Only just recnectly iv had white smoke coming from the rear of my engine near the spark plugs, on start up she runs great no misses or rough idle but after a minute or 2 it will start pooling out with smoke that smells like burning oil, iv replaced both rocker cover gaskets, iv checked the spark plugs there was no oil or deposits on them, i cant see any oil coming from the motor but she is loosing alot of oil from somewhere. any help would be great :)

White smoke = steam = water.
Blue smoke = oil.

If it is oil smoke, run a finger along the rear head and rocker cover joint, you may have damaged the rocker cover gasket when installing it.


Then again if you change the rear gasket soon after shutting down the engine, a lot of oil will be released when the cover comes off, and it will need to burn off.

thenks for replying mate

It is white smoke buts smells like burning oil and i have noticed a pool of it on the ground in the mornings, iv checked around the head and the rocker cover cant feel any oil, i do recall when i did both rocker covers i didnt tourqe them down properly instead i did them way over tight ( newbie mistake )

could it also be that oil is dripping onto the extractors or down the chamber by any chance cause it only happens when the engine gets warm.

Thanks again mate

Pool of what though, oil or water?

Wait until it is dark, start the engine and use a bright torch to look down behind the V6 engine. You will soon see where the smoke is coming from.

You may have distorted the rocker cover itself by overtightening it.

I had a bad leak on the rear bank of my TS V6, turned out to be the "O" ring on the distributor extension housing. Worth looking at if it's not the rocker cover.

ill have a look now and try upload some pics to show where the smoke is coming from

Found the problem, it turned out i was missing 2 spark plug tube seals which were leaking oil onto the rear extractors

Thanks for your help mate

Oh, good!!!. . . except a TS V6 doesn't have spark plug tube seals . . .

Spark plug seal tube ??? this is what got stuck in the socket when i was undoing the spark plugs http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=458896137525445&set=a.129835107098218.33266.100002151882179&type=1&theater

how do u post pictures up lol

Host them on photobucket and paste the link in a post.

If you found any rubber bits on the outside of the spark plugs, it's probably from disintegrating plug connectors. No oil there, so look elsewhere for oil leaks.

http://s1303.photobucket.com/user/khajiit02/media/IMAG03871_zps76433c9c.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

OK on the picture.

Most spark plug spanners have that piece as an insert, to grab the top of the plug once you have unscrewed it. Just pulls out of the spanner when you take the plug out of it.
Not really needed with the TS as you can reach the unscrewed plug by hand.
So, it's not part of the car and not the reason for the smoke.

Someone transplanted a Quad cam motor into your Ts? Vee

well that explains what the rubbers were, thought they were spark plug seal tubes lol, i noticed today when i take off the pvc hose off both rocker covers the smoke stops, but soon as i put them back on it starts smoking again, think you were right madmax, when i over tightened the rocker covers iv stuffed the covers up.

Wouldnt have a clue if there is a quad cam in it, let alone what it would look like haha lol

The positive crankcase ventilation system is a pain on the V6 TS engine when it clogs up. While the covers are off, try to blow through the connections for the PCV hose on the rocker covers, I bet they are gunged up. Piece of wire and some solvent like petrol to clean them out, and rinse solvent (or something strong like oven cleaner) between the double layers of metal in the rocker covers. Also clean out all the hoses on the PCV system. If it is not working right, the blowby past the rings causes pressure buildup in the engine and oil will get blown out anywhere there is a weak spot. Rocker covers and the oil filler cap are two such spots.

It's possible your rocker cover gaskets are ok, but the problem stems from the PCV system being clogged up. Mine was pumping oil out the oil filler cap. All good once I cleaned all the bits out. Lots of oily carbon in the rocker cover connections and hoses.

Yes the pcv valve and hose are clogged like a mother****** on both of the rocker covers, i was going to clean it all tomorrow the rocker cover gaskets still look good no cracks or anything that looks like they have been pinched or ruined, might try cleaning them as u said and see how that goes, cause i do have the same problem u mentioned about the oil coming up from the cap, just runs down the rocker cover from the cap not a serious drip but a noticable one, i was thinking bout using some carby cleaner for the rocker covers and pcv valves instead of degreaser, short of that heading down to the wreckers and getting two covers from there if the clean out dosent work

I know this is a bit late to chime in!

