Help! Serious engine trouble in sc3.8 valve cover gaskets root problem?

scbird94

Registered User
Hey everybody this is my first time posting on here but im no stranger to the site or the world of mn12. Ive owned a 94 lx for about 4 years now and i just purchased a silvery blueish 94 SC manual w/102k it has treated me good until about a day ago when it started on fire.

Was driving in normal conditions, mild boost under acceleration, when started missing and smoking from under hood, temp gauge rose- when i opened hood flames shooting out from valve gasket cover area on drivers side.
I brought the car into work and had some of the techs look it over, and they told me the problem was i blew out the valve cover gaskets, and they proceeded to fix it (i dont have space or tools to do myself).

Upon completion, car still doesent run right and oil fill stem is venting air and white smoke (exaust?) and car is burning oil out of tailpipes.

They are looking at it on monday, but i work at a chevy dealership and i want a second opinion on what it is?????? Tech was talking to me about used motor prices vs. complete rebuild, any suggestions there?

People tell me it could be a burnt valve or fried piston rings....
I run 89 octane and gas is fresh, car stored winters.

I was surfind the threads for hours... SC'er seems to have a similar problem with his car (same color and year even.. wow)

PLEASE help me, i havent owned this car for 3 weeks yet and alread major probs...

Thanks!
Dylan Roth, St. Cloud MN.
roth0007@acad.sctc.edu
94' Bird SC
94' Bird LX
95' GMC Sonoma
?? EZ-GO Golf Cart (yeah its got a hemi)
 
Were to start. Ok 89 octane= bad. 91 min.Pull out your plugs and check the condition of each one. If one looks different then the others this may be a bad cylender. It sounds like you have what we call blow by. Do a compression test. If compression is fine change out your PCV. Good luck
 
SC motors catching on fire is very rare, so I wouldn't expect much help. Was it oil leaking from the rocker covers that caught on fire or was something else burning ?

David
 
Do a compression test. And see which piston is giving you problems. If oil is burning out the tailpipe, then it's probably the rings or burnt piston.
 
i had the same problem with an 89 sc that i bought from a guy except it blew the valve covers completely apart. he would crank it up and it would blow fire out of the drivers side head. after tearing the engine down the # 6 piston had a hole the size of a half dollar from the top down the side and the rings were melted.
 
Back
Top