How to Troubleshoot a Chevy Smallblock

Chevy small blocks are some of the most powerful and popular engines that Chevy makes. Chevy makes a variety of small-block engines for various vehicles they manufacture. Over time, regular maintenance is required on these engines. If you do not do regular maintenance, then you'll need to troubleshoot problems as they arise. Even with regular maintenance, the small block, although reliable, can still fail.

Instructions

1. Start the engine and listen for pinging. If you aren't using high-octane fuel, Chevy small blocks will suffer from early detonation. The piston is slapping against the cylinder walls. You must use the proper octane fuel before the engine suffers a catastrophic failure.

2. Check the engine for possible cracks. High compression Chevy small blocks can-and do-crack, especially if the owner tries to turbocharge the engine (which is very common with these engines). Check the tailpipe emissions after the vehicle has warmed up. The emissions should be a light gray in color. If they're not--and they're white--and have a sweet smell to them, then you are burning engine coolant. This is caused by a cracked engine block, or a leaky head gasket which needs to be replaced.

3. Grab the top part of the spark plug (on top of the engine), and wiggle it while pulling up on it. Look to see if there is any oil on the spark plug wire (on the bottom of the plug where it mates to the spark plug). Oil on the plug tip indicates an oil leak in the valve seal. This is quite common on high mileage Chevy small blocks.

References

• "Chevrolet Small-Block V-8 ID Guide: All Chevy Small-Block Engines Since 1955;" Pierre Lafontaine; 1996
• "Auto Repair For Dummies;" Deanna Sclar, IDG Books Worldwide; 1999