I have a 283 chev small block that fires up right away and seems to have decent power. Once it warms up, it smokes a lot. it has dual exhaust and smokes from both pipes. I like this engine and would like to retain it even though I have a good running 400 small block that would drop right in. WHAT IS MY PROBLEM? ANY ADVICE?
What are you running for oil? (assuming it's blue smoke coming out of the tailpipes.) If it's white smoke....head gasket?
Oil return holes in heads blocked with sludge? Badly worn valve guides. Diluted oil from leaky fuel pump. ???
That's probably pretty light oil for a tired engine. I'd suggest running a compression test and see what the compression is but most likely the thing is worn out and needs a rebuild. Or at least a ring and valve job.
Probably rings and/or guides. A leak down test will give you a good idea of whether you need new rings and/or a valve job. blue smoke - oil white smoke - water black smoke - way too rich - or you have your old Detroit Diesel running just right
Are you running an intake with a front oil fill and rear draft tube .....? If not you could be building pressure in the block...d32
Rear draft tube? The intake has a fill tube on the front. The engine has around 20,000 miles on it but it sat for a long time. I will do a compression test and report back.
That brings up a very good point. Often a road tube could get restrictive simply because someone forgot to clean out the steel wool or mesh screen hiddin inside the road tube. Make sure you check the road tube ESPECIALLY if you see a cotter pin stuck in the side of it or a couple holes drilled thru the side of the tube or a wire sticking out. That can tell you there is something inside you need to fish out and clean. Even if you don't see that, check to be sure it is clear. Ditto for the front breather cap if it hasn't been soaked and flushed in a while.
Well, I have to give a big thank you to all of your advice. It was mostly black smoke but I saw a hint of blue and figured that it must be all oil (I was wrong). I took the advice of mr48chev. I changed the oil to a heavier weight and also threw some additive for engines that were designed for use with leaded gasoline into the tank. the little bit of blue went away but the big amounts of black remained. I got some advice from a carb guy and fooled around with the carb for a while. BAMM, no more smoke of any kind. I am going to send the carb for a rebuild anyway but I am just glad that it runs nice now. Thanks again