I think I broke something

[77bronko]

OK, changing my intake manifold gasket, I got some coolant into one or more of the cylinders. No big deal I'll just pull the plugs before I crank it. But I forgot. I heard 2 knocks when I first turned it over. Stopped, thought about what I didn't do, damage is done. So I fire it up, it runs smooth but I hear a little knock from what sounds to be somewhere deep, and it is just billowing white smoke, especially when I gas it. I let it run for ~10 minutes then one of my valves starts wrapping and getting louder and louder.

-What have I done?

 

[76Broncofromhell]

You could have cracked a piston or spun a bearing.

Did you change the oil after you changed the intake?

 

[77bronko]

No I didn't. It sounds like that may have been a good idea.

I did not mention that
(stupidly before doing a compression check, because I tend to be a little rash)

that I pulled the heads, and the pistons looked OK. The heads did not appear to be warped. And I checked all the lifters, valves and valve rods for debris, but found none. I also could see no visible signs of head gasket problems (I was hoping I may have just blown the head gasket).

 

[wildbill]

%) %) %) White smoke is water and if it dosnt go away then you need to get into it it could be a bad gaskit on the intake have had this happen a few times not getting a good seal. If you hydrauliced the motor then you could have a bent rod/broken piston/ blowen headgaskit and the list go's on hope it just a bad gaskit on the intake good luck.%) %) %) Bill %)

 

[airman]

look for water in the oil, run with rad cap off and look for bubbles. with your story hopefully you will. I have a feeling you will be looking at the top of those pistons pretty soon again either way. Pull your plugs before you put the heads back on. I think you will have to inward until you find a problem. The smoke doesn't scare me near as much as the noise does.

 

[73stallion]

you may have cracked a head or bent a rod also. doesn't have to be much. the rod may be hitting the block as it comes around.

 

[antnykk]

do a leak down test. This will isolate the problem (gasket, crack, etc.)

 

[72Sport]

Measure the distance from the top of the block to the top of the piston when the piston is at top dead center or at its highest point. Compare the height on a dry cylinder with one that had water in it when you started it up. If the distance from the top of the block to the cylinder is greater on the "wet" cylinder than it is on a known "dry" you have a bent rod, wrist pin or bad piston.

 

[77bronko]

Thanks for the clues. Hopefully I will be able to dig in next week some time. Just out of curiosity, can you easily replace a piston and ord through the bottom of the engine, or do the heads need to come off?
Boy I wish I hadn't raced to get this done.

Thanks for all the relplies,

 

[76 explorer]

the heads have to get off to replace the piston:-[ sorry

 

[77bronko]

Well, low oil pressure was the culprit of the ticking valves. The clack I heard when I first turned it over was not water being compressed but my oil pump drive rod being pretzeled by the crank. I suppose I must have pulled it out of the pump when I removed the distributor. Unfortunately I now have a minor valve tick, possibly from running for ten minutes without oil pressure when I first started it up. I say F-um if they can't take a joke.