1. Registration trouble? Please use the "Contact Us" link at the bottom right corner of the page and your issue will be resolved.
    Dismiss Notice

She smokes??

Discussion in 'Early CJ5 and CJ6 Tech' started by gte636p, Aug 23, 2007.

  1. Aug 23, 2007
    gte636p

    gte636p Member

    smyrna, Ga
    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2002
    Messages:
    492
    I just put together my 225 / 231 motor. (231 block, heads, and intake 225 crank, rods, and pistons). And low and behold, it smokes again!!! Now then, the rebuild included machining everything, giving it a valve job and generally trying to bring the motor into fresh conditions again.

    I have not checked the compression numbers just yet (it's still a good 30 miles away from home at the moment). I do know the gas it's running on is about a year old. It has an HEI distributor on it and a new timing setup. I'm running the comp cams camshaft for the stock 231 oddfire setup. The stock 225 carburetor with a 231 base is mounted on the intake manifold. The carburetor has not been tuned in yet, still sitting at two turns from closed. I have the distributor and all other vacume ports that are not being used at this time plugged. The smoke is not particularly black or gray, does not smell excessively of oil and is coming from both the engine compartment, the exhaust leak, and the end of the tailpipe. Is this just burning off residual grease from touching it while putting it together or a sign of something a bit more important??

    Also, the rocker arms are NOISY compared to the 225 setup. Any way to get those guys a bit quiter?
     
  2. Aug 23, 2007
    lynn

    lynn Time machine / Early CJ5 HR Rep Staff Member

    Huntingdon PA
    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2002
    Messages:
    3,437
    How much time is on it so far? What procedure are you using for break in?

    Cylinders honed? New rings? Ring gaps 180*?
     
  3. Aug 23, 2007
    jayhawkclint

    jayhawkclint ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

    Oklahoma City, USA
    Joined:
    May 18, 2006
    Messages:
    2,622
    What spring did you put in the oil pump?
     
  4. Aug 23, 2007
    Mcruff

    Mcruff Earlycj5 Machinist

    Albertville, AL
    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2002
    Messages:
    5,349
    Here is a tip to break it in.
    Never fire up a new motor and run it at idle.
    When breaking in a new motor, fire it up and make sure you have oil pressure and no major leaks, this should take no more than about 15 seconds to determine this. Proceed to rev the engine to about 2500rpm and hold it there for about 20 minutes, watch the temp, oil pressure and the general condition of the motor, this will help seat the rings and wear the cylinders to fit them along with form a wear pattern for the cam.

    Have you changed the oil and got the assemlby lube out of the motor? This stuff is not good for oil filters for a lengthy amount of time!
    Check what Lynn said also!!
     
  5. Aug 24, 2007
    gte636p

    gte636p Member

    smyrna, Ga
    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2002
    Messages:
    492
    Cylinders honed, new rings, pistons, everything... gaps on the rings are 180 out.

    Oil pump has the medium (white??) spring and the high volume kit installed.

    I haven't gotten around to actually breaking it in just yet. Just trying to see if this is a normal thing to smoke like it is. Between hunting down vacuum ports and trying to ge everything running this engine has tops 30 minutes on it so far. It is by no means broken in, but I don't want to break in something that's trash to begin with.

    Needless to say, this is my first "breaking in". Nothing else has ever caused me any problems like this one, they just went in and cranked up with no smoke or ill effects...
     
  6. Aug 24, 2007
    Mcruff

    Mcruff Earlycj5 Machinist

    Albertville, AL
    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2002
    Messages:
    5,349
    Chris when you rebuild a motor, you don't start it and run it like you mentioned, you break it in from the get go. In other words when I rebuilt my engine I started it up checked oil pressure watched the temp and broke it in right then and there. Mine had run a total of about 12 seconds when it hit 2500rpm and stayed there for 20-25 minutes varying the engine speed about 500rpm up and down from the 2500 rpm mark. I watched the oil pressure and the temp the whole time, when I had run it in for the 20-25 minutes I shut it down drained the oil, changed it and the filter. And yes it smoked like crap, they will until the rings are seated and the assembly lube is drained out with the contaminated oil. I then checked the timing and set the idle and fuel mixture.
     
  7. Aug 24, 2007
    lynn

    lynn Time machine / Early CJ5 HR Rep Staff Member

    Huntingdon PA
    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2002
    Messages:
    3,437
    I'm with Mike on this Chris.... probably should have done it earlier... but at this point its best to follow his break in procedure as described above. After that, and the oil change and carb/timing adjust, report back, see if that cures the issue. (As Mike said, it will probably smoke and not run well during the break in process but should clear up afterward)
     
  8. Aug 24, 2007
    gte636p

    gte636p Member

    smyrna, Ga
    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2002
    Messages:
    492
    ehh, it doesn't have much time on it at all, just enough to verify it has oil pressure and try to find some noises in it... traced to the 231 valve train.

    Thanks for the help though, i was about ready to throw another wrench at in anger.
     
  9. Aug 24, 2007
    jayhawkclint

    jayhawkclint ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

    Oklahoma City, USA
    Joined:
    May 18, 2006
    Messages:
    2,622
    After you do what McRuff and Lynn said, you might want to take a look at that spring. I put in the Melling high volume kit and couldn't get it to stop smoking until I went back to the stock spring.
     
  10. Aug 24, 2007
    lynn

    lynn Time machine / Early CJ5 HR Rep Staff Member

    Huntingdon PA
    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2002
    Messages:
    3,437
    As Clint said. In my experience, the softest spring in the Melling kit was supposed to be similar to stock, and provided plenty of oil pressure...
     
  11. Aug 27, 2007
    gte636p

    gte636p Member

    smyrna, Ga
    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2002
    Messages:
    492
    smoking - gone
    oil out of dipstick tube - gone (not related to original smoking question)
    oil pressure - 0

    hopefully something is clogged... it's time to change filters, check the oil pump, check the sump pump screen, check for a potentially spun bearing, and test out a new gauge. after that i'm lost again.
     
  12. Aug 27, 2007
    Mcruff

    Mcruff Earlycj5 Machinist

    Albertville, AL
    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2002
    Messages:
    5,349
    Chris did you say you have 231 valve train on this motor? If so did you change the pushrods and all, the 225 valve train lubes the rockers thru a hole in the head that matches up with the front of the block, it follows thru the block to the rocker shaft and out to each rocker, the 231 lubes to the lifter and then thru the pushrods to the rockers themselves.
     
  13. Aug 27, 2007
    Vanguard

    Vanguard Take Off! Staff Member

    Vista, CA USA
    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2006
    Messages:
    2,256
    Is your distributor hold down in place and bolted down? Without it, the distributor can rise up just enough to keep it from driving the oil pump and the motor will continue to run. You should make sure that the distributor is seated all the way down and flush with the timing cover. I had the same issue just recently.
     
  14. Aug 27, 2007
    Mcruff

    Mcruff Earlycj5 Machinist

    Albertville, AL
    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2002
    Messages:
    5,349
    Very good point Joel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     
  15. Aug 27, 2007
    Vanguard

    Vanguard Take Off! Staff Member

    Vista, CA USA
    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2006
    Messages:
    2,256
    It had me pretty darn worried, too!
     
  16. Aug 27, 2007
    gte636p

    gte636p Member

    smyrna, Ga
    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2002
    Messages:
    492
    ayup... 231 valve train with brand new 231 lifters, push rods, heads, etc... just a 231 with a 225 crank and rods. (and noisy 231 valve train...).

    I'll keep an eye out on that distributor bolt. Sounds like something too simple. That would be my style.
     
New Posts