*Updated* So why is my motor smoking?
 

hey guys, i recently put a d16z6 into my hb and lately ive been seeing a little puff when i take off. i rebuilt the motor with a new bore and rings however i did not replace valve seals. it only puffs when taking off right now. The wierd part is that it doesnt do it everytime. it started after i got it tuned, then i put a full exhaust on it. anyideas? Oh, and there is a plug in my turbo exhaust housing that used a old o2 sensor to plug it, would that make any difference? :P


*Update* last weekend i found a small exhaust leak near my wastegate, yesterday i welded up the crack and took it out for a drive. The power is back to normal but it still smokes. So today i picked up a o2 sensor plug to remove this old one wire o2 sensor from the turbo's exhuast housing. i replaced it and drove it to the bank. The car did not smoke at all really. Could this be the original cause?

*The car did smoke once when taking a left turn onto my street after putting into 2nd gear which i think is my oil drain getting temporally backed up ever see anything like that?

Re: So why is my motor smoking?
 

Do a compression test followed by a leak down test.Valve seals could be bad or a few other things.

Re: So why is my motor smoking?
 

well upon further inspection i realized that it is white smoke coming out of the exhaust. i checked my coolant overflow tank and it is low so i think i have a head gasket leak. when i built the motor i used a cometic gasket, i torqued it to spec following cometic's instructions however do i need to retorque after 1000 miles?

Re: So why is my motor smoking?
 

Usually no.Are you running head studs or stock bolts?You can try retorquing it for what its worth cant hurt.

Re: So why is my motor smoking?
 

arp studs

Re: So why is my motor smoking?
 

What did you torque them to and what did you use for lube on them?

Re: So why is my motor smoking?
 

arp supplied lube and their specs of 60 ft lbs

Re: So why is my motor smoking?
 

Check for leaks first; I would considering it will take awhile if you have to take the head off.

Pull the oil dipstick; is there coolant in there?

If so, I'd say a head gasket either isn't installed right/torqued.

Is the motor boosted? Have you given it a 500 mile break in period before beating on it? :6

Maybe came across some head lift?

Re: So why is my motor smoking?
 

no coolant in oil, i tried to out of boost for the first 300 miles. Saturday i will check head stud torque, i think if i do take the head off i will have it resurfaced and put a oem honda gasket on instead of the cometic

Re: So why is my motor smoking?
 

a general rule of thumb when using ARP studs is to install them torque them down,and break them loose again.. do it about 3 times to get the proper strech from the bolts.. check your torque and do a leak/compression test.

Re: So why is my motor smoking?
 

compreression test is your friend. Any time you rebuild a motor get the head freshned up its worth the money and if you already went ahead with the bottom end spend a couple bucks on valve seals atleast they are so cheap

Re: So why is my motor smoking?
 

I'd say valve seals, but if you're going to pull the head off, then I'd just go ahead, get it surfaced, and maybe have your block shop do a leak test to see if the valves are leaking or any cracks. (You never know)

Did you change the valves/ do a valve job?

How many miles were on the head before you did a rebuild?

Re: So why is my motor smoking?
 

70k was on the motor when i bought it. it seems to losing a little power outside of boost but vacuum readings are normal. head is completely stock and untouched.

Re: So why is my motor smoking?
 

muffler is too big

Re: So why is my motor smoking?
 

how many miles since the rebuild? with the cometic heag gasket and arp head studs it shouldnt be a blown head gasket unless your lifting the head which is actually pretty common. valves wouldnt cause smoke but would cause loss of power. valve seals will cause smoke because oil is leaking into your motor. you said it was white smoke so you can probably rule out valve seals. i would say your lifting your head, try some copper spray on your head gasket. other than lowering your boost (which im not advicing because im not one to get flamed on) i dont really know what to tell you.

Re: *Updated* So why is my motor smoking?
 

read the first post again.... ;D

Re: *Updated* So why is my motor smoking?
 

One on my hatch is bigger :-\

Could this possibly just be break-in smoke. I'd assume the rings aren't fully seated right after a rebuild, and that would give you slight amounts of white smoke.