No power on hills, blue smoke, jerky engine - all timing related?

[02Pilot]

How much oil are you consuming? Is the blue smoke most prevalent when you are on the throttle or off?

 

Let's consider some basic diagnostics. First thing I would do is return to the baseline timing you had before this started - best to eliminate variables. Pulling and examining the plugs is a good start. Once you're sure they'll come out easily, reinstall, get the engine warm, pull the plugs again, and do a compression test. A leakdown test would be good too, but requires compressed air and more time. If the compression test numbers are uneven, put a tablespoon of oil in each cylinder and retest. Record both sets of numbers and report back.

 

If the plugs are fouled wet when hot, you've definitely got oil entering the cylinders from somewhere. If they're fouled black and dry, you're rich. Make sure the air filter is clean and the carb unobstructed. Inspect the breather from the valve cover to the air filter housing (assuming it's still there) - how much oil do you see coming from it? Is the filter housing fouled with oil?

 

Finally, what's your driving style? At what RPM do you tend to shift? How often do you open the throttle fully? I've seen engines that were simply so clogged with sludge that the rings were stuck and leaking badly, but not actually bad.

['76mintgrün'02]

2 hours ago, Andrej said:

First thing I would do is return to the baseline timing you had before this started - best to eliminate variables.

 

First thing I would do is order one of these

 

<----------------the smoke has been discussed here as well --------------->

 

 

[ray_]

And this may be only a band-aid, but M10s generally prefer 20-50 oil. Valvoline racing is good, with high zddp.

 

What oil are you running now?

 

Cheers,

[backeis]

And this may be only a band-aid, but M10s generally prefer 20-50 oil. Valvoline racing is good, with high zddp.
 
What oil are you running now?
 
Cheers,

Castrol GTX 20W50. Freshly changed 2 weeks ago.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Lucian]

My guess,  cracked head, if you blow blue smoke on start up but then it clears, radiator fluid seeps into crack,  also if you start up after it sits a bit and blows blue smoke then clears ...  up hill just a guess maybe it is sloped where the radiator fluid is coming in and level it blows out … L

[ray_]

2 minutes ago, Lucian said:

My guess,  cracked head, if you blow blue smoke on start up but then it clears, radiator fluid seeps into crack,  also if you start up after it sits a bit and blows blue smoke then clears ...  up hill just a guess maybe it is sloped where the radiator fluid is coming in and level it blows out … L

Or the oil is leaking past the valve guides, which would also produce the smoke symptoms outlined.

[FB73tii]

steam is white, not blue. Ask me how I know!

[backeis]

Oil consumption: I was slightly below the middle between the two dip stick lines two weeks ago at oil change. And now I was barely above the lower line.

[ray_]

7 hours ago, FB73tii said:

steam is white, not blue. Ask me how I know!

 

Nope.

 

Steam is invisible.

 

?

 

Cheers,

[02Pilot]

14 minutes ago, backeis said:

Oil consumption: I was slightly below the middle between the two dip stick lines two weeks ago at oil change. And now I was barely above the lower line.

 

Over how many miles? Unless it's quite a few, that's high consumption. The amount of oil in the combustion chambers alone could be causing your running issues, as it effectively lowers octane; combined with your advancing the timing, this is a recipe for trouble.

 

You really need a leakdown test to determine where the oil is coming from, and at the same time determine if you have a head gasket or cracked head (cooling system will show bubbles during the leakdown test if this is so).

[backeis]

2 hours ago, Andrej said:

Over how many miles?

640 miles.

[Lucian]

7th inning stretch, maybe 2 or more separate problems … the plugs fouling after 500 miles … if oil getting in gas it will gum the plugs, then more,  lets say not ,,, example of what happen to me … '80 Triumph Bonnie I was carrying plugs with me after 500 miles gummed up quick road side change out, many pros said what was happening, no cigar,  then came across fellow from England and he said over the tel. the last Bonnies had the wrong carb jets, went by his place 2 min change out no more problems … L

[02Pilot]

3 hours ago, backeis said:

640 miles.

 

So maybe a quart every 1000-1200 miles. That's a fair bit, but I've seen worse.

 

I'll tell you what I'd do, quick and dirty. Put the timing back where it was. Dump a quart of ATF in the crankcase, two 20oz. bottles of Techron in half a tank of fuel. Go for a nice long drive, and once it's warm, wring its neck. WOT, hit the redline a few times. You will do one of two things: either you will blow some of the accumulated crap out of the engine and it will run a lot better, or you will exacerbate whatever is already broken to the point that you have to fix it. If you haven't properly broken it, change the oil and filter and drive on. If you have, well, it was asking for attention anyway.

 

Not terribly scientific, but if it succeeds it wouldn't be the first time I'd seen one of these engines go from sputtering and smoking to purring (well, happily ticking is probably a more accurate characterization) with a good thrashing.

 

[backeis]

That seems like an extreme measure... Transmission fluid/detergent mixed into the oil?

Does anyone else second this opinion?

Edited August 21, 2018 by backeis

[02Pilot]

40 minutes ago, backeis said:

That seems like an extreme measure... Transmission fluid/detergent mixed into the oil?

Does anyone else second this opinion?

 

A quart of ATF is an old-school method of flushing the crankcase (lighter weight plus greater detergency). Hell, if you get really desperate, I've filled engines with pure kerosene to loosen up severe deposits (not run them, obviously, just soaked).