General answers to a couple of common questions that people can't seem to accept when dealing with their issues.

Q. My car smokes when it idles for a few minutes but it doesn't when I first start it up in the morning. What's causing this?

The first thing people blame is the turbo for causing the smoking....which is possible but what if you KNOW that the turbo is good? Well, a little known fact is that the exhaust valve stem seals can cause this same problem! Yes, it's true. If you have worn guides and seals on the exhaust side of the cylinder head oil can seep past them while at idle and cause smoking. This will only happen after it's been idling for a few minutes. I once had a 89 Turbo Trans Am that loved to blow the exhaust valve stem seals up on the valve stem and "ride" as they go up and down. I believe the seal was acting like a toilet plunger and pushing the oil down the stem as the engine was running. Here is what was happening... When the valve was closed the seal was at the top of the stem allowing oil to splash onto the stem/guide. As the valve was pushed back down the seal trapped the oil beneath it and pushed it down the guide and into the hot exhaust. This plunging action will allow so much oil to leak past that it will actually run out between the head and the exhaust manifold. This will confirm that it's what's causing the problem if you have oil under the manifold tubes and the valve cover gaskets are dry...(not leaking). I've seen where a person  rebuilt their complete engine before because he wouldn't accept that this could happen.  Pity...money thrown away for nothing.  CURE: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE NEW SEALS AND ARE INSTALLED PROPERLY!

Q. I have wear on my camshaft & cam sensor gears and on the thrust surface of the block. I don't know what's causing it. Can you help me?

When using a high volume/high pressure oil pump this loads the camshaft/cam sensor gears more than normal. It takes more HP to turn one of these pumps than a stock one. Since the gears are not directly oiled by pressure it relies on oil "splashing" to lubricate them. Now, lets get down the the "nitty gritty" about how this causes wear. Higher oil pressure puts more strain on the oil pump gears which now have to be turned using more pressure by the cam sensor. The gear on the cam sensor rubs against the gear on the camshaft. Due to the design, the camshaft is now "driven" backwards into the thrust surface of the block. This is needed so it doesn't "pull" the camshaft out into the timing cover. Even though the thrust surface behind the cam is pressure fed by the front cam bearing it still doesn't have "direct" oil pressure from the oil galley. This means that if the oil pump is supplying very high pressures the thrust surface of the cam will be able to contact the front of the block and wear out. Not only does a high pressure/volume oil pump put loads on the gears it also loads the timing chain since that is what's driving everything in the first place. This same thing happens on other "brands" of engines also so don't feel so bad. CURE: Install a direct pressure "spray" nozzle to help or buy an external crank driven oiling system. You could also make a gerotor oil pump that drives directly off the crankshaft like I did. <grins>

Q. How to help cure the dreaded oil blowing out of the breathers? This should be done BEFORE installing a vacuum pump on your engine.

Fix what's causing the problem...plain and simple!  A bad PCV system will cause crankcase pressures under boost. Make sure that is working 100% first. If you've already got that PCV system working as good as possible then you must have other issues.

Piston rings: They need to seal very good to eliminate blow-by. If they don't seal properly high cylinder pressures blow past the rings and into the crankcase causing pressure. This forces the oil out of the breathers. To help cure this you'll need to install gapless piston rings.

Valve Guides and Seals: Another cause of pressure in the crank case is worn out valve guides and valve seals. Since there is positive pressure in the intake, the pressure can travel up the intake valve stem and past the seal into the crankcase. Remember, 20psi of boost can leak past a worn guide/seal quickly. This is especially true on the exhaust. Since the exhaust pressure is usually almost twice as much as the boost pressure, burnt gases from the exhaust can enter the crankcase through worn valve stem seals.

Head gaskets: Leaky cylinder head gaskets. High cylinder pressure can leak past the head gasket and into the crankcase also. Obviously, this is probably the majority of where all the pressure comes from in a higher mileage Turbo Buick engine that's been pounded to death.

Misc: Most likely not the cause but worth mentioning. Leaking intake gaskets, a crack in the intake manifold or head. Even the turbo could be causing some but again it's a possibility that could be true. Got to cover everything...

If you don't cure these first you will ALWAYS have excessive blow-by more than normal. The only solution I can offer to you is to install a downdraft tube like the cars of the 40's, 50's and early 60's. This will allow the oil to be drained under the car and not on top of your engine. It probably won't make it past your local track tech inspection though...

CURE: You're not going to get rid of back pressure 100% but it's nice to know that you took all measures to try.

Q: My Turbo Buick sounds like shit. I installed a hydraulic roller cam in my car and it's very noisy. What's the deal with that?

The good thing about roller cams is they provide a lot of valve lift with very short duration. This can lead to power gains that won't affect drivability much. The bad thing is with such steep ramps on the camshaft lobes it can lead to hydraulic lifter bleed down when idling. The Buick V6's shitty oiling system doesn't help either. This leads to a noisy valve train that's annoying. In my experience, I've tried different lifters to try to get rid of the noise but it still stays the same. I've found that it IS possible to get rid of the noise using solid lifters. OMG...SOLID LIFTERS? YES! People think that solid lifters are suppose  to be noisy but when they are properly adjusted you can't hear a single one tap...TRUE. Manufacturers have had solid lifters cams for years that are quiet with proper adjustment so why can't we? Common myth is the roller lifter "tie bar" is noisy while the lifter is in action and I once thought that was true also...until I changed to solid lifters. So, don't be afraid to put solid lifters on your hydraulic roller cam. Once you have them adjusted properly they can be quiet as a mouse! Oh, don't even think you have to re-adjust them every other week because you don't. I try to do it about every three to four months. Yes, they require a little more care than hydraulic lifters but it's not going to kill you to pull the valve covers 4 times a year you lazy ass... now will it?

Q: So-n-so's car is running mid to low 10's and even 9's with only a SINGLE in-tank fuel pump and alky. How can that be possible?

Sorry to burst your bubble but EVERY alcohol equipped Turbo Regal has TWO fuel systems. One is the stock system that you fill up at your local gas station and the other is the alcohol jug under your hood (or in your trunk).  The way these two systems work together is when the boost rises on pump gas the alcohol system, at a predetermined boost level, starts to pump in extra fuel...aka...alcohol. Since the alcohol system also has a fuel pump they both combine to provide enough fuel to support the HP it takes to run that fast. So, think of an alcohol equipped Turbo Regal as having a Dual Fuel System with one pump for 93 octane gas and the other pump for alcohol.

Q: Drilling the main bearing oil passages larger in the block will make your oil pressure drop. Will you will need a high volume oil pump to make up for the pressure loss?

Hell no! How can it be possible that enlarging the holes makes a engine have low oil pressure? You don't create a leak anywhere by doing it. It just allows the oil to flow "quicker" through the ports until it gets to the bearings. If the bearings have the proper clearance it will not leak past them anymore than having a standard pump in it. The only downside I see is it makes the block weaker and it also will take slightly  more time to fill up the passages when the engine is started.

If you do drill the main passages out and port all the 90* angles in the oiling system then you should have more pressure at the bearings themselves; which in a good thing! Like in the drawing below.

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More to come as I see them...

Page Updated October 27th 2007.