Jams
Are you sure your problem is not valve stem seals? Did you try a compression
test? The oil consumption and smoke could be from the valve stem seals (which
would have no effect in compression or performance). I remember you saying
that it smoked more when starting, which is a sign of valve stem issues. This
would be much cheaper to repair.
How do your spark plugs look like? Are they greasy or clean? Do you see the
rear bumper wetted with oil? To my experience, these the serious signs of bad
rings.
Hugh Hemphill had (and I think he still does) an aging 392 on his 58. He was
claiming that running a single weight oil (like 30W or 40w) reduced his
smoking. However, such an oil will not lubricate as well as a multi weight.
So, you could try a heavier multi weight first, like a 15w40 or 20w50 (avoid
10w40). But if your problems are simply stem seals, you may not have the same
luck as Hugh
D^2
Quoting James <nyb@xxxxxxx>:
> Hi,
>
> I was wondering if there is a way to reduce smoking without springing
> for a new set of rings. My 76 440 (now known as Smokey the gasoline
> bandit) seems to be puffing smoke continuously, a development of the
> last couple weeks. Not a lot, but enough that you can see it. I
> don't
> have the money to rebuild the engine right now, but being the smoky
> car
> at an intersection can be a little embarrassing. Will using a heavier
> weight oil help? Right now it has 10W30 in it. Oddly enough the car
> seems to be performing better than ever and getting better gas mileage
> too. Any suggestions are appreciated.
>
> James
>
>
>
>
>
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