Finally fired up--What to expect after head replacement

[Fastback50]

Hey guys,

After some trials and tribulations (and LOTS of reading plus help from you all) I successfully removed head, fixed stuck valve, replaced head, and got it started :) I changed the oil, drained the block of coolant, and put new coolant in the radiator. When I changed the oil I went with 4 quarts Rotella 30w, and one quart of Lucas' zinc additive. It runs rough, and I get LOTS of white smoke which to me, KIND of smells like coolant but I could be wrong. There is no coolant in the oil, I checked a few times. I also have some black gunk/oil substance blowing out my tail pipe. I have re-torqued the head bolts after a few heat cycles per the manual, and fixed a leaky bypass oil canister. My temp gage read right in the middle and it does work, oil pressure was around 40, and my amp gauge would run up to 40 with increased rpm's.

Questions:

Is it normal for this thing to smoke so much after 8 years sitting and the head swap? If so, how long before it "cleans up"?
Are there any gas/oil additives I should add other than the zinc? Initially I ran what we call "hot gas" around here--gas with a touch of ATF to lube up dry cylinders, plus yesterday I gave each cylinder a shot of oil through the plug holes prior to start-up.
Can I run it without an oil filter in the canister; is it bad for it?

Sorry if I'm rambling--getting this thing fired up has got me all giddy...hoping something isn't catastrophically wrong due to the smoking/exhaust discharge. This engine sounds cool.

Edited September 17, 2016 by jxc330

[Dodgeb4ya]

Run it for a couple hours. It should clear up of smoke.

Make sure your plugs are not coolant or oil fouled too.

[Fastback50]

3 minutes ago, Dodgeb4ya said:

Run it for a couple hours. It should clear up of smoke.

Make sure your plugs are not coolant or oil fouled too.

Thanks, will do.

[knuckleharley]

Nothing unusual about smoke from a old one that has been sitting a long time. Especially one that needed and received a valve job and a tune up.

I drove my 51 Ford around for a couple of weeks before all the crap burned up that was in the exhaust system and it started "gassing me" to the point where I couldn't drive it anymore and had to put a whole new exhaust system on it. The floor of the car is full of holes,but all the crud built up in the system over the years of use with old oil,plugs,and plug wires had the rust holes in the exhaust and tail pipe plugged up. Once all that  stuff burnt off the fumes were more than I could deal with even with the windows rolled down. I don't know how old the gas was in the gas tank,but the bottom inside looked like it was covered with tar.  The car had been sitting for 26 years when I bought it. It now has a brand new gas tank and gas lines.

Replaced the entire exhaust system and now it doesn't smoke at all.

Hope to replace the floors this winter if I can bring myself to pull it off the road long enough to do all the bodywork,replace the complete wiring harness,all the rubber,pull the front clip,the engine and trans,and then sand the body to the bare metal and get a pro to repaint it.

Hope to have my 31 Plymouth coupe back on the road again while all that is going on so I have something fun to drive.

 

 

Edited September 18, 2016 by knuckleharley

[Don Coatney]

There are many additives you can buy and add to your gasoline and oil that will continue to make the engine smoke and may do good job of coating the insides of the exhaust slowing the rust build up and possibly adding to the life span of the exhaust system. The engine oils sold today have more zink in them than the oils available when the car was new. So if it makes you feel good buying these additives by all means do so. But your engine will not run or perform any better.

[Fastback50]

20 minutes ago, knuckleharley said:

Nothing unusual about smoke from a old one that has been sitting a long time. Especially one that needed and received a valve job and a tune up.

I drove my 51 Ford around for a couple of weeks before all the crap burned up that was in the exhaust system and it started "gassing me" to the point where I couldn't drive it anymore and had to put a whole new exhaust system on it. The floor of the car is full of holes,but all the crud built up in the system over the years of use with old oil,plugs,and plug wires had the rust holes in the exhaust and tail pipe plugged up. Once all that  stuff burnt off the fumes were more than I could deal with even with the windows rolled down. I don't know how old the gas was in the gas tank,but the bottom inside looked like it was covered with tar.  The car had been sitting for 26 years when I bought it. It now has a brand new gas tank and gas lines.

Replaced the entire exhaust system and now it doesn't smoke at all.

Hope to replace the floors this winter if I can bring myself to pull it off the road long enough to do all the bodywork,replace the complete wiring harness,all the rubber,pull the front clip,the engine and trans,and then sand the body to the bare metal and get a pro to repaint it.

Hope to have my 31 Plymouth coupe back on the road again while all that is going on so I have something fun to drive.

 

 

Yes, just sitting in the car in the driveway I am sucking fumes from the epic clouds of smoke billowing out.  I'm sure my neighbors love me lol.  I'd love to see pics of the '51 Ford Knuckle.  Right now I don't have fuel lines (that I trust) running to the tank and I haven't done an inspection of the tank, so can't drive it yet.  I'm thinking of rigging a gas tank and flexible full line tomorrow so that I have a few gallons to try cursing her down the road.  I just found my coolant leak, which is in the heater core.  Wondering of some Stop Leak will fix it for now.....

[Fastback50]

17 minutes ago, Don Coatney said:

There are many additives you can buy and add to your gasoline and oil that will continue to make the engine smoke and may do good job of coating the insides of the exhaust slowing the rust build up and possibly adding to the life span of the exhaust system. The engine oils sold today have more zink in them than the oils available when the car was new. So if it makes you feel good buying these additives by all means do so. But your engine will not run or perform any better.

