ls1 swap open headers smoke **help**

[RichieRath]

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[andrewb70]

White smoke out of ls1 swap open headers . Wondering if this is normal?
http://youtu.be/IFu2nzgmuz0

Hard to say. It looks like it is only coming out the driver's side. It could be normal steam, or you could have a blown head gasket.

Is there any oil in the radiator? Does the oil in the engine look "frothy" with the color of coffee with cream? Does the smoke smell sweet, like antifreeze?

Andrew

[RichieRath]

Radiator fluid is straight orange just as I purchase not creamy at all. I haven't start the car for a few days and this is the first time I've let it run for quite longer than usual .Any suggestions? Also have you heard of BlueDevil Head gasket repair?

[LSXperformance]

I have used something called dykem you can purchase from carquest its expensive, but works you can drill a hole in a cup and pour that stuff with water in and in will stop water from flowing out of the cup before its empty... wouldn't believe it had I not seen it. I have used it on subarus as they have a problem with leaking antifreeze overnight. Also there is a tool made by lisle that tests for presence of hydrocarbons in coolant I suggest you invest in it. Its cheap, or you can purchase a cylinder leak down tester and test the whole bank. Normal leakage Ive noticed on those engines are 5-10 psi. then you would know if its a cylinder issue or a headgasket or whatever you find. Its a great test.

[RichieRath]

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[LSXperformance]

thats the reason for the cylinder leak down test or your just guessing and probly wasting your money

[Chevelle598bb]

I have used something called dykem you can purchase from carquest its expensive, but works you can drill a hole in a cup and pour that stuff with water in and in will stop water from flowing out of the cup before its empty... wouldn't believe it had I not seen it. I have used it on subarus as they have a problem with leaking antifreeze overnight. Also there is a tool made by lisle that tests for presence of hydrocarbons in coolant I suggest you invest in it. Its cheap, or you can purchase a cylinder leak down tester and test the whole bank. Normal leakage Ive noticed on those engines are 5-10 psi. then you would know if its a cylinder issue or a headgasket or whatever you find. Its a great test.

Dykem is a machinist dye transfer and patters.

[Chevelle598bb]

What do the driver side bank spark plugs look like?

[RichieRath]

Can I ask you what do you mean how does it look like?

[Chevelle598bb]

Pull the plugs on the driver side bank and compare their colors. Are they light brown? Dark? Oily? Is there one plug that looks brand new almost and smells like antifreeze? If one cylinder is burning antifreeze which looks like maybe the case by the video then you will see the plug of the cylinder which is not sealing.

[RichieRath]

Ill check it out later . But say if it was a cylinder that was not sealing how can I correct this issue?

[IMPALA MAN]

Automatic or manual? The reason I ask, is that I had a friend with a similar issue. Smoke out of one exhaust tube only. He chased it all the way to rebuilding the engine. Still had smoke out of one side. In the end, it was narrowed down to a busted diaphragm in the vacuum modulator valve on the transmission. Trans fluid was being pulled into the intake and then burning. Who would have thunk it?

[RichieRath]

6 speed.

[Chevelle598bb]

Ill check it out later . But say if it was a cylinder that was not sealing how can I correct this issue?

It all depends. Was the cylinder head not torqued correctly? Head bolt fail? Head gasket fail? Cracked head or block? There are so many "what ifs" that could be causing the issue. Hard to say how to fix it when we don't know what's wrong.

[RichieRath]

All the plugs are clean . I started it this morning for couple minutes and no smoke at all weird.

[Madspeed]

Automatic or manual? The reason I ask, is that I had a friend with a similar issue. Smoke out of one exhaust tube only. He chased it all the way to rebuilding the engine. Still had smoke out of one side. In the end, it was narrowed down to a busted diaphragm in the vacuum modulator valve on the transmission. Trans fluid was being pulled into the intake and then burning. Who would have thunk it?



Somone with half a brain woulda thunk it =) sorry I couldnt resist.

[66larkgs]

don't want to sound harsh but you need to stop guessing and perform a proper diag to start with. I find checking for hydrocarbons in the radiator is the easiest and most reliable for looking for a blown head gasket, cracked head or a bad intake gasket which is not uncommon with this series of engines. I have replaced quite a few 5.3 cylinder heads for cracks but have done just as many intake gaskets. Go through the motor, do a wet and dry compression test, cylinder leak down test, moniter what you have for vacuum at idle also. If you are unsure what your readings mean, post them and we will help you out. looks like coolant but tough to say without seeing the spark plugs. feel free if you are unsure about any test let us know or pm me privately and I will walk you thru step by step.
good luck

[66larkgs]

ohh don't do any of that head gasket repair crap.. you should see what it does to a heater core!!! it is made to block passages, be wary of them

[LSXperformance]

Agreed ^ thats used car sales repair^ lol

[RichieRath]

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