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Re: TR3a Smoke from Oil Filler (long but erudite):-)

To: Paulsv@aol.com
Subject: Re: TR3a Smoke from Oil Filler (long but erudite):-)
From: Jay Wassall <wassallj@philly.infi.net>
Date: Sat, 21 Dec 1996 20:05:54 -0800
Cc: Triumphs@autox.team.net
References: <961221182238_610525380@emout04.mail.aol.com>
Paulsv@aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 96-12-21 17:50:55 EST, wassallj@philly.infi.net (Jay
> Wassall) writes:
> 
> << previous owner said he thought it had a burnt valve.  Could that be
>  causing all the smoke from the filler cap? >>
> I sure don't see how, unless you also have real bad valve guides.  First you
> would have to have worn valve guides to let oil into the cylinders to burn.
>  Then the smoke would have to come out thru the burnt valve, back through the
> valve guides, rather than going out the exhaust or intake manifold, depending
> on which valve is burnt.  It seems more likely to me that the rocker shaft
> and rockers have insufficient oil flow and are getting hot, or you have worn
> rings,(or broken rings in one or more cylinders) and there is a lot of
> blow-by, causing smoke in the crank-case, which filters up out of  the oil
> filler cap when you stop.  Do you also get some out of the breather tube on
> the driver's side of the engine?  If so, it would make the worn rings
> diagnosis more likely.  In any case, what you need to do is test the
> compression in each cylinder.  They should be around 135+, and within 5 or 10
> pounds of eachother.  If you have a low one, you can test to see if it is a
> burnt valve by squirting a little oil into the cylinder to coat the rings,
> and see if the compression improves.  If not, it is a valve problem.  If so,
> it is a ring problem.  (A better test would be a leak-down test.)  Since you
> have such good oil pressure, I wouldn't expect the engine to be worn enough
> to have worn-out rings, so you could have broken rings or a scored cylinder
> in one of the cylinders.  If none of the fore-going helps, can you quick get
> the valve cover off when it is smoking, to see where the smoke is coming
> from?  Could it be steam from a crack in the head, or a loose water plug?
> (There is one, I believe from memory, on top of the head between the #2 and
> #3 cylinders.)  Or if you have a lot of gunk built up under your valve cover,
> clean it good and see if that helps.  Finally, it might be possible that the
> oil return lines from the top of the head to the crankcase are clogged, and a
> lot of hot oil sits on top of the head after you run it hard, and smokes a
> little.  If this is the case you might see a lot of smoke out the tail pipe
> when you run at high speeds for an extended time.  Well, I guess I've beat
> this one to death, so I'll sign off now.  Be sure to keep the list posted on
> developments.
> Paul
The exhaust does not smoke at all, I suspect it would if I had a broken
ring.  I will check the oil passages.  Thanks for the quick and thorough
response!

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