Smoking breather problem

[Farm boy]

So I have a 1980 K10 with a 350, and when I drive down the road I get smoke coming up threw the steering column. I am fairly certain that it is coming from the breather on the drivers side, because that breather is just open and the other one has a pcv valve but no hose, and when it sits at idle I can see smoke coming from the drivers side port. What should I do about this? Do I just hook it up right and not worry about it, or does that much smoke mean that there to much blow by, and thus I need to do some engine work? Oh one more thing: the engine was swapped out with a crate engine by the last owner fairly reasonably, and I haven't put more than 100 miles on it since i got it; so it's a fairly new engine.

[VileZambonie]

First, hook it up correctly, second if you have so much blowby that it comes out of your steering column it's time for a new engine or a rebuild. Is it leaking oil? Do you smell it?

[Farm boy]

Shoot, I was hoping to avoid that since I am already go to redo the body. Oh well I was thinking about putting in a new cam anyways. No it does not leak oil, and yes you can smell the smoke quite well. Since it's a fairly new engine do you think that some new rings would do it?

[Irish_Alley]

like vile said hook it up and see what it does.

[Farm boy]

So after I get it hooked up, what am I looking for?

[454Man]

Hopefully if u hook that back up the smoke will go away.... Pcv positive crankcase¤ventilation¤ the person before you probably drove without this hooked up for a while and ruined what he told you is a new engine

[Fairlane514]

Do your valve covers have baffles in them?  If not, it could cause smoke issues.

[Farm boy]

What exactly do you mean by baffles?

When i took the oil cover off it had a whitish goo in it. Could this be the same problem, or help any?

How ruined do you mean?

[Irish_Alley]

correct me if im wrong but the pcv valve is more of a emissions thing. it sucks blow by out of the case and tries to reburn it. idk about ruining but without it it might lead to excessive moisture/fuel being in the case and contaminating the oil, this might be where the white goo came from "water+oil=white goo" inturn would cause oil breakdown

[Fairlane514]

Baffles are  plates just under the holes on the valve covers to keep oil from getting into the PCV valve and breather. If you have stock valve covers they probably have them.

[bd]

correct me if im wrong but the pcv valve is more of a emissions thing. it sucks blow by out of the case and tries to reburn it. idk about ruining but without it it might lead to excessive moisture/fuel being in the case and contaminating the oil, this might be where the white goo came from "water+oil=white goo" inturn would cause oil breakdown

PCV is a passive emission system that doesn't consume any engine power, and actually benefits engine performance and longevity by evacuating water vapor, unburned hydrocarbon fumes, and combustion gases that push past the piston rings and permeate the crankcase.  Moisture reacts with hydrocarbons to form acids that eat away at critical machined surfaces, so the PCV system should absolutely be hooked up and functioning to help prevent this.

Do your valve covers have baffles in them?  If not, it could cause smoke issues.

The baffles are there as a liquid/vapor separator to keep the oil where it belongs - in the crankcase and under the valve covers.  They do not control smoke.

...When i took the oil cover off it had a whitish goo in it....

Like Irish stated, white 'goo' results from water in the oil.  It is an oil/water emulsion.  Unless the vehicle was only driven short distances and never allowed to warm up, and the oil was rarely changed over a period of years, white 'goo' would not collect under the valve covers just because the PCV was not hooked up.  You say the engine has low mileage.  This suggests you have coolant in the oil due to a leak; but I'm jumping ahead.

1)  Clean the 'goo' out of the valve covers.
2)  Hook everything back up correctly with a new PCV valve (A/C Delco CV-774C) and verify that it's working.
3)  "Vent" the opposite valve cover to the air cleaner; the 'vent' should draw filtered air.
4)  Change your oil and filter using a good 10W-40 (or other high-detergent) oil. 
5)  Consistently run the engine to operating temperature whenever you drive the vehicle.
6)  Change the oil at 1000-mile intervals for the next two oil changes.
7)  Let us know if the smoking goes away, or if the 'goo' returns and collects under the oil fill cap.

[Farm boy]

I have to admit that since I've owned it most of the time it isn't running very long. I bought it last August and I've put no more than 100 miles on it (mostly 5-10 miles at a time). The reason for this is I'm 16 and won't have my license for another week or two.

When I got to thinking the last owner said that he had it rebuilt not replaced; but it has at least a new block because there is no hole for the mechanical fuel pump, and he had it done by a vocational school.

I checked the oil, and it looks like I haven't changed in a good 2-3000 miles but I changed it myself last fall (I used Pennzoil and a STP filter)

I only have one large vacuum port on my carb, and currently it goes to the brake. So how should I hook up the pcv?

[Fairlane514]

If yo have a port on the back of the manifold you cold use it for the brakes and then use the carburetor port for the PCV.

[Farm boy]

Ok I'll see if there is one there. Worst case is I leave the bakes unhooked.

Well I drove the truck about two hours ago and i just checked the oil. When I checked it last and said it was dirty I was wrong my dad pulled the dipstick and from what I could see it looked dirty; but I just checked it it looks good (other than a little bit of goo).

I have a bit more info that could be useful (I'm posting as I remember myself). When I bout the truck it didn't smoke. Then last year in the fall I was driving on the farm and the trany spewed some fluid out the dipstick (I've since fixed that), so at that point the fluid smoked as it burnt of the engine. Some time shortly after is when the smoke started coming from the breather.

So, I'm thinking that something (possibly my fault) that got moisture in the engine. I'm going to make a trip to AutoZone and pick up the stuff to A. change the oil and B. hook up the pcv system, and update you all on what happens after I get all that done and drive it a little. I hope that this will fix it, and I don't have bigger problems.

[bd]

If you have a port on the back of the manifold you could use it for the brakes and then use the carburetor port for the PCV.

As Fairlane posted, right behind the carburetor you should have a 3/8" NPT hole tapped into the intake manifold runner that feeds #8 cylinder.  That hole should have a 90* x 11/32" vacuum elbow screwed into it that connects to the brake booster.  The PCV connects to the 3/8" vacuum port on the carb.

All of us have our fingers crossed for you.