Thanks Don,

I bought the zinc additive yesterday because a guy I know that races told me that the oil companies stopped adding zinc to oil altogether within the last 10-15 years.  Now I'm the novice here, so I'm not debating with anyone, I just took his advice to buy the zinc additive because he said it would help to protect the moving parts within the motor.  If you are saying I don't need zinc, I believe you.  Also, I'm running non-ethanol gas....not sure how guys on here feel about that, but I can't see ethanol gas being good for this engine.

I was more looking to see if something like Seafoam or other additive could be added to the gas to "clean" all the carbon and stuff making the smoke.  If anyone has had luck with a product that would clear up this smoky condition earlier than usual, let me know   I'll be in the driveway gassing the neighborhood lol.  

[casper50]

In my expierence stop leak = new radiator or heater core down the road.  Just my 2 cents

 

 

[Don Coatney]

7 hours ago, jxc330 said:

Thanks Don,

I bought the zinc additive yesterday because a guy I know that races told me that the oil companies stopped adding zinc to oil altogether within the last 10-15 years.  Now I'm the novice here, so I'm not debating with anyone, I just took his advice to buy the zinc additive because he said it would help to protect the moving parts within the motor.

In a flat tappet race engine such as a SBC routinely spinning 8-9 thousand RPM's the addition of zinc may be helpful. But in these flathead engines that rarely if ever see 4000 RPM's additional zinc is not required.

[knuckleharley]

1 hour ago, Don Coatney said:

In a flat tappet race engine such as a SBC routinely spinning 8-9 thousand RPM's the addition of zinc may be helpful. But in these flathead engines that rarely if ever see 4000 RPM's additional zinc is not required.

Guys that run hot Y-Block Ford engines have had a lot of trouble with camshafts breaking if they don't run oil with Zinc in it. It's the high spring rate hot cams need. Zinc provides the "cushion" needed to reduce the pressure.

People get around this by using a 15-40 diesel oil because the diesel oils all still have the zinc additive.

[Plymouthy Adams]

most everyone running high lift racing cams experience trouble but not due to low or no zinc..due to improper breaking procedures...couple that with letting them whompy whomp at idle just to hear the sound they make..man I knew had three cams changed in a short period of time...I told him to follow the proper procedure...installed the cam per instructions...worked like a charm..

[Fastback50]

8 hours ago, casper50 said:

In my expierence stop leak = new radiator or heater core down the road.  Just my 2 cents

 

 

Yeah I'm not going to use stop leak....figured I'll just bypass the heater core for now and take it to be repaired.

[austinsailor]

2 hours ago, knuckleharley said:

 

People get around this by using a 15-40 diesel oil because the diesel oils all still have the zinc additive.

Simply not true. They did have it longer than gas oils, but no more.

Rotella still makes an older version (H) for Detroit diesels, which requires zinc, but it's hard to find. The also make an even older version sold in Walmart and other places, sold in gallon jugs, same price as modern Rotella. I forget the name, but there is another letter in addition  to RotellaT, I think they say it's for older cars, tractors, etc. 

 

You'll have  to decide if you need zinc or not, but it's pretty easily found these days if you think you do.

[knuckleharley]

4 hours ago, austinsailor said:

Simply not true. They did have it longer than gas oils, but no more.

Rotella still makes an older version (H) for Detroit diesels, which requires zinc, but it's hard to find. The also make an even older version sold in Walmart and other places, sold in gallon jugs, same price as modern Rotella. I forget the name, but there is another letter in addition  to RotellaT, I think they say it's for older cars, tractors, etc. 

 

You'll have  to decide if you need zinc or not, but it's pretty easily found these days if you think you do.

Well,not according to Mobile.  Their Mobile 1 Diesel oil has 1250 PP of Zinc in it,and the oil they recommend for high performance gasoline engines has 1300.

I used Mobile Delvac 1300 in my 86 F-250 with the 6.9 diesel,and in my 2001 F-350 with the 7.3 turbo IHC engine.

I know use Mobile 1 diesel full synthetic oil in my 06 GMC with the 6.6 turbo diesel in it.

Not at all hard to find.

 

 

 

Edited September 18, 2016 by knuckleharley
delete extra posts

[austinsailor]

Guess I stand corrected. Rotella and some others have cut way back, I guess not all.

 

Surprising, because it was supposed to be due to EPA requirements, just like cars.  You'd think they all had to meet the requirements. Must be more to the story, but I'm not going to try to figure it out. If someone else does, please speak up. Regardless, whoever wants zinc now has more choices.

[knuckleharley]

55 minutes ago, austinsailor said:

Guess I stand corrected. Rotella and some others have cut way back, I guess not all.

 

Surprising, because it was supposed to be due to EPA requirements, just like cars.  You'd think they all had to meet the requirements. Must be more to the story, but I'm not going to try to figure it out. If someone else does, please speak up. Regardless, whoever wants zinc now has more choices.

The EPA rules apply to gasoline powered passenger cars, not diesel powered vehicles,race cars,or off road equipment.

[dpollo]

There is a very good chance that both oil and antifreeze have been spilled into the exhaust system while you were cleaning things up or perhaps someone oiled things up before it sat idle for so long.   It might take several miles of driving for the system to burn off all the oil or antifreeze.

Check the radiator level.  If it stays clean and full, you are ok.    dp

[Dartgame]

I expect you need to warm up the motor and then run the engine steady at about 2000 rpm for 20-30 minutes - drizzle in some sea foam into the carb every couple of minutes while doing this. U can use small amounts of water, carb cleaner, mystery oil, or transmission fluid and likely get the same results, depends on personal preference. It should clear out, unless you have cruddy fuel or a dirty fuel tank etc.

I did this when I got the 52 running. It shot out incredible amounts of smoke and crap out the tail pipe - once that was done - she idled down beautifully and runs very nice since then.