Bugeye smoking

[ichthos]

Found out recently my state now has smog police, and I got pulled over and warned. i didn’t believe him at first. When I followed behind my wife however, sure enough I could see grey smoke. I did a compression test with readings of 160, 150, 160, and 160. I don’t have a lot of miles on my car, but it does sit for extended amounts of time. I did not rebuilt my valves at the time because they looked okay. Could my valves be the culprit? Any other suggestions? Any help would greatly be appreciated.
Kevin

 

[ichthos]

Forgot to mention there IS a strong gas smell in the exhaust. It only puts out smoke when I push down on the accelerator. Maybe this is as simple as a rebuild of the carbs and give it a tune up?

 

[JPSmit]

I feel like the first solution is just to take it out for an extended and spirited drive - Mine has been running better and better just for having an Italian (British?) tuneup.

also, my mechanic gave me a can of this:

Genuine Chrysler Accessories 4318001AD Combustion Chamber Cleaner - 13 oz. Aerosol Can, Cleaners - Amazon Canada

Genuine Chrysler Accessories 4318001AD Combustion Chamber Cleaner - 13 oz. Aerosol Can in Cleaners.

www.amazon.ca

made a world of difference - not sure if seafoam works as well or does the same thing?

 

[JPSmit]

also, what colour are your plugs? it might be running rich

 

[ichthos]

Thanks for the suggestion. Plugs are black, which mean the ate running rich, correct?. I like your idea, and already tried it. When it would sit for months and then smoke, I figured maybe my valve seals were leaking because the smoke would disappear after a while. That started to work less and less. Now any acceleration causes smoke no matter how far I drive.

 

[JPSmit]

sounds too rich for sure - not sure about the seals - they may be gone as you suggest.

 

[DrEntropy]

With the compression numbers you have, my WAG is guides and seals.

 

[SaxMan]

Another good indication of whether you're running too rich is gas mileage. The 1275 in my '69 will usually average between 28 to 31 mpg in backroad driving (plus a few good runs to 5000 - 5500 rpms) when the carbs are setup with the proper mixture. When my gas mileage falls below those numbers, I know the car is running too rich.

Valve adjustments are straightforward in the Sprite. You just need a feeler gauge, a small crescent wrench (can't recall the size off the top of my head) and a screwdriver. While I'm sure a more experienced mechanic can knock it out faster, it takes me around 30 minutes to get all eight valves dialed in. If you haven't pulled the valve cover, adding in a new valve cover gasket may not be a bad idea, either.

 

[ichthos]

i just wanted to do a follow up. My compression and leak down tests which were great. Finally gave up and took it to a mechanic. The problem? When I pushed in the choke after starting it, apparently one of the cork washers was dry and was stopping it from totally returning. Basically it was like I was running the car with the choke out partially all the time. The mechanic suggested putting in some of the Marvel Mystery Oil in as an additive in the future. Bottom line is I just need to drive it more often. Anyway, thanks for all your input.

 

[Bayless]

Glad it worked out so simple.