will come with the kit. You have excellent compression in all cylinders according to your tests

 

[quickster]

Except #2 cylinder at 420. That's the cylinder that had the broken head bolt. Thinking maybe a bad section of head gasket.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Let me expand a little bit more on my gut feeling. The oil return holes are relatively far from the cylinders while the coolant passages are closer. When the engine is in upright, running position, the oil return holes are also lower than the cylinders so if there was any oil getting past the head gasket, it would run towards the bottom of the head, not toward the cylinders. Since there is no pressure on the oil st the returns other than gravity, the oil wouldn't flow in any direction other than down even if it was leaking through the head gasket. As for being "sucked" into a cylinder, our engines don't have much vacuum (hence the vacuum pump) so if there was any passage between a cylinder and an oil return hole, the cylinder pressure would more than overcome any vacuum present so you would have cylinder pressure going into the oil pan or coming out the oil return hole back underneath the valve cover. All of this makes me say that it's next to impossible for any oil at all to be coming into a cylinder from a return hole in the head gasket. I think that you should forget the oil return hole theory and tell that mobile "mechanic" to take a flying leap.
Now if you had a bad section of head gasket, it wouldn't take very long at all for it to completely blow out. Going off of your lowest cylinder pressure, 420 PSI isn't easy to contain and can't be held for very long with a bad/weak seal.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Turbos are are hard to find that is.

Assuming that the BOOB Power Tour is still going to happen, I'll have an ATS 088 for a manual transmission for sale. Shipping from northwest Kansas to New Jersey would probably be cost prohibitive. I haven't had time to check the turbo out to see what shape it's in. I'm just throwing this out there for feelers right now.