Smoke from breather and dipstick

[natas13]

Like the title say I'm getting a light steamy smokey burnt oil smelling steam from my breather and dipstick any ideas on what's going on? It's a 350 sb

[litew8]

How's the oil check out? look/level
Check you pcv filter

[magicoolbus]

Make sure the PCV valve is not stuck closed. You should be able to hear it rattle when you shake it. When engine is running at idle, you should have good suction at the PCV valve. Smoke is from blow by not properly being evacuated. If your PCV valve is operating normally and you have blow by, I am afraid your problems are deeper in the engine.

[natas13]

Pcv valves solid replacing it on the tune up anyways oil levels a little low gotta do the oil Pan gasket it did not happen till recently and it has lost oil since I drove it more could that be the case low on oil? I really hope it's not my rings

[Steeveedee]

Rings. It's blow-by, unless the engine is so overheated that it's cooking, which is going to mean rings, anyway.

[mmiddle]

Chances are the engine is just flat worn out. A correctly working PCV will mask the problem by sucking all the smoke out of the CC and reburning it. The problem is that the compression rings are allowing blow-by.

[litew8]

check your compression

[litew8]

how many miles?

[natas13]

Sounds like I'm better off buying a new 350 the miles are unknown but it runs and idles like a champ. That's why I'm so confused but a compression test will tell the true story thanks guys

[Lee H]

All engines have blow by, even well broken in ones with great compression. On a used engine it is perfectly normal to have a little blow by wafting out of the breather, a little. Now if it's clouding up the engine bay, that's a different matter. While a compression test will is useful in looking at the over condition of the rings and valves, only a leak down test will tell the real story.

[cdowns]

if it is used infrequently it will smoke from the moisture that builds up inside the block and will gradualyy go away when the block gets up to operating temps

[Old Truck Man]

Excessive blow by like stated previously is compression. usually rings. could be a bad piston. sometimes they burn part of the top away? Ive seen broken rings and cracked ring lands on just one cyl. run a compression check. a seeping head gasket can cause smoke also. many times a engine that isn't used but for short trips (city driving) and doesn't get thouroughly warmed up will collect significant condensation and that evaporating looks similar to blow by. A 250 in a 65 that was perfect before I left home burnt a piston in Dallas Tex traffic. I made it home but the blow by was teriffic burnt a gallon of lucas oil additive on the way home.

[geezer#99]

Check the pcv vac hose. They collapse if you use the wrong one.