S13 SR20DET valve stem gaskets HELP

[rebornS14]

looks like i need to replace my valve stem gaskets and ive found some good write ups that'll help me on the job but i wasnt sure if needed to take off the oil pump cover and oil pan for this. i know the rockers arms, cams, springs need to be removed but id like to get some tips on someone who's already done this.

this was a good write up (http://www.nicoclub.com/articles.php?id=238409)that helps but the guy does alot of other things in the article that i dont need to do so im not sure how far i need to go in my case. any help would be great.

please give me some feedback. thanks in advance.

[rebornS14]

so i want to make sure before i start tearing apart my motor. i did a compression test to make sure cause my symptoms were a little iffy. compression seems o.k.

Cylinder #1 = 147
Cylinder #2 = 151
Cylinder #3 = 150
Cylinder #4 = 152

i dont know whats normal cause i see guys claiming its 150 some say 160 and goes all over the place.

i have a 1.5mm apex-i metal headgasket if that makes a difference.

i was wondering why Cylinder #1 was a little lower than the others so i put a little bit of oil in #1 and checked compression again and it read 170 which was weird. anyone know what that means?

put everything back together and ran the car to check a/f on aem uego.

idles anywhere between 13.7-14.2
during boost between 12-13 which i believe is a little too lean

took off downpipe and turbo elbow to check for oil leaks but found none. it was black but dry.

still getting the thin white smoke out exhaust. im kinda stuck on where to turn next. my friend who's a certified tech saids i should get the car tuned cause he thinks im just running a bad a/f mixture.

waiting on a tune shop to schedule me in right now but if anyone has any ideas, please feel free to give me your input.

[Mister.E]

wait, so whats wrong with your car? compression seems fine and so do your AFR readings. 12-13 is not lean, it is on the rich side. when you go into boost the car dumps in extra fuel because it helps cool the cylinders some.

what brought you to the conclusion that you need to change these gaskets?

[rebornS14]

because i was smoking and i knew it wasnt turbo or headgasket so i figured it was the valve stem seals which now im not too sure of.

[aNskY]

wait, so whats wrong with your car? compression seems fine and so do your AFR readings. 12-13 is not lean, it is on the rich side. when you go into boost the car dumps in extra fuel because it helps cool the cylinders some.

what brought you to the conclusion that you need to change these gaskets?

12-13 afrs in boost is NOT rich. if youre on pump gas you should be in the 11's,

what are your symptoms? usually bad valve stem SEALS will cause a puff of smoke on startup, and decel

[rebornS14]

i dont get smoke on startup but sometimes on decel and idle after driving. and im pretty sure its not the turbo cause i took it off to check and it was dry. plus i dont get any smoke at boost.

[Mister.E]

12-13 afrs in boost is NOT rich. if youre on pump gas you should be in the 11's,

what are your symptoms? usually bad valve stem SEALS will cause a puff of smoke on startup, and decel

yeah i fucked up, the way i was reading it i was thinking that he was trying to say it was on the lean side of 14.7

i re-read it and now get that he is saying that it is a lean reading during boost.

[fliprayzin240sx]

I still say its the turbo...what color smoke are you getting on decel? Smoke on decel still screams bad turbo to me. Check it for shaft play. And no 150 ish for compression isnt bad.

[rebornS14]

ok i found the problem. sorry guys for the mess but to make this story short. i had some oil backed up in my fmic. about 3 weeks ago i noticed i was getting alot of blow-by because i saw my bov blowing bits of oil out. i didnt have a catch can so i then got a hose to dump to the ground. i cleaned out my intercooler piping but i guess i should have cleaned out my fmic too. there was alot of oil left in there. that shit was getting sucked back into my motor via the intake manifold. it all makes sense now. i checked turbo, was fine, theres no more oil blowing out my bov. i see oil going into my new catch can. i checked the hot side of the intercooler piping and it was dry so i thought it was fine since i already cleaned it out. i didnt check the cold side which was again oily due to the oil in the front mount. i took it off and its now being cleaned. sorry for the trouble and thanks.

problem solved. closing thread.

[aNskY]

so your piston rings are fried?

[rebornS14]

i dont think so. its just oil accumulated within 2 years of daily driving. well, we'll see when i start driving it tomorrow.

[Mister.E]

well if thats your problem then i have a question for you...

since you are running an S13 SR, do you still have the stock oil seperation tank installed? its the little metal black container that goes in between the T-fitting on the valve cover to the tube that runs back down to the crankcase.

i was having this same exact problem for quite some time and i was advised to put the oil seperation tank back on the motor. since ive put it back on i havent had any oil fly out of the T-fitting yet. its a good way to solve your problem and keep the oil in the motor instead of dumping it to the ground or having it collect in a catch can. the seperation tank performs the same job for the S13 SR that the baffling in the valve cover does for the S14 SR.

[rebornS14]

no i dont have that container. came off when the motor was first swapped into a S13. i thought everyone took that off. but yea, i get alot of blow by but everyone saids its normal. i have to clear out my catchcan like every month.

it turns out my turbo was bad too so it still blew a little smoke. got a S15 turbo and ive been good since. got some other mods on now and waiting for a tune. sorry for a late reply. =/