89 d50 2.6L blowing blue smoke!!!

[Justin90gsx]

Ok so my truck was running great but was probably needing a new carb soon but still passed emissions, but lately I towed a mitsubishi mirage on a car Dollie with no engine, trans or interior in it (shell). And it did pretty good!
But the next day I took some evo 10 wheels I picked up to go get balanced for my talon in my truck, it was not running right? Like a missfire.
I was going to check it out when I got home. So I got the tires balanced and I was on the freeway coming back home and as soon as I took my exit and down shifted to help slow me down, just a couple seconds after I noticed a trail of blue smoke.......
Crap....... So I put it in neutral and get stopped at the light on the off ramp and I revved it alittle bit and a HUGE plume of blue smoke came out and filled the intersection and was consistently coming out.........
So the light went green and I hurried and went threw the light and pulled over under the overpass of the freeway and oil was dripping out my tail pipe...... But it still ran really quiet and good for the most part. I think it may possibly be the head gasket?
And a nice gentlemen in a Tahoe towed me home a couple miles away..

[geezer101]

Sorry to hear your truck woes Justin90gsx. If it is coughing a big smoke cloud like that I would be thinking something a bit more serious than a head gasket. Pull your plugs one at a time and do a visual check on them. If one of them is oily and fouled up at least you will get a clue on where to go next. I'd be thinking broken rings in one of the cylinders (don't want to be the omen of doom but as long as the bores aren't damaged it isn't too bad...) Also it is good to see in this day and age that a complete stranger will come to the aid of someone in need and advocate for them when they're in a jam

[Justin90gsx]

Ya It sounds like only one cyl is misfiring,
I was going to do a compression test.
But I hope it's just a head gasket.

[geezer101]

Try not to run it too long as it will more than likely gouge the bore if it is a snapped ring.

[Justin90gsx]

Ya it's been parked.
Maybe this weekend I will pull the head and inspect .

But a broken piston ring sounds like the culprit?

[pennyman1]

I have seen head gaskets blow where antifreeze and oil shoot out the side of the motor, so it is possible that it could be a head gasket. It also could be bad valve guide seals or bad valve guides, but they usually fail over time, not suddenly.

[Justin90gsx]

Well I'm going to pull the head this weekend, so what gasket set should I get? Felpro?
And I heard to get one for a starion cause they are better head gaskets? If so what year?

[Justin90gsx]

And wouldn't a broken ring make a awful noise?
Cause it runs quiet.

[geezer101]

Nope, a snapped ring won't be noisy. And as pennyman1 pointed out, it will be unlikely that a valve seal (or more than one) has failed as you'd get a puff of smoke at the lights and would clear, but the symptoms would gradually get worse. Good luck with your teardown on the weekend, hope it's not all bad news. As for a head gasket - as long as you use a recognised quality replacement head gasket and follow the installation specs you will be fine

[Justin90gsx]

So just get the stock head gasket or one from a starion?

[pennyman1]

if you really want the gasket to last, get a set of arp head studs - that way if it goes again, you can reuse the studs. On these motors, the head bolts are torque to yield, so you need a set of head bolts regardless. Most gasket sets, including felpro, list all variants of the 2.6, so the head gaskets are the same. you have to pay extra money to get a better gasket, and not necessary with the arp studs on a na or even a turbo motor under 15 psi boost

[Jeb]

If you are gonna compression test it, put a little oil in. Seals up the rings for a better reading.

[Justin90gsx]

I just need a to get it running for another year or so till I have the 2.4l dohc turbo swap ready.
So I'll just reuse the head studs.

I already have the complete 2.4 wide block, turbo and sensors.
Just need the head and Dsm harness.
And need turbo pistons.

[Justin90gsx]

Ok so I started taking it apart and immediately saw this busted rocker arm.

[Justin90gsx]

What does that mini looking valve do?

[Justin90gsx]

Ahh jet valve. It broke at the threads......

[Justin90gsx]

K I went to a local yard and pulled the rocker arms and jet valves out and now I'm installing on mine.

The o ring was gone on the broken jet valve. And with it sticking up like that it must have been dumping oil in there....

Pulled the spark plug and sprayed cleaner and blew it out with a air hose threw the jet valve hole and looked in the combustion chamber and everything looks to be in good shape. I'm going to start it up and see if it still smokes.

[Justin90gsx]

Got it all together and now it won't start.
Getting spark and won't start with starting fluid

[Justin90gsx]

K, jump started it and..........
Still blowing smoke.....
But not like a bomb went off but still thick....
So I think when the jet valve broke, it cracked the cylinder head.