Hey guys, this question is for my Dad. He bought a 88 GT auto just before winter. Car has 160K on it, it has catted MAC H-pipe, flows, BBK intake tubeing, subframe connectors, 3.73's, and the trans feels like it has a shift kit. Also the car has 4 wheel disc brakes, look like they are off a sn-95 GT. Also engine has been converted to mass air useing what we believe to be 94/95 5.0 computer/ sensors. All of this was on the car when he got it. Only thing we have done is adjust (fix) the timeing, (was at something like 4 degrees before), and put a ram air hood on it, which my father made functional.

Car runs smooth, sounds great, pulls pretty hard, but goes though oil like its going out of style. Smokes form tail pipes when you rev it up in park, but not when the car starts, or while the car is movien. At least not enough you can see. Also when reved hard it spits out a lil black water, but we figured that is just because it dosen't get started that much.

Now we know it has plenty of miles on the car, we don't know if the whole engine ws swaped out of a sn-95 or just adapted by one, there is evidence that the engine was out of the car before, and there is a line lock still installed but the wires were cut to it. I believe the car was once someones track car that got put back together from a couple different cars and sold.

Ok, so we figure we need to rebuild the motor, but until then we were wondering if any of you had an idea of where the oil is comming from, (rings, valves, etc) so maybe we could get it to stop burning oil, (or at least slow down and quite smokeing) until then. He is too busy building a new garage right now, and I have my stang and a Falcon of my own I'm working on.

BTW, father has any mechanical ability you can think of except for dealing with fuel injection, and I've been taking automotive classes, so no suggestion/info is to technical. Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

the engine will wear as a whole, so good chance its leaking oil everywhere.

a long block from a 94/95 car will work just fine.

you have many differant opinions, just flip through a summit catalog.

 

you really wont be able to tell what is causing it to burn oil. Just get a whole new long or short block in it.

 

The spitting of the black water is usually a head gasket. The smoking depending on the color of the smoke could be a number of things.

 

yea or white smoke. Another way to tell is if you pull out your dip stick and it has a milky color to it with your oil.

 

First off, thank you for the replies. Money is an issue here so no long/short blocks in the near future. Dipstick still shows black oil last I looked, (about 2 weeks ago, Dad's been out of town), and only spits a lil water when u are revving it pretty hard, so that isn't a major concern right now. I guess my Dad will just have to deal with it until he can put some money in the car. Like I said it runs very strong, so he still loves it. In fact he drove it to work today so he could wash it while I worked. Well, again, thanks.

 

what weight oil are you using? For a 5.0 you use a 10w40 if you use thinner or a cheaper brand oil it could caus the problem you are having.

 

I was wondering that too.

BTW, the car may feel strong, but it most likely is not making full power especially if you are loosing oil at the rings as you would not be making full compression.

For starters, I would do a comp check. They are free if you can do it yourself. If the compression checks out good, you may not be dealing with too huge of a problem.....at least you could rule out rings and perhaps a full re-build.

While I can appreciate money being tight, running a sick motor too long could be the difference between saving it or ruining it.

 

Good advice, I'm gunna be at my Dad's house later today, I'll suggest a compression test and find out what oil he's been useing. Although I fairly sure he was useing some fairly old 15w40 he had a bunch of for an old truck he used to have. I'm pretty sure he will have an compression test kit since he did own a 4X4 shop back in the late 70's. He seems to have every tool possible.....as long as the tool has nothing to do with a computer. Yet the man spends all evening on his computer. Oh well. Another person (friend/mechanic) suggested that he change the O2 sensors out on the car. This was because my father now describes the smokeing as intermitant when he gets on it, so he thinks it might be carbon, but I've never seen carbon that wasn't black, and the smoke I see when you rev it up is white. O well, you all gave us some great places to start, I'll post again after we try the compression test.