OK i've been working on gettin ready to turbo my sixport and the one thing that is stoppign me now in my oil control rings, i have great compression still but the car smokes a lil when cold and still puffs even when warm when coming down from a high rpm. you think its still safe to turbo it or should i rebuild first? i think i know the answer

 

Doesn't sound that bad. I'm assuming consumption isn't too much more than normal.

Do it up.

 

Turbo a motor that's obviously not in top shape?
Oh boy...


-Ted

 

Wonderful....

And now time for a useful answer:

The behaviour you describe can be due to normal wear and tear, or oil o-rings that are on their way out. It really depends on how long you have been experiencing the smoke. If it's something sudden, then there's a problem quickly developing. If it's been gradual over a long period of time, then it's just general engine wear. Your engine might run for another 100,000 miles like that, so I wouldn't immediately worry unless you're consuming a large amount of oil or the oil is being polluted by gasoline...

As for the turbocharging, that's another question entirely...Do you want to put a lot of effort and potentially a lot of money into an enigne with a lot of use on it, that may have internal problems? If it was my car, and I knew the history of the engine, I would do it as it doesn't look like you're about to experience sudden oil ring death...But if the smoke was a recent development, I would consider rebuilding/replacing the engine before any serious modification.