So i decided to check the compression in my cylinders and they all checked out at 150 psi. This is the first time i've done this so is that about right for a 30 over, but otherwise internally stock 350? (82' model from a chevy pickup) I'm trying to figure out why i'm burning so much oil. EVERY plug was fouled, but it seems more so on the right bank, where wet oil was visible on every plug. The plugs are only about 3 months old. Would this compression tell anything about the rings? The rings are what everyone seems to point to, but the engine still only has less than 30,000 miles on it. I don't know too much about valve seals or anything like that, but would they be a suspect? Thanks for any help guys.

With 150 cranking compression I doubt that you have a ring seal problem. I would look at the heads as the problem, were the heads rebuilt at the same time as the engine? If they were rebuilt did the guides and the valves get replaced or just checked and reused, the valves stems and guides maybe to worn. Another thing to look at the valve seals, chevys are notorious for eatting valve seals in a short period of time as little as 15,000 miles, I made a good living at a GM dealer changing valve seals. Check to see if the engine smokes on start up after sitting a little while, then it is the valve seals. Intake mainfold gasket sometimes suck up oil if there is a poor seal, if the engine was decked or the heads were shaved to raise compression this maybe a problem. This is where I would start looking first before condeming the ring seal.

See, that's what I was thinking. I have no idea if the heads were dealt with at all. When I bought the engine it had 17,000 miles on it (750$ it was a good deal I think). It didn't smoke when i first dropped it in, but eventually it started. When the engine is warm and I start it there's always a nice cloud of smoke billowing out, but not when it's a cold start. I think i'd better check those darn heads.

Dink,
Valve stem seals normally cause a puff of smoke on COLD start up...the first time of the day. Your's does not sound like that. There would have to be something VERY wrong with the heads to foul plugs. The early small blocks did not even use valve seals and they did not foul plugs. If the engine did not smoke when you first got it, I doubt that the valve seals or rings went bad that quick. I am betting more on something like a pcv valve sucking oil, maybe intake gaskets etc etc.
By the way, good compression does not always meant that the rings are ok. A compression test really only tells you the condition of the top rings, nothing about the oil control rings.
Hope this helps,

You could possibly have a warped/cracked intake or bad/leaking intake gaskets. As mentioned above your pcv system is a good place to look too.

If the intake and pcv are alright then its likely your problem is in the rings and or heads either sperately or together.

Just for some thought,i had an 88 monte ss 305 g HO motor with 85k on it that ran fine but burned approx 1qt oil per 800-1k miles. I installed new valve seals in it and the oil consumption was drastically reduced to 2500-2800 miles on 1qt of the same viscosity oil. Now that job was a real P.I.A to do in the monte ss but was well worth it in the end. If your motor is truely low miles and you dont suspect a ring seal issue and all else checkes out with the intake/pcv then i would go the the effort to spend a sat pm to install new seals to see if that will help out before removing the motor for a rbld.

Again,my monte ss at times would only get a small puf of blue smoke at startup with this motor before i changed the seals. You would think that the valve seals would not have been a problem in this case where it only puffed a little once in a while at startup but it was the problem so keep that in mind.

If you change your valve seals and it still burns oil then i would suspect the rings at that point. I have seen many motors over the yrs that had decnt cranking comp like yours but the oil ring were shot which caused oil burning issues.

good luck

Scott

check the intake gaskets and make sure they are in the right place and properly torqued. I've run into problems assuming the valve seals were bad when it was an improperly installed intake gasket.
Just take a peek that them and make sure the intake is properly torqued.

Matt

Hey thanks guys, I appreciate the info. I guess i'll check the intake gaskets first off, hope that's the problem. Thanks again.