So I have just discovered after taking apart my motor (due to thick clouds of blue smoke coming out of exhaust and two permanent black rings in my lawn) that I am not in any way prepared for this rebuild. I am hoping to change that with some help from all of you. I have no idea where to begin.. All that I want now is to get out from under This project without a loss. The truck is in otherwise perfect condition so I guess what I need to know is how can I rebuild this motor at minimal cost and get it to run good enough to put my name on a bill of sale and nit set the buyer up with a headache. Any kind of feedback is appreciated and I'm aware I wasn't very descriptive on the issues, mainly because I am not educated enough to notice them.

 

Is the motor out of the truck and apart?

Have you found the reason for the oil burning?

Heads - valve seals, worn guides......what do the plugs look like? All oil fouled or just some......which bank is burning the oil - easy to tell if you have dual exhaust - which it seems like you do. Both heads?

Then....mebbe it's just new ring time, if the pistons/cylinders are still in good shape, but if it's burning oil due to bad/worn out rings, you may need to bore out the cylinders. Mic them out. You could get lucky and have it be just valve seals.

Has the vehicle been run regularly?

 

Thank you for your reply and yes it is set up as dual exhaust and it was definitely coming from both heads. I have only gotten as far as dropping the oil pan which was at least a 50 50 mixture of fuel and oil, does that help narrow down the cause at all? When I take out the pistons how will I be able to tell if it was the rings or valves causing the leak. I appreciate any feedback you can provide

 

Fuel in the oil (pan) is not a good sign. Gas mixed with oil while running would wash the oil from everywhere...cylinder walls, etc, and definitely hurt the all your berrins.

Reason for gas in the oil usually would be from a faulty fuel pump....bad diaphragm. It could pump just enough fuel to the carb to keep it running, but some fuel would get past the diaphragm and into the pan.

A carburetor with the floats set too high (allowing too much fuel to get in the combustion chamber) would show up as black smoke out the exhaust, and you'd smell it, too.

What do the plugs look like?

Too bad you've pulled the pan - a compression check would give a hint as to ring wear. You could still try a leak down test, I suppose....if you're not sure what those are, "google" it....or find it on 'youtube' - lots of stuff there......

If you're going to try 'em, don't pull the heads yet.

Maybe some others with more knowledge will get on here an help out, too.

 

. Yes, you need to do a search for 'rebuild first engine' and look at the articles and photos that come up that will show you what to look for inside your engine... and, yes, a compression check on all 8 cylinders before disassembling the engine can tell you which cylinders, if not all cylinders, to look into for problems... BTW, that is done with carb. removed or at WOT... and ignition disconnected to prevent chances of fires...

 

If the engine runs good, Fuel pumps are cheap. I think I'd change it first. I'd put the pan back on, change the oil and filter and run the engine for 10 or 15 mins and check the oil level. If the oil level has increased then it's in the carb. If it's still on the Mark, then do two compression checks (you'll need a remote starter button and a compression tester usually available at parts stores for rent or even free); one dry and one wet with a couple squirts of engine oil in each cylinder. You may see an increase in PSI between wet and dry but what you're really looking for is no more than 20% to 25% difference between cylinders. If you have more than 25% difference you're in for more expense, head job or re-ring or worst case block over bore, new pistons, rings, bearings etc.
Almost forgot: if your compression is low in two adjacent cylinders it could be a blown head gasket but you need to have the heads checked and possibly milled because one may have got hot and warped.
Good luck and keep your fingers crossed.