David;
The black, wet (as in water) soot coming from the exhaust pipe is probably
entirely normal, assuming you are looking at it within a short time after
startup. Water is a normal product of an internal combustion engine, and
when the exhaust system is cold, it appears as a liquid dripping from the
pipe, typically carrying with it some soot from the extra rich mixture used
during warm-up. When the exhaust system is thoroughly hot, the water is
evaporated before it reaches the outside world.
The appearance of oil in the radiator is worrisome, though. What you need
to do is to have your radiator tested by a combustion gas detector. I have
one and will do this for you if you want to drive down here to Temecula, or
you can take it to a local radiator shop and have them test it for you.
Another alternative is to buy the test kit to do this yourself. It is sold
by Balkamp, amongst others, and can be bought at any NAPA store. The
instruction are included, and one kit will last for years and many uses.
The cost is about $50. The result will tell you if you have a blown head
gasket, in which case the oil is probably from the engine. If you don't
have a blown head gasket, it is probably from the transmission.
If you do NOT find combustion gases in the coolant, disconnect the
transmission cooler lines and plug them off. Then drain and flush the
cooling system and refill it. Then drive the car for a few days to see if
the oil still occurs. (The transmission will not object to running without
a cooler unless you abuse it). If the oil does not recur, buy a Hayden
transmission cooler and install it, and forget the rest of the story,
unless you want to have your radiator rebuilt and the incorporated cooler
repaired. The Hayden does a much better job anyway, so I'd advise just
going with that.
If you find there ARE combustion gases in the coolant, you need to do a
compression test to find out which cylinder is leaking. There are other
causes for low compression, though, so make sure that you pressurize each
cylinder at TDC (for that cylinder), one by one, until you see (or hear)
where the leak shows up (coolant, exhaust, intake, crankcase). You want to
avoid barking up the wrong tree by fixing the wrong problem.
If you find one with low compression, and you see bubbles in the radiator or
hear air escaping from the adjacent cylinder (plugs out) when you pressurize
it, that's the place to start looking next, and you'll have to remove the
head to see what is wrong there.
As far as the amount of oil your engine is consuming, without knowing the
amount, I can only guess that it is normal for an engine with 90,000 Mi on
it, perhaps 1 Qt in 500 miles? Or are you bothered by blue smoke from the
tailpipe? Considering the age of your engine, if it has not previously
been done, you certainly need to replace the valve stem seals (assuming the
Hemi uses them, just like real engines), as they have long since turned to
petrified plastic. This would account for blue smoke on deceleration and a
puff or two at startup.
Unless your engine has been severely overheated in the past, I wouldn't
expect your rings to be worn enough to cause serious oil consumption. If
the car has a history of short trips, it would probably help to run a few
oil changes of very high quality detergent oil through it, I prefer Chevron
RPM Delo 400, available at Chevron distributors (not service stations) or at
truck stops, in case lots, 4 gallon jugs per case. I'd use SAE30W in your
car and environment (Southern California), not the multi-vis stuff that is
all the rage these days. A few oil changes of this stuff (at say 1500 miles
per oil change) should free up any stuck oil rings, and probably do your
engine a world of good.
You can buy a lot of oil for the cost of an engine rebuild - and it smells
good when it burns too!
Dick Benjamin (not a member of Greenpeace)
----- Original Message -----
From: <ChickDJC@xxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, June 16, 2002 3:44 PM
Subject: IML: Help! Attention Engine Specialists
> I need advice from the engine folks. My 54 Custom Imperial (331 Hemi) is
> running just fine...but bad symptoms are just starting to occur (original
> miles 90k). There is black, wet (as in water) soot coming from the
exhaust
> pipes. And, there is oil in the radiator. My assumption: bad head
gasket.
> Also, the car burns a bit too much oil for my taste.
>
> So, here is the question: What is the most and least I can do in my garage
on
> my own (without pulling the engine, and without getting a machine shop
> involved or a costly mechanic)?
>
> For example: Pulling the heads should not be a problem. And therefore
> redoing the head gasket should not be a problem either, right? Should I
have
> any work done on the heads with them off?
>
> Okay, what about the engine burning too much oil? Sounds like the rings,
> right? What type of piston/ring work can be done on a car without pulling
> the engine?
>
> What other advice do you have for me? I am being too cheap...and should
pull
> the engine and have the thing re-bored, honed, new pistons, rings etc.?
>
> You advice is most appreciated.
>
> David
> 54 Imperial
>
>
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