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Hi all first post here! I have a 1951 200 when I first bought it did smoke decently which had a sweet smell to it, assuming it was antifreeze I did a head gasket job which now after finishing up still smokes. It no longer has the sweet antifreeze smell to it but has a white-bluish tint to it. I'm assuming oil is getting into the exhaust. Maybe bad valve seats? Does anyone have any input that may explain why it would still smoke as bad? Any advice is appreciated because I'm no master mechanic!
Thanks Nathan

How much smoke is it? And what's the history on the car (has it been sitting for a long time, etc)?

Blue tint means oil, but it could be a lot of different causes. Rings, valves, etc.

-Kevin

G'day Soybeanfarmer1,
to PackardInfo.

I invite you to include your '51 200 in the Packard Vehicle Registry.

Hi Kevin, it was sitting for about 2 years when I bought it from a auto gallery it needed some tlc lol. I guess it's not like tons of billowing smoke. I'll start up the car, about 30 seconds later it'll get a little puff then build up to a noticeable amount of white and blue. I guess it could be condensation since it's getting colder out but it doesn't smell like antifreeze. Could it possibly be a too rich fuel mixture? I've heard that can cause white smoke as well.
Thanks Nathan

The blue smoke certainly suggests that it's burning oil. Overly rich fuel mixture would give you black smoke.

Of course, you'll want to do a compression test. After sitting for so long or even not going out for long drives, the rings might be sticking.

When reviving a vehicle from long hibernation, my late father taught me to remove the plugs and take a pump oiler filled with ATF and give each cylinder a few shots. Crank it over a few times to help spread the ATF around and let it soak awhile. After you put everything back together and fire it up, prepare for even more smoke, until the ATF gets burned off. Final results are not instantaneous.

This is the least cost first step. One step at a time.

Hi Brian, thanks for the insight. I'll give a compression test and atf a try and see what I come up with. After driving it for about 40 minutes it is still smoking slightly blue, but no white. And no loss of antifreeze. So I guess the white smoke was just condensation but now I have another problem on my hands!

It's one of those things that you get form sitting too long. It might go away with regular exercise and it might not. Could be a valve seal or piston ring. Sometimes the compression test won't pick that up but a leak down might. Mild rust on the cylinder walls causing some blow by, since it was leaking coolant and smoking white. If you had the head off you should've noticed the cylinder wall condition?
I'd change the oil again after a few hundred miles and check it for contaminates; sludge, metal, etc. Certainly monitor the usage.
There's additives that are supposed to fix this, but I don't recommend stuff.
You'll get more smoke if you ATF the cylinders, but should burn off.
What's the plugs look like white, grey deposits, black & sooty or clean? If they're clean/new run it a few hundred before you check. If it persists and you;re someplace with laws that don't tolerate exhaust smoke, then you're into a tear down.

Hi Jim, the cylinder walls are in good shape I have some photos I can attach they aren't of best of quality but the block was in good shape with no cracks that I could see. Cylinder 1 had a slight ridge in it but otherwise then that the engine was in good shape. I examined the rest of the cylinders which I came up with nothing. But all it takes is a small hairline crack to cause leakage. But the spark plugs were very black and sooty so I changed them all.

I just got to look through my camera roll and it seems like I only took one photo when I had the head off. I know there isn't much to see but I thought I post it anyways

Attach file:

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  20211011_134531.jpg (300.04 KB)

My 54 was stuck when I got it and I freed the motor. But she smoked like a scene out of Cheech and Chong until all the stuck rings freed up. But that being said, it still has some minor blowbye. The more I drive it, the less there is. Really I only see it when the cars been sitting unused for awhile, and only on initial warm-up.

A quart of Lucas oil stabilizer and a 100 mile drive really helped to tame the issue. "Dave's not here man."