Spitting black gobs out exhaust, INT 160, stuff in radiator...fun.

[gordyzx9r]

So...I'm pretty sure the universe is against me or the car is cursed.

It all started going downhill with that noise I heard under the hood and wound up replacing a belt, alternator, and belt tensioner pulley until it was eliminated.  Then the smoke came back, and kept getting worse...along with spitting gobs of black soot.  Followed by an oil leak, some knock (we saw 10+ degrees at WOT), and a thermostat failure.  The guy that put the motor together has gone AWOL and won't return calls, texts, or PMs (and in typical TR vendor fashion I start hearing about all the bad experiences people had with him after the fact). 

I don't have the time, energy, or skills to fix it so I've had to take it to yet another mechanic.  A couple of folks that have seen the car suspect that the smoke might be due to a passage in the heads but who knows.  And in typical fashion for this cursed car, after I unload it off the trailer at the shop...there is a puddle of oil with bright green radiator fluid sitting on the trailer floor.  Awesome, thanks universe.  I'd feel better about all this if I beat the shit out of the car, but I don't race it or get on it other than an occasional stop light fun.  And I haven't even put a 1,000 miles on it since the rebuild...I understand there is an inherent risk with a performance car and there are no warranties, but damn...this is the 3rd motor.  Getting really frustrated with this thing (not so frustrated that I'd sell her...but still frustrated).  Really wish I could find someone more local that's good with these cars instead of having to drive 7 hours one way...that's getting old too.

[TexasT]

With any old piece of equipment or vehicle there is maintenance and repair. These fine automobiles are no exception. Unfortunately the Buick engine has some quirks and require some know how and attention to detail. You know this or you wouldn't be taking the car to the specialist. Keep at it. I think that doing it myself is much more rewarding than having someone else do it but it does require much more time and effort. Those fully restored trailer queens you see out at even local shows have a LOT of money in them. Even if the owner did it themselves time is money and there is a lot in there to make it nice and have it reliable.

Keep moving forward. It can be conquered with some effort and money. Take it one thing at a time and you will have a reliable vehicle in no time.

[good2win22]

Damn the luck!  I feel your pain Gordy at least the frustrating part.  Keep at it man, the reward is worth the effort!

[Steve Wood]

so what are the o2s and blms when this black gob spitting/smoke problem occurs?

Are you running a factory radiator with the oil cooler connected to the the radiator?

[Scoobum]

I'd be curious to know what the 02's were at WOT when the KR count went over 10.

[gordyzx9r]

BLMs at idle around 140, at WOT were steady at 132.  O2s at idle were all over IIRC and at WOT were around 780-800. 

When I get the car back, I need to DL powerlogger software again and get that back up and running.

[good2win22]

BLMs at idle around 140, at WOT were steady at 132.  O2s at idle were all over IIRC and at WOT were around 780-800. 

When I get the car back, I need to DL powerlogger software again and get that back up and running.

Had you played with the fueling of the chip?  140 at idle is saying that it needs more fuel.  Possible vacuum leak as well or fuel pressure set a tad low.
132 at WOT is saying you either added fuel through progamming of the chip or the ECM is seeing something that's telling it to add fuel which is odd because the chip should be closed loop there.  Something else to consider is that the TPS may not be over the WOT voltage threshold, meaning you didn't have the pedal all the way to the floor or the TPS wasn't set correctly.
780-800 on the O2's at WOT... is that at a 1-2 shift? 2-3 shift?  At the rev limiter in 3rd?

[larrym]

its fat and the computer is still adding fuel, cracked header, vacuum leak or a flacky 02 sensor would be my start.

[Steve Wood]

what is the maf reading at idle?

If the coolant has oil in it, and the oil cooler lines are still connected to the radiator, then it would appear the cooler in the radiator has cracked thus allowing oil into the coolant.

[gordyzx9r]

The engine oil cooler lines aren't plumbed, it's bypassed.  I have no idea what the MAF is, didn't think to jot that down and it's about 7 hours away now.

[Scoobum]

BLM's 140. KR at WOT 10. Antifreeze on the ground. Was the engine idling smooth? Did you notice the exhaust sounding a little louder under the hood?

[Steve Wood]

did we ask if the dip stick or the underside of the filler cap showed any "milk"?  I would think it would have to blow into the valley to get oil in the coolant-if there is oil in the coolant

[gordyzx9r]

No milk.  Only exhaust sound that was out of the ordinary was an exhaust leak that may have been coming from the race pipe coupling.  Idled smooth. 

[Scoobum]

Steve...is it possible he pushed a headgasket outwards? Could the antifreeze leak and the new exhaust leak he heard add up to a blown headgasket? I'd think the idle would be a tad off tho.

[Steve Wood]

I understood him to say the coolant had oil in it....that is the reason I said it would have to be blown into the valley...don't think there is a way for oil to get into the coolant from a hg unless it blows on the valley side and coolant goes into the valley.

Then, we should see some signs of oil in the breathers or on the dip stick in the form of milk.  As the engine oil cooler is bypassed, that eliminates coolant oil from that source.  Now, I hope to hell the  oil cooler adapter was removed or the oil cooler hoses were connected together.  The worst thing one can do is to plug the holes where the hoses screw into the adapter as that forces all the engine oil to go thru the bypass and it usually starts to make funny noises pretty quick.

But, yes, it does sound like a blown hg from 1500 miles away