However, seeing as far as I know nobody has mentioned it, blue smoke would be oil, however white smoke could be a cooling system problem, are you sure your not leaking coolant? You might have a cracked head and it might be leaking coolant into your exhaust system (which burns up and becomes white smoke)

You might have a cracked cooling system hose, or a hole in your radiator or.. One of a variation of problems including water pump etc.

Just thought I'd put that idea out there since it seems like youre still trying to find the source of your problems

i dont think its from the cooling system cause as i rev the engine blue smoke comes out of the exaust and alot of it aswell as coming from the area iv described in the motor, im loosing heaps of oil, water hasent moved at all.

might be time to drop a 3.0L DOHC 24 Valve in it haha lol

The blue smoke when you rev it while idling is the valve stem seals meaning your burning oil, not because it's leaking but because your burning it because it's an older car and these things tend to happen with age.

The leak your getting from the back of the engine bay is most likely your rear main seal, although that's not really another age related thing so much as the car has been flogged over the course of its years kind of thing.

at the moment iv been using cheap 20-50 oil until i can find the problem and stolve the oil problem, usually i use penrite 20-60w oil and she dosent smoke at all not even on a cold morning but untill shes fixed im not buying expensive stuff

i took the spark plugs out this morning there was a small amount of gunk from #1 spark plug and smelt like fuel with abit of burning around the very tip of the thread, #3 spark plug had the smallest amount of gunky oil on it like no less then the tip of ur finger nail around the top with the same scoured bit around the top, all the rest are ok, i took the heat sheilds off the rear extractors and took the extractors off no signs of a crack on it, i got a screw driver with a white rag and put it through the spark plug holes no oil or anything wet on it, just normal amount of grease as u would expect, cant find anything that would make it burn and it deffienently smells like oil, there is a pool of oil leaking from some where cause its all over the rear bottom left hand side of the engine where the alternator is and the power steering hose, the back of the firewall on the grey leathery material level to the spark plugs looks like oil has sprayed out on to it and has dripped down a small way butt not enough to cover the bottom of the engine bay as it appears, i swapped #1 and #3 spark plugs to the front and the to see if it was the spark plugs, but now the front is leaking smoke and so is the back in almost equal amounts, the front only had the slightest puff before, so i took of the heat shield to the extractor on the front to have a look but cant see where its coming from either, im thinking spark plug seal tubes, iv rang repco to order in 2 rocker cover gaskets and the seal tubes to how that goes cause i did way over tighten the rocker covers at one stage which may be the reason to all of this tomorrow im headding down to the self wreckers to get 2 covers from there and see how that goes, but if its not that then i have no clue what it is, and the magna workshop manual dosent really give much infomation doesnt even tell u where the rear spark plugs go of all things lol

at the moment iv been using cheap 20-50 oil until i can find the problem and stolve the oil problem, usually i use penrite 20-60w oil and she dosent smoke at all not even on a cold morning but untill shes fixed im not buying expensive stuff

i took the spark plugs out this morning there was a small amount of gunk from #1 spark plug and smelt like fuel with abit of burning around the very tip of the thread, #3 spark plug had the smallest amount of gunky oil on it like no less then the tip of ur finger nail around the top with the same scoured bit around the top, all the rest are ok, i took the heat sheilds off the rear extractors and took the extractors off no signs of a crack on it, i got a screw driver with a white rag and put it through the spark plug holes no oil or anything wet on it, just normal amount of grease as u would expect, cant find anything that would make it burn and it deffienently smells like oil, there is a pool of oil leaking from some where cause its all over the rear bottom left hand side of the engine where the alternator is and the power steering hose, the back of the firewall on the grey leathery material level to the spark plugs looks like oil has sprayed out on to it and has dripped down a small way butt not enough to cover the bottom of the engine bay as it appears, i swapped #1 and #3 spark plugs to the front and the to see if it was the spark plugs, but now the front is leaking smoke and so is the back in almost equal amounts, the front only had the slightest puff before, so i took of the heat shield to the extractor on the front to have a look but cant see where its coming from either, im thinking spark plug seal tubes, iv rang repco to order in 2 rocker cover gaskets and the seal tubes to how that goes cause i did way over tighten the rocker covers at one stage which may be the reason to all of this tomorrow im headding down to the self wreckers to get 2 covers from there and see how that goes, but if its not that then i have no clue what it is, and the magna workshop manual dosent really give much infomation doesnt even tell u where the rear spark plugs go of all things lol

i dont blow blue smoke but i use 40-70w oil