Some help for a local

[N2BRK]

I sold my old lb7 heads for peanuts on facenuts to a really nice kid about 1-1/2hrs away. He just sent me this:

“…I had the heads resurfaced cleaned , vacuum/pressure tested and new injector cup o rings all done by a local engine shop. I reinstalled everything with new gaskets,studs, injectors, hard lines. started the truck up started fine, and ran but blow a blueish smoke getting worse with acceleration, had a rough idle. I noticed fuel leaking by cylinder 8, I found what looks to be a fuel like at the hardline at cylinder 8 so I pulled the valve cover back off again and found a milky like coating on the top of the valve cover injectors are all seated I’m not sure where to go from here, I’m supposed to be leaving for a camping trip Thursday. …”

I’m no expert, but I’m going to suggest either a cracked injector or leaking line. Can he test this to see which? Like run the engine without the valve cover and look for the fountain??? Any other advice that I can relay to him, please? Thanks!

Wally

 

[2004LB7]

Milky like coating to me sounds like coolant and oil mix more then fuel oil. Have him take a sample of oil from the drain and see what it looks like and do the paper towel test

 

[Bdsankey]

I sold my old lb7 heads for peanuts on facenuts to a really nice kid about 1-1/2hrs away. He just sent me this:

“…I had the heads resurfaced cleaned , vacuum/pressure tested and new injector cup o rings all done by a local engine shop. I reinstalled everything with new gaskets,studs, injectors, hard lines. started the truck up started fine, and ran but blow a blueish smoke getting worse with acceleration, had a rough idle. I noticed fuel leaking by cylinder 8, I found what looks to be a fuel like at the hardline at cylinder 8 so I pulled the valve cover back off again and found a milky like coating on the top of the valve cover injectors are all seated I’m not sure where to go from here, I’m supposed to be leaving for a camping trip Thursday. …”

I’m no expert, but I’m going to suggest either a cracked injector or leaking line. Can he test this to see which? Like run the engine without the valve cover and look for the fountain??? Any other advice that I can relay to him, please? Thanks!

Wally

Personally I think it's coolant related since it's milky, usually fuel doesn't produce a milky substance that I've seen. If it is coolant, I'd be curious where it's coming in from. Is he positive he's got the HGs on in the correct orientation/locations?


If it is fuel, I would bet a high pressure line was over torqued at one point which caused the feed fitting to rotate/come unseated and now it's spraying fuel everywhere or a cracked body or he's got a leaking return line.

 

[N2BRK]

Update this AM:

No sadly I can’t figure out what going on with it. I drained a little oil from the plug and I seems normal. I pulled the passenger side valve cover and it’s the same milky like film on the top of it definitely coolant leaking some how into it. None of the cups look lifted at all I tried pressure testing the cooling system and can’t even get to build pressure. I almost find it hard to believe it’s something with the heads or the cups only because I had them tested and installed by a reputable machine shop. My only thought is the take the heads back off and try putting it back together with new gaskets and see if he will retest the heads. But honestly at this point I’m just kind of throwing parts at it because I’m not sure where it’s coming from. Or if it’s even something unrelated to work I did. But trying to not take it to a shop only because that’s not gonna be cheap and I’m already in the hole with this thing. But I had to cancel the trip so it’s not as pressing now but still have to get it figured out.

 

[Chevy1925]

Did he change the oil after he did the head gaskets? Or is he running the same oil?

As for smoke, I’d be looking at balance rates and main rate.

Let’s start with the simple questions

 

[1FastBrick]

I wonder if he missed tightening a head bolt?

 

[NC-smokinlmm]

Sounds like he put the gaskets in wrong orientation.

 

[N2BRK]

I asked him that more than once. He said there were two of them and they made 100% sure to put them on correctly… but I’m not 100% convinced

 

[JoshH]

Milky substance in the valve covers could be something as simple as condensation from not having the engine up to temp to burn out the moisture in the air. It's a big reason why short trips are so hard on an engine.