top end of my stock 305 TPI

[Viking]

guys - I think I need to get into the top end of my stock 305 TPI. Here is what happend

-Car sat for 3 or 4 days
-Started car, engine turned over but felt like one of the cylinders was fluid locked the way it was cranking.
-Car finally started, filled the garage with smoke, and ejected a decent amount of oily residue out the tailpipe onto the garage floor.

SO, I pop the hood, notice standing oil on the intake manifold. I suspect a bad intake manifold gasket letting oil into a cylinder - please let me know if my line of thinking is correct.

[BonzoHansen]

I don't think oil will get into the cylinder while the car is not running. Oil will seep past intake bolts and puddle.

Pull the spark plugs and see what they look like.

What color smoke?

[Viking]

As I recall, the smoke was white. I know I have a leaky valve seal or two, as upon warm re-start after sitting an hour or so it will give a little puff of oil smoke, but its been doing that since 1995!

[Tru2Chevy]

White smoke is water / coolant burning. Did you happen to notice a sweet smell?

Might have tossed a head gasket, although that wouldn't necessarily explain the oil on the manifold.

- Justin

[Viking]

White smoke is water / coolant burning. Did you happen to notice a sweet smell?

Might have tossed a head gasket, although that wouldn't necessarily explain the oil on the manifold.

- Justin

Weird. No sweet smell. And when I pulled the dip stick I was a quart low. I'm pretty sure its oil but I will monitor the coolant just in case.

Well if I'm going to get down to the intake manifold, I might as well do the whole top end and pull the heads too. Cover all bases and finally get those valve seals replaced too.

Anyone suggest a good local place to send the heads?

[BonzoHansen]

so do you want to fix it or are you just looking for a reason to tear it apart? Either is fine, I'm just curious. If you want to fix it, start by pulling the plugs and seeing what they look like.

[mc73nova]

If it has the amount of miles in your sig. and you are gonna go that far anyway, you might want to think of freshening up the entire engine while your at it.

[Viking]

so do you want to fix it or are you just looking for a reason to tear it apart? Either is fine, I'm just curious. If you want to fix it, start by pulling the plugs and seeing what they look like.

What am I looking for Bonzo when I look at the plugs?

[Featherburner]

What am I looking for Bonzo when I look at the plugs?Steam cleaned or oil fouled.

[BonzoHansen]

you are looking for consistent color across all 8. take them out, keep them numbered so you know which is which and take good pics and post them. not blurry, not all buried in flash, etc.

http://www.aa1car.com/library/reading_spark_plugs.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h143/jasperstang308/Everything%20cars/Tech/howtoreadasparkplug.jpg

What is the story with this? How many times has this motor been apart?
356,000 miles on original 305 TPI.

[Tru2Chevy]

What is the story with this? How many times has this motor been apart?

IIRC, he told me that it has not been torn down before, but I could be wrong.

- Justin

[BonzoHansen]

if it has never been torn down then there is zero sense spending any $$ on it. Do the whole thing.

[Viking]

What is the story with this? How many times has this motor been apart?

This motor has never been opened past a timing chain. The miles are actual, motor stock and original.

Change your oil is my motto.