Just did valve cover gaskets - a few questions

[Kyngfish]

Hey so over the weekend I replaced the valve cover gaskets, I had oil all over my engine so it was time. I cleaned out the throttle body, replaced that gasket, and replaced the PCV and grommet while I was at it. Car is all back together and I definitely don't want to do that job again any time soon. But, the idle is great, the valve covers look dry, and the test drive went awesome so I'm happy. Thanks to [MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION] and all the other dudes that did their videos and write-ups. The FSM I have doesn't seem to match my car, so I was left with a few questions.

• I adjusted one of the cables that had a little slack, the ones running from the driver's side of the engine, as far as I know are the throttle and the transmission cable, but the cable with the slack came from the passenger's side. What was it?
• I've been getting some smoke coming out of the engine bay when I initially run the car for like 5 or ten minutes in the mornings, it's definitely oil, and I assumed it was leaking oil burning off, but after the fix, I ran the car with the hood open and it looked like oil smoke coming out of a leak in the exhaust manifold. How do I diagnose if it was just oil from a bad PCV (now replaced) or blowby?
• Where in the FSM is the diagram that tells me which hoses along the airbox are what? I did see a little pooled oil in the throttle body when I opened it all up, and one of the hoses had oil residue going into the airbox hose.

I just did the fix, so maybe the PCV fixed the smoke issue and what I was seeing was the last oil burning off, but I'll keep an eye on it. But just in case, I thought I'd ask. Truck has 175K miles, and I'm assuming it's sort of soon for bad rings, but I've definitely seen some smoke after about 5 minutes of idle. Just always assumed it was leaking oil.

I don't have a compression tester, but I do have a leak down tester, so I can do that in a pinch, but it's a pain in the ass, so if there's an easier way to test, I'm all ears.

 

[SaulG]

1) Probably Cruise Control .. should have a little slack.
2) Clean Clean again then run while watching .. did you replace all the grommets on the bolts? they may "settle"
3) PCV system may pool oil check in emmision sect of FSM or FUEL AIR

 

[Kyngfish]

1)2) Clean Clean again then run while watching .. did you replace all the grommets on the bolts? they may "settle"

Yep I did. I was actually pretty shocked at how loose my bolts were, all the rubber was fairly brittle - but the valve cover gaskets were actually still fairly rubbery. Either way, no smoke this morning, and no burnt oil smell, but let's see how it keeps going.

 

[mtbtim]

Glad the video [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] and I made to launch our channel helped you out. Since you mentioned doing a compression test and leak down test, I have a couple videos for you. I think you're engine is most likely fine, but it is nice to know the health of your cylinders for peace of mind. Having your own compression tester is nice but I think you can rent them for free from some auto parts stores like O'Reillys. If they don't rent them, invest in one. It's a nice tool to own.

During the compression test, there was a very noticeable popping sound that happened multiple times. It's my theory this sound might have been coming from the fuel pressure regulator on the back of the engine but it's just a guess. When I do another compression test, I'm going to disconnect the power to the fuel pump and see if my theory was correct. In our fuel filter replacement video, we show how to pull the plