VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 54 Bell air general ?'s

I have s couple of stupid questions about my 54 Bel Air. Is it natural or normal for the valve cover to vent a little heat smoke out of the valve cover vents? I am guessing its alright due the presence of the vents in the first place, Its not a lot. Just a very little and its really only noticeable after the motor is off. Also, today I noticed the valves are tapping just a little bit. I have never adjusted valves on this car before. Is this an easy procedure and is there anything I should be aware of in particular? I also noticed a little blue smoke when she started up today. Can this be due to valve adjustment or a possible carb issue? I do know the carb is leaking a bit and the car becomes hard to start if I go a week or so between tries. Could the smoke be due to the fact that I have to prime the carb sometimes to get her to start? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I’m trying to get her ready for summer and don’t want to screw her up. She’s gone 50+ years so far and I would hate to ruin her record.

Smoke from the vents - OK. Powerglide engines have hydraulic lifters and usually don't need adjustment. They tend to tap when cold for a few seconds. Stick shift engines have solid lifters and should be checked/adjusted occasionally. It's an easy procedure if you follow the manual/s. A little blue smoke when starting is OK. Powerglide '54s are just hard to start - period, but if yours is well used, it shouldn't be difficult..Warning, if you change the starter with a rebuilt, you'll lose the original one which is a heavy duty unit -especially on the powerglide engine.. If it needs service, have it done by a specialty rebuilder.. Check the automatic choke to see if it's closed when cold...It should click when you work the throttle in the engine comparment..If your battery is old, be sure to replace it with a high cold cranking rating...

With a tight engine you may see a little smoke from the valve cover after a drive and then a shut down. Remember that the fumes and smoke that accumulate in the crankcase are not vented with a PCV valve but depend on the slight amount of vacumn created at the tip of the road draft tube when moving to pull the fumes out. If you get a little blue smoke on start up it may be from a little oil collecting on the valve stems when sitting and then burning off when you build a fire in the engine. A good wet and dry compression test could help determine the source. Last thing I would do is worry about it.

The "valves tapping" could be caused by a restricted oil passage that feeds oil to the rocker arms.Would suggest running engine (warm) with valve cover removed and see if there is oil dripping from the rocker arms and shafts.If its a stick with solid lifters checking the valve lash should come next (if its oiling).It is normal to set valves every 5 to 10,000 miles on these cars.If the car is a Power Glide with hydralic lifters there could be another problem.

Also, the tapping of hydraulic lifters in a 1954 Powerglide engine could be due to using a non-detergent oil or dirty oil that is causing one or more of the hydraulic lifters to stick. A grain of sand can stick the early versions of hydraulic lifters.
been there did that.....

She’s not a Powerglide. The tapping has just started this winter. She was very quiet last year. It seems the sitting sometimes brings these things out. I think it is probably a simple adjustment. The motor in this car was rebuilt a few years ago so I think anything I find wrong with it is bound to be minor. The smoking at start up is a new thing as well. It seems she is getting harder and harder to start when she has set for a bit. The carb is leaking a little so I have to put gas in it to start it up. It kind of runs rough for a second or two then clears up. After she’s warm she runs great.

Ordinary wear of valves, rocker arms, cam lobes, valve lifters and valve seats and pushrods are the reason for needing to reset the valve lash ocassionally. this is also a good time to evaluate lubrication problems under the valve cover and correct deficiencies. These engines were not designed to run 100,000 miles without removing the valve covers.
Automatic chokes and carbs also require inspection and rebuilding ocassionally along with replaceing plugs, points, condensers and rotors and distributor caps.
Hard starting that requires raw gasoline or starting fluid dumped directly down the carb and into the engine in itself will cause unnecessary wear of pistion rings, and cylinder walls resulting in blue smoke and poor performance due to washing oil from the recipocating surfaces. Chokes and float settings, idle jet and idle speed settings need to be inspected for proper functioning, You need to purchase anowners manual, and a shop manual. Then you need to read them even if you don't do the actual work yourself! I hope this is helpful information you can use to enjoy your vintage Chevrolet.

