Hello folks, I'm new to the board.

I recently got a '73 F100. After replacing the plugs, oil and points, I got the engine running (360). I don't think it had run for about 8 years or so. I ran it for about 5 minutes and it was smoking really bad the whole time. Might this just be a temporary thing or is the engine going to keep burning a lot of oil?

Any tips for breaking the engine back in to get it to stop smoking?

thanks

Mark

 

After mine sat for 10 years I did the same as you and i put a very small amount of oil in each cylinder to help reseat the rings. Your valve seals are probobly alittle old but only time will tell.

 

First, Welcome to FTE. You'll find a lot of good information and help here.
The smoking could be from several things.

1. Worn out engine, only a rebuild will fix this.
2. Seized rings from sitting so long. Running may help them loosen back up. If it still smokes after runinng it for say 300 to 500 miles, then put a little Marvel Mystery Oil in each cylinder, and let it sit overnight. That may help. If they are seized, only a rebuild will fix it.
3. Hardened valve sem seals. These are rubber, and they harden with time and heat. They can be replaced without removing the head, but it is a little tedious to do the work.
4. Plugged oil drain holes. Pull the valve covers and check for crud in the drain holes. If it puddles inside the head, it will make it smoke more.

Finally, does it smoke on start up and then clear up? If so, it may also be worn valve guides together with hardened valve seals.

 

Sloop, here is a method to check the engine for ring wear and for valve stem/seals issues:

On a straight away get up to about 30 or 40 mph. Shift to 3rd or 4th if a manual, or get it to shift to third if an automatic, and then goose the engine. Don't over-rev the engine, though. Watch the exhaust as you goose it. If you get piles of smoke, then you have ring and engine wear issues to deal with.
Once you get up to about 50 or 60, take your foot off the gas and let it coast. Downshift one gear if you can. You want the engine revving a little higher, and braking the truck. If you have smoke now, it means you have valve seals or valve stem wear issues.

 

forgot to mention, but I did put some marvel mystery oil in each cylinder, about 2 weeks ago when i put new plugs in. unfortunately I can't do the road test, banjopicker, because I don't have a license plate for the truck yet. it is smoking on start up, and it does not clear up. it definately smokes more if i rev the engine. perhaps i will dump some of that 'engine restore' treatment in the oil that they sell at the parts store.

 

Well say what you want about that engine restorer, but i have had some nice improvements useing it.

 

nothin to lose, i'll try every treatment i can find

 

How long have you run it? It may take some little time to burn the oil off. My son's 360 has bad stem seals, and it takes a god 10 minutes to burn completely off, and he drives it everyday.

 

Ah....I was in the same boat a couple months ago. My 360 had sat for 7 years before I got it and for about 8 years when it was new. It belched blue smoke like it was on fire. Put it on the road finally and the smoking did get better (almost stopped except when idling, shifting, coasting). But it went through a quart of oil in 50 miles. And what it didn't burn it puked, leaked or blew into the air filter literally plugging it in a week. Truck was well maintained as I could tell when I tore it down because the engine was relatively clean inside. But it had some cracked compression rings and the oil rings were shot. More than likely from sitting all those years they must've stuck and when it was started they cracked. But I have to say for an engine with one foot in the grave the old 360 would hold its own and ran good. But it's now a 390. No smoking and even more power. I'd try everything you can. That's what I did. But an engine that has set up for a while can be frustrating. I just couldn't believe that my 180,000 mile LTD 390 didn't burn a drop of oil and my 116,000 mile F150 360 needed rebuilding. But the LTD never sat for any period of time.

 

Diesel oil is supposed to be good for freeing up stuck rings. I know it worked in my explorer. I had one cylinder that was oil fouling a spark plug every 100 miles, and at the time I was using Mobil Drive Clean. I switched to diesel rated Mystik JT-8 10w30 and the problem went away. I checked it last time I changed the oil and the plug was a nice brown tan color, no oil contamination at all. Give it a try. If you cant find the Mystik, get Rotella or Delo 15w40.

 

You can never tell my 360 sat in a field for 10 years I did the prep work tuned it up fired it and its been running strong ever since. The speedo was over 200k when i got it and its been driving for.....o about 9 or 10 years now. No smoke no problems...well axle bearings are ****en me off. I have changed the lifters on it and rebuilt the carb. other than that its ran the same every time.

 

I changed the oil today with Rotella 15w40, a can of V8 Engine Restorer, and another engine restoration - called Risline I think. It is still smoking like crazy out the exhaust pipe, so I am looking for another engine to put in now.

 

you got to give it time too, I dont think i would have put the rislone and the restorer in at the same time though .

 

Thanks for all of the replies. I got a great deal on another engine from a member here, not sure if it is a 360 or a 390 though. I pulled the old engine out tonight:

 

my truck had a 360 in it when i first got it from my dad. the truck had set for a couple years and he said he thought the lifters had collapsed in it before he parked it. i took the oil pump off to put on a new one at the same time i was gonna put new lifters in and i found the drive rod coming down from the distributor was broken. i used a peice of a quarter inch allen wrench and welded it to the broken rod, ground it down and put it back together with the new oil pump. since i had'nt done any other tear down yet i threw in a battery and some gas in the carb and she cranked up. she ran like crap and smoked like a freight train for about 5 or so minutes then the smoke died down and she purred like a kitten. i drove the truck about 200 out of the 350 miles to my home when it went down again. it was the rubber diaphram in the carb that had dry rotted. i fixed that and ran the truck for years. then something that no one has been able to explain happened and i took the 360 out and put in a 351m. the motor did not leak oil and it did not smoke but it would drop 5 quarts of oil all at once. i could fill it up today and tomorrow nothing on the dipstick. or it would run for a month with no problem then knock knock knock anyone got any ideas or share the same experience? and no i have never been on drugs or anything to make me hallucinate