Yeah its lookin like a leakdown test this weekend... If its the engine, well its coming out and an LS2 is going in. If its the turbo I will probably fix it, but damn ive only got 16K on that turbo and I baby my car..

Thanks for all the input so far guys I really appreciate it.

 

Gonna sell the spent engine?

 

Perhaps rather than a 90 degree bend, you could put in a 45 degree angled fitting right at the upper oil pan bung to enhance return. Perhaps oil is just pooling in the horizontal section of tubing.

 

Yeah I will sell all of my Z related engine components. But im not sure whats gonna happen yet.

I was kinda thinking the same thing. A combination of that horizontal section and crank case pressure/windage keep the oil from coming out? I may just buy an oil pan spacer with the returns just to test this out.

 

I was sitting on a slant (8 degrees) for a couple of minutes one day and I noticed a little bit of smoke coming from the right side. I revved the engine a little and it was just getting worse. I pulled away with a huge cloud of smoke behind me thinking that I had messed up some rings, but once I was on flat ground again the smoke stopped. My only thought would be pcv houses that were removed when turbo kit was installed. I dont think it would have done this with a stock set up. I just dont park at a slant with the car running anymore. I know this doesn't really help you just info.

 

so i did the leakdown test and it checked out.. also pulled the suction pipe and checked the compressor normal play and no oil. also no oil in the charge pipe.

I guess maybe the exhaust side?

 

If the leakdown is fine (all cyls under 10-15%), then that leaves the turbo seals. The seal on the turbo is dependent on a balance of pressure inside the housing vs. outside. Crankcase pressure due to inadequate hose (collapsing under engine heat) or that flat section in the oil return line causing drainage issues might still be the cause.

 

rc- when I did my leakdown i used my friends leakdown tool. I have never used one before so he showed me how. but it really seemed like the tool wouldnt stay where we had it calibrated. Anyways i cant say they were under 10-15% but they were all in the "green" area of the gauge. i thought it said like 20 percent but i could be wrong.

But what doesnt make sense to me is if it was bad rings then it wouldnt smoke primarily at idle. I might have to get a better tool and try to do it again.

 

Also keep in mind if the leakdown #s were all roughly equal, then you're probably ok, because your issue is confined to a single bank. I'm thinking it's that flat segment of hose...

 

yeah thats the first thing im gonna try. either im going to see if i can shorten that length and get it to point down more or im going to plug that drain and get a pan with drains or a pan spacer. I will let you know what i find.

thanks for all the help and comments RC

 

so a little update..

Changed my oil from Royal purple 10w30 to Rotella t-syn 5w40 and swapped the .06 restrictors for .03 and it definitely helped keep it from smoking. hard to tell because its dark out but i will do a full check tomorrow. But it pretty much narrows it down to a problem with the turbo for sure.