TMAN

I just got a ques for the great mechanics that post on this site, my civic just started smoking. and its from oil in the cylinders now my ques is how do i know if my rings gave up or if its just a valve seal problem?

thanks guys this site kicks ***

HMT-Admin

Hows compression? have you done a leak down test? when does it smoke? cold warm? on decel or accel?

TMAN

i got like 60 pounds in cyl # 3, smoke is white and isnt even realy visable when ideling but really shows up when reving engines got 90000 miles it should just be a bad valve right?

TMAN

comeone anyone, am i going to have to take off the head just to see where its leaking from?

SolFastD16

if smoke is white then coolant is getting into the cylinders so it might be the head gasket.

bobafett

u might wanna check the welds on the intake

88crxSi

If its WHITE smoke then its coolant and I believe the only way it gets into a cylinder is through a head gasket leak. There ARE other ways, but none that happen as often as that. Try that first, but like every1 says, do a leak down test. Im not clear on how that tells you where the leak is.. but that it leaks.

Kaneda13

60 pounds seems pretty low on your #3... a blown head gasket sounds like it might be the problem. that would be dumping coolant into the cylinder, and could explain the lack on compression in the #3 cylinder.