Hi All, I am a new E Type owner and this is my first post!
I am not an expert mechanic, but get do most things to a reasonable standard.
Quick history of the car: I purchased a 69 OTS that had been in storage for 40+ Years. Before starting it I did the following:
replaced every component of the fuel system
rebuilt the carburetors
installed a 123 Electronic distributor
installed new exhaust manifolds and exhaust system
had the radiator re-cored and replaced the coolant
replaced the oil
To start it up I did the following:
cranked it by hand
cranked it with started with no fuel or spark, oil pressure was about 40 to 50
finally started it
adjusted the timing
Ran it a few times for a few minutes then did a compression test. Cylinders 1, 4 and 5 were all good, other 3 very low.
Put a little oil into the bad cylinders and let it sit a couple days. Started it today and it was running better, but I noticed the water temp getting high and shut it down. Did another compression test and the only cylinder low was 6.
Started it again while still warm and got a lot of white smoke out of the 1,2, manifold.
I know white smoke means head gasket, but doesn’t make sense with the compression test.
After 40 years of sitting, I would pull the head to see what you got. I would pull the pan to check the bearings. At least check the piston on low pressure cylinder for condition of the rings. Could be a lot of corrosion from sitting 40 years cold and wet.
White smoke can also mean burning brake fluid sucked in from the servo and/or vaccuum reservoir. While working on the engine you might want to disconnect and plug the vacuum pipe from the intake manifold to eliminate this possibility.
Exhaust system and manifolds are new and there was no white smoke the first 5 or so times I started and ran it, so I wouldn’t think it was the exhaust system. Am I missing something?
The confusing thing is there was no white smoke at all, and then an hour later it was pouring out
From what you say, its probably water, possibly brake fluid. If you disconnect/plug the manifold vacuum hose you will bottom out the brake fluid possibility.
I did have very white smoke once when I forgot to clean out a brand new fuel tank that was fitted. They are coated with fogging oil internally to stop them rusting in storage.
Otherwise heads off. Not a huge job with the manifolds still attached.
Do the hoses get hard right after startup? Does it crank nicely after 1-2 hours?
I agree run it a little longer and see if it goes away. New exhausts often smoke a little while. Are you sure it’s not simple regular condensation? Brake fluid is easy to rule out.
This morning I plugged the vacuum hose and ran it for about 6 to 7 minutes.
Still have quite a lot of smoke out of the exhaust attached to 1, 2, 3 cylinders, but not as bad as yesterday. Yesterday it was a very thick white smoke, about the worst I have ever seen. Today it was a bit less white and not as thick.
Water temp seems to get high very quickly with my gauge getting to the edge of the red area. I took the temperature using a piece of black tape near the temp sensor and found it to be about 155, which seems ok?
I then removed the plugs, a bit fouled but not wet.
Did a compression test and now have 1 to 5 at about 150 and 6 at about 120.
Ran again for 5 minutes, no smoke until the engine warmed up
Another update: I just checked the oil level and it is now showing over the “hash marks” on the dipstick. I had checked it several times before and it was between the marks. Only thing I can think of is I noticed the dipstick had a small bend in it that I straightened, but I wouldn’t think it would make a big difference?
The reading on the dipstick will vary depending on when you check the oil level - it will increase after the engine has been sitting for awhile and the oil has a chance to drain back into the sump. Ideally you want to check the oil level a minute or so after you shut down. However, white smoke is not an indicator of oil involvement. As already said, it will be either coolant or brake fluid. Coolant getting into a combustion chamber will likely be a head or intake manifold gasket leak and if bad enough will manifest itself as milky oil. You could always try dropping a couple of doses of radiator stop leak to see if it clears up the issue - though you’ll get different takes on the wisdom of using the stuff, I don’t much like it myself, Jaguar themselves have been known to recommend it. A very common problem with the later E-type braking system such as what you have in your car is fluid leaking past the seals in the vacuum booster cylinder into the booster canister, subsequently sucked into the reservoir and the intake. Bear in mind the #1 most important thing to attend to on any car that’s been sitting for a long time is the brakes, being able to stop being important and all. You should as a matter of routine do a complete teardown and rebuild the hydraulics. That alone may resolve your white smoke issue, and keep you alive.
When I start the car cold there is no smoke, it starts when the car gets warm
What I can’t figure out is why it started all of a sudden. I ran the car from cold and there was nearly no smoke when I shut it off, next time about 90 minutes later I had thick smoke right away. It has gotten better the next couple of times I ran it.
I would suggest you pressure test the cooling system to see if it holds pressure.
Both when cold and fully warmed up
And retorque the head bolts.
Dennis
69 OTS
That is a dangerous proposition on a 40 year-old XK engine. The head studs are almost sure to be rusty, and just attempting to loosen them could instead break them. They are better left alone.
I was just reading some posts in this forum about dipsticks and came across a comment about a bent dipstick going down the wrong hole. I assume I should drain the oil and put 9 US Quarts in?
Might this account for the smoke?
What damage may have been done? Hasn’t been driven, just idling and a little reving, run time no more than 5 to 7 minutes
The oil level would have to be MASSIVELY too high to cause smoking - like 2X what it should be. That is not at all plausible. The dip stick does not go “down the wrong hole” - it MISSES the hole in the baffle plate, and sits on top of the plate. You won’t read much of anything until the oil level rises over the baffle plate.