...Just one more thing, please take a little time and devote some thought about joining up with us in VCCA, it is well worth the cost of the dues, just to get our club magazine The Generator and Distributor each month

Thanks for all the info. I am planning on joining the VCCA very soon. I do have a manual for the car. I just like asking other peoples opinions on it before I dig in. I have not had a car this old before. I now have this Bel Air and a 57 Plymouth 2 door. I suspect I will be learning a lot about these old girls in the near future. The carb issue I plan on resolving this month. She is leaking fuel and I can smell it as well as see it. After that I plan a full tune up followed by a valve adjustment and a new Speedo cable. The transmission still has a problem going smoothly into 2nd gear but I can shift it in with out noise if I go real slowly into gear. I plan on not driving it too much till I can get that issue fixed. Thanks again!!

Most common cause the the trasmission problem you mentioned is a worn syncronizer drum/rings.
Double clutching when shifting into 2nd gear will help (shift 1st to neutral,bump out clutch quickly, and the hit 2nd).Takes less time than it takes to type it.

Would also advise to lubricate the valve stems.When sitting over winter the gas can cause a varnish deposit on the valve stems, causing the valves to stick.Can be done two ways.Pouring Marvel Mystery Oil thru the carb. throat with engine running - or squirting MMO on the valve guides/stems thru the valve springs with engine running.

I don’t have the heart to let her sit all winter long. I usually start her up once a week or two weeks at the longest. The transmission issue is a bit peculiar. At first I thought it was just the clutch. It is adjusted all the way out and the starter seemed to turn faster if she was in neutral vs. in gear with the clutch in. After that she began to leak a little fluid at the back of the transmission. Now, every once and a while, when i start her and she’s cold the cluck makes a singing noise for just a second then goes away. Also, when it’s cold she will shift into all gears just fine. It's after she warms up that the problem shows it’s self. The guy I bought it from kind of took advantage of my ignorance of old cars and told me that the car was old and that it made that noise when you downs shift due to the lack of a synchronizer in the transmission. Now it does it anytime you put it in 2nd. I also know that he was just feeding me a line about the transmission. Anyway, thanks for all your help her guys. It sure is nice to have found knowledgeable people that are willing to share information with a “shade tree mechanic”.

I would suggest draining the transmission and refilling with 85W-140.While your at it drain and refill the rear end also.It can be easily drained by remove the bottom cover bolt.

I find that starting the engine every week and letting it run causes more damage than not running it at all.Either start it and drive it for at least 1/2 hour to fully warm the oil - or just let it sit.My cars often remain "unstarted" for up to 6 months at a time with no problems.Don't even charge the battery.

(The transmission is fully syncronized in 2nd and 3rd gear...but not 1st.Can not be down shifted to 1st while car is moving (with out a little help and grinding).

Thanks again, I’ll try that next weekend. She is fully road worthy so I do take her out here and there. I don’t like driving long distances with it being the way it is but down to Lowes and back once a week seems to keep her happy.

Even tho you may warm the engine up letting it run in the shop there is a problem in that the road draft tube cannot function unless the vehicle is moving so there is no circulation in the crankcase allowing mositure to build up and contaminants from unburned fuel to foul the oil.

Agree with Gene about running the engine every week or two unless you drive the car long enough to get the oil up to operating temperature.. I put mine away just before Halloween and store them until April. If I had the time today, I would have driven one of mine. Moisture is an enemy of the engine and the exhaust system and that's why driving the car is so important...

I never heard of that before. I'll keep that in mind next time. I do drive the car at least twice a month so I’m sure no harm has been done. Thanks..

most have the same problem with starting it is the gasoline . with the carb being vented it does not take very long for the gas to evaporate leaving the carb dry . i usally prime mine knowing that the engine will have to roll quite a while to fill the carb. if it sets a month or so it may not run at all with the fuel in the tank it also looses the octane through evaporation and it may have to be freshen up to get to the station . have this to happen several times . probably differant time limits depending on the part of the world you live in . it used to be simple to explain problems but now we have people all over the world reading these threads and some do not apply to everyone . hope this helps

Thanks.