Blown HG or ??? HELP!

[Spl170s]

Running car around tonight and during a really nice run, i went to let off the gas and heard a funny noise almost like a backfire but not really loud at all. Well, the car started running really weird at that point and had a bad idle to it and was running really rich it seemed. sitting at idle it had what sounded like a miss to it. searching for idle as well.

well, i started home and started seeing some smoke coming into the car so i pulled over......popped hood and heard what sounded like a ticking noise coming from the drivers side breather.

i start to head home as best i could becuase the car is running not so great at this point.

Got home popped the hood...and definetly a ticking from the driver breather.

Pulled plugs on drivers side.....rear plug.....looks nice...little white....nothing rare......middle plug......oil on it......first plug, normal as well. So, i do a compression check, rear cylinder....155, middle 0, front 152.

So, with the signs of NO compression at all...and oil on the plug....could this possibly be just a blown HG still....or am i looking at something worse than just a HG you think?

Is it possible a blown HG can cause no comression for the cylinder at all?

[longbedGTs]

Id think that even with a blown HG, you would still get a reading, just a really low reading. As for the oil on the plug...could be the HG blew in such an area where it entered into an oil galley...oil getting past rings...oil getting past valve stem seal or guide...could be anything. Id open it up and see what I find if it were me. Though, Im no expert on Buicks so dont take it from me. Im sure someone more knowlegable will chime in. Good luck!

[NJVetteGuy]

Pull the valve cover first, you may have bent/broken an intake pushrod or broken a valvespring. If the valve isn't opening to allow the a/f mixture in, it has nothing to compress, and if a valve is hanging open the compression will go right out the valve. There is also the possibility of a wiped cam, and a remote possibility that you detonated the car for a long time and destroyed a piston. Look at the valvetrain first, then dig deeper if necessary.

[Spl170s]

The only signs i had last night was some oil coming out of the drivers side breather, and a ticking noise from that breather area as well.

When i first got the car, we were dealing with tuning and alot of knock upon first getting it. I am wondering if that knock at that time weaken'd it and now while under high boost, it finally let go.

Hopefully the piston and such are good....that is worst case scenario for me. i don't want to have to pull the motor. Hopefully HG or something valvetrain.

I plan to dig in this weekend. Was looking to hear some suggestions to what it might possibly be though.

[XLR8]

Similar thing happened to me at the track. Heard a pop and oil blew out of both breathers. Compression test run and #4 had a reading of 5. It turned out the head gasket blew into the valley and pressurized the crankcase whivh caused the oil to spew. It's possible you have a broken valve spring but I'm betting on the head gasket especially if it makes a pfhut pfhut pfhut type of noise.

[trading t/a]

middle cylinder driver's side(number 3 is blown. The most common along with number 6. Pull both sides and do em both.

[Spl170s]

beleive me, i am praying it is only a HG. i can do that no problem at all. i am jsut worried about something worse....hopefully not though.

Car has JE pistons and such...shoudl be good i woudl think?

[trading t/a]

I could number 3! They were stock pistons and were very abused before I got the car. J&E's have a pretty good ring land construction as compared to the stockers, but detonation will still damage them.....

[Squid4life]

I agree on pulling the VC first! Let us know what you find!

Squid

[Spl170s]

Upon pulling the intake i saw my problem. and pulling off head showed it all.

even though the passenger side showed good compression...thinking i better replace it as well to be safe now.

here are a few pics.....

[Dwayne]

What's this pending approval on the pics?

[Spl170s]

Not sure? They open up for me? I assume they aren't working for some reason?

[Squid4life]

I can't see 'em either. Who'd you pi$$ off?

Squid

[Spl170s]

guess i dont' know! they show on the screen for me to open them up just fine...for me anyway.......weird.

anyway, the HG blew completely open into the intake area on the middle cylinder. obviously just the HG. piston is fine as is the cylinder walls and the rings.

going to go ahead and replace both sides though while i am in there...just makes sense.

doing this makes me wanna get rid of the AC box though, man does that make this a pain on the passenger side!!

[boost86]

Get rid of that box then you will have plenty of room