I need professional help/advice

[Austinhinton62]

I have an 86' swb in fairly good condition compared to when my grand mother give it to me 2yrs ago. She originally bought it to use on the farm, but she got sick and it just ended up sitting out in the drive way for about 6yrs un-maintained . In the time I've had it I have put anywhere from $1000 to $1500 just in tune-up and the parts it needed to be driveable. I took through emissions the other day and I wasn't expecing to pass.. I really just wanted to see where I was at with it. Well I stopped at the parts house and replaced some vacuum hoses and a valve cover breather cap then I got to talking the manager there and told him what I was doing so he suggest that I put sea foam in it. So I did and ran some other errands before I went so it would be good and hot. I get there and the guy wouldn't test it because it smoking a little. My truck had never really smoked except when I first crank it then puff puff it was gone ( I was told because it was running rich.) At that point I took it out to he highway and try to blow most of that sea foam out of my gas. I was guessing the smoke came from years of bulild up through-out any and everything. Put some more gas in it to dilute what was left the tank. The truck still smoked some at idle off and on but when I give it some gas it would clear it up but just goosing it at an idle would produce a larger amount of smoke. I took it back to the dmv and they test it anyway I didn't fail too bad in HC my reading was 294 andit needed to be 220 but I failed miserably in CO and it was 3.36 I have to get it down. To 1.20 days before it was acting like it was being starved for gas if I put my foot down onthe pedal it would bog down and when I started up a hill it would fall on its face like it didn't want to pull. I assumed it was a vacuum leak so I got some caps to put on the carb where some vacuumhoses where supposed to go and it made it run better but I realized just how much power its lacking. What realy worried me and this is why im typing this is I pulled out each spark plug today cylinders 1, 5 and 8 had oil around the threads of the plugs. They didn't appear to be in rally bad shape around the bottom circle part had some black stuff that flaked of and where it arched they had some light brown almost like a powdered carmel blotches. I gauged them and stuck them back in. Then took some of the left over sea foam and let the vacuum hose from the carb to the pcv valve suck it up in small doses. Im only 18 and im not a mechanic I just know my way around those old chevy engines my dad was a mechanic and I handed him tools for many years so if there is anyway y'all could help out me with this, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading, sorry so long.

[Austinhinton62]

It is a stock 305 btw. Ill tell you everything I put on it if it will help narrow it down:
altenator, battery, plugs, wires, coil, distributer cap, manifold gasket, donut gasket, fuel pump, carb filter, in-line filter, valve cover gaskets, oil pan gasket, air filter, distributor button, transmission rebuilt in may (700r4) so why am I not doing better in emissions test? Im thinking its my q-jet probably needs to be worked on. My CO2 was 10.62 Im not sure thats good or not. I know has to be at least 6.0 before theyll test it here. Another thing I failed to mention, when I replaced the oil pan gasket I found a piece of piston no bigger than quarter laynig in the bottom of the pan. I got to looking around up in there and in cylinder No.5 the piston was missing a chunk out of the bottom skirt. I didn't see any fractures in the piston and the cylinder wall still looked slick and polished.. I dont know exactly how the oil is geting the cylinders but im hoping its valve related, cause I might could do that. If its rings then I guess I can go ahead and replace that piston. I don't have alot of money to play around with. Ill have to do whatever I can myself. How much you think im looking at spending here or am I getting tore up over nothing? Please, if you've ever had any successful run ins with these kinds of problems.. I sure could use your help. Thanx
                                                                                                       
                                                                                   -Austin

[DustyRusty]

I found a piece of piston no bigger than quarter laynig in the bottom of the pan. I got to looking around up in there and in cylinder No.5 the piston was missing a chunk out of the bottom skirt. I didn't see any fractures in the piston and the cylinder wall still looked slick and polished.

Wow, Austin.  I don't know where to start...  But first, I would recommend you stop driving it before any more damage occurs.  It seems logical that broken piston is causing some, or possibly all, of your problems.  You are going to have to tear it down and replace that piston for sure.

Others may have some additional recommendations what to look for before tearing it down.

Good luck, man.

Rusty

[TexasRed]

You don't say where you are located. I'd look for a decent running 350 if your local laws only look at your tailpipe emissions and equipment under the hood.

[VileZambonie]

Seafoam is where you went wrong. You need to finish the combustion of all of that crap. Then change your oil and your spark plugs. There's no such thing as liquid band aid. Seafoam only works when used correctly.

[Irish_Alley]

Seafoam is where you went wrong. You need to finish the combustion of all of that crap. Then change your oil and your spark plugs. There's no such thing as liquid band aid. Seafoam only works when used correctly.

around here we have guarantied to pass but if you read the small print it says the guarantee is only good if there is no mechanical problems. you have to clean out the rest buy just running the truck where ever you can, also next time try to keep the rpms as low as you can and no mater what you do you might just have to take it to a shop and have them get it threw for you. cause even if the fumes of the truck smell like it should pas the only way to tell is with the tester not your nose

[westsidek20]

Well I'm not a professional mechanic, but i will tell you my experience, I'm working on my engine now and i had similar trouble, the light smoke at first, loss of power in hills and some oil in the spark plug, tore the engine apart (a 350 in my case) and i was able to see that it was valve trouble, two of them were going all the way down and hitting the piston and one not closing. But that chunk of metal in the oil is nothing to take lightly you should definitely take care or that.

[Austinhinton62]

Hey, thank y'all so much. I really wasn't sure what direction to go in with this. Dropping a 350 in it would be the ideal thing to do. I leave for Marine corps boot camp in September. I just need it to last me till then cause when i get back home, I've decided I want to get a fully dressed crate engine for it and what my wife will let me get out of the   catalog haha. I really am intrested about my valves though since you mentioned that.. how would I go about checking them? Thanks again everybody!

[Irish_Alley]

you can rent a pressure checker from autozone you pull the red wire on the distributor (so the engine wont fire) remove the spark plug screw it in and turn the engine over a couple times the check the next one and repeat.

[Austinhinton62]

What is the pressure checker going to tell me, how does it read and just one plug.. which one or does it matter?? Btw. If I change oil and spark plugs my truck will be back to its old self again? (More than likely)

[Irish_Alley]

compression checker it has a fitting that will screw into where the spark plug screws in the head you turn the engine over if you have a hole in the piston then you wont build any pressure if your valves are sticking open you will build little to none and so on and so on, it will tell you if you have problems with compression. since you just changed plugs i dont see how that will help

[beastie_3]

Congrats on the enlistment and good luck with your engine.

If you need any suggestions about the fleet, your mos, or boot camp, let me know. Recruiters are like used car salesmen.

[Irish_Alley]

what 3 places would you like to be stationed a week later sorry we cant do that but here you go off to tent city lol