Sumpin’bout Bloo-ie

Wells, I got the valve seals all done yesterday, did a running valve lash adjustment, TWICE since while she was running I started hearing ticking from the opposite side I had just been through. My Bad on this note since she was cold and as the oil warmed up things started ‘working’ and loosening up. Live and learn.

And by the time I had everything back together, she was fully op temps, and

the video doesn’t do justice to what it looked like on this side of the digital realm.

I about threw in the towel at that point, but Brudda B said something that made me think a bit. “She just needs to burn off all the old shit,,,”

A’aight,,, I’ll give that a shot. So I closed shop, put up tools, cleared Buffalo out of the way, and went for Drinks for remote drinkin’ with Burfday boy,,,

She smoked like a train for a couple of miles. And when I pulled into the store lot, Cripes!!! I thought she had caught fire!!! Popped the hood, and looked, checked the oil level,(engine off) and did an eyeball underneath. I have an oil leak, and I would do something to isolate and fix that later in day. The smoke when I pulled in, was from oil blowing back on the exhaust, not from the tail pipe.

There is still some smoke from the tail pipe, but its much much much reduced,,, So I am going to give it a couple days of use and keep a damned close eye on that oil level in the meantime.

as for that oil Leak,,,, Dammit,,,,

I came home, and put a half ounce of dye into the mix. Sprayed down the areas already wet with oil, and let them dry. THEN, I fired her up,,, let that dye mix in good, Let her run at varied engine speeds for a couple of minutes,,, Idle, 2K,,, just above idle, back to 2 k, back to idle. Bust out the blacklight flashlight and found leak. Was thinking it was the cooler lines. NOPE. Front crank seal. The very same seal I replaced not so long ago. I can’t tell if its the lips or that it was sort of a loose fit in the cover.(I had used RTV around the seal because it was a little loose,,) I can’t really get the camera in there to look because of the harmonic balancer, and getting to it is quite the pain in the ass. BUT, I do know where it is. and that was the only thing I saw ‘Glowing’. Nothing on the cooler lines, or from the oil manifold or around the filter, nor the pan or covers. Just from that front seal. not bad, but its gonna ‘blow’ when running down the road and get everywhere, Just like it was doing already.

Plan doesn’t change for an oil leak. Keep an eye on level, watch tail pipe for output of blue stuff, and keep the oil leak wiped down until new seal arrives. I will go through the whole she-bang of pulling that balancer off, yet again,,, sigh,,,

BUT, if that blue smoke starts showing up again from the tailpipe,,,

She gets her ass parked and I drop the insurance on her (she tripled my insurance rate) until such time as I can get another engine to swap into her.

And I had a long heart to heart with her after I got loaded up and tipsy, walking the rolling deck of a storm tossed ship. I asked her to not be so damned determined to die, that she has a good home now, not one where she will be used and abused, nor left to rot in a field for 12 years again. Please please please stop this game of ‘not good enough’,,,,

Yes, I would park her for a time, but only so long as it takes to build the finances back up to purchase a new engine (or really good used one) BUT I WON’T GIVE UP ON HER like her last ‘family’ did. And even parked, she wouldn’t sit. I may not drive her (no insurance) but I would move her around and make sure things stayed running, not gelling up and rotting, or getting flat spots on the tires. And I wouldn’t do any more moving of tools around, other than the ones I need ‘at that time’. They are secure as heck right where they are.

Right now, the plan is ‘wait and see’ and get a new seal to replace the one there, IF things show good after a few days. She purrs, but if she is guzzling oil to burn,,,, Will see.

live learn laugh love LOAD.

(, ‘)