So first up a big thank you to all who helped get me this far! On Wednesday we got Kizbee fired up for the first time in over 8 years and after a trundle through the village celebrated with a couple of ales. Too soon. Today the heat coming off at idle was huge and after another 5 minute trundle oil smoke was billowing; from the breather chamber and filler neck when inspected. A digital thermometer in the dipstick showed 80°C. The oil pump was relatively new so I didn't inspect on the rebuild (doh) neither the cooler (though I wouldn't know where to start) I'm thinking it has to be these 2 as possible culprits. Before I strip the fan out to get to them had anyone any other suggestions? Cheers folks.
80 degrees C is normal running. If you have " smoke " billowing from inside the engine : have you changed the oil before driving it after 8 years of standing. The smoke may be steam from water that got in to the oil if you had the engine out and left it outside and it rained. If its real smoke from the breather with the oil temperature normal, your engine is toast (new pistons and cylinders needed now ?..) or the piston rings are stuck and leaking like crazy. Change the oil, take it for another slightly less relaxed drive, see if it settles down. Check the compression after.
I've rebuilt the top end so new b&p's, new cylinder heads with weber 34icts on. I did have a good look in the crank case for anything obvious before assembly, though of course now I'm wishing I'd flushed the whole thing out tbh. There's nothing from the exhaust to suggest oil leaking through the piston rings the smoke was billowing out of the fins when I spotted it. Briefly thought the engine had decided to mix things up and experiment with external combustion for a change.
Rebuilding the top end and not the bottom is a bit of a false economy. Start with a compression check or leak down test ... it may just be *******ed off with you for leaving it so long
It'll be water causing steam I had this it cleared, was it coming from the engine or the exhaust? What colour blue or white?
It's a recon bottom end, the cylinder heads were the fatal flaw in the previous build as they were old and then cracked. I agree it is urinalysis negative with me though.
Oh I wish for some good old fashioned oil on heat exchanger smoke. Unfortunately not. A proper internal fume belching out through the engine bay. The belly of the engine is dry, in this respect alone I am happy.
The other nightmare could be a rapidly melting crankshaft bearing with an oil blockage, smoke coming from oil burning on bearing - is it easy to turn over by hand ?