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Great Smoke Clouds I becech you!!

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I finally got my subi running so I atempted to take it to school today.it got about 3/4 the way there before being WAY down on power.I look in the mirror and I see great clouds of blue-grey smoke just pouring from the backend.I drove about a mile more to where I could find a safe place to pull over.did I mention it was way underpowered.so anyway I have it maxed out at 15 MPH in first.by this time the engine sounds like a bag of hammers was droped in there.And the smoke,If I was in a police chase I would be invisable.I turned around and got about 1/8 of a mile up a small side hill and the car just quit.I pulled it home with the help of a friend and a $32 nylon strap.Am I right in thinking the motor is jacked.BTW it had full oil and coolant when it lunched itself... engine is/was an 84 subaru 1800 motor with a weber 32/36.

It very much sounds like you broke a ring (the smoke), and probably broke or seriously damaged the rod on that cylinder as well (the hammers). Does it still have fluids? Doesn't matter much at this point - your supposition that the engine is lunch is well..... correct. Time for a new one.

 

Pull the engine - tear off the heads and see what the damage is. Likely the cylinder(s?) is scored. It isn't worth rebuilding at that point.

 

GD

  • Author

I'll pull it apart after I have another engine to put in there.was tring to get the local junkyard to let me by a wrecked 96 legacy for parts.but they want 500 for the whole car,300 for engine sans wiring harness and computer.keep in mind this legacy has no interior and was wrecked...hell if I could find an ej22+ wiring harness for 200 I would have an ej22ed brat.and blow up driveline.instead of engine..

Before you throw in the towel, check your coolant levels. Look at the oil.

 

From the sound of it, you started dumping water into the intake, and when a motor is trying to compress water instead of air, it doesn't go so well and IS LOUD (don't ask me why I know this so well). It would also produce a lot of steam/smoke like you described.

 

Since you've got a Weber, check the gasket where your adaptor plate mounts to the intake, as there is a coolant passage there that really needs to be closed. I JB Welded mine shut, if you can get a shop to TIG it for you for like $20 that would be much better, then just file it smooth and you're all set.

 

If that gasket is in good shape pull the intake off and check your intake manifold gaskets... Those also have water passages going through them and are known to leak if they're not in good shape. They're also cheap, so replace them while you're in there.

 

EDIT: If you have the equipment, do a compression test as well to see if you're getting compression. Note that if there's water in there, pull all the plugs and crank it over a bunch to help get water out.

 

Good luck!

One other thing you might check. The PCV valve; if it gets stuck open, you'll suck oil from the engine straight into the intake manifold and produce volumes of smoke. Your engine might still be lunch, but check the water inlet from the previous post and PCV first before you tear into the engine. Pull the weber and check the inside of the intake manifold; if there are gobs of oil there, it could be as simple as that. Good luck.

 

PS: There are also other ways to suck oil into the engine; check the Air Suction Valve(s) and all the plumbing from the valve covers into the weber intake.

  • Author

the air suction valves were disabled with weber install.the passenger side breather hose was blowing white yuck foamy junk into the airbox after a day of running like an engine should with no foam at all.I started it up after I got to my house.it kinda idles once you can get it to start.(struggles to rev when gas is pushed,tryes to die instead) assuming you can rev to 2K and beyond I hear a grinding sort of noise like a bearing is spinning in its holder(possibly siezed to shaft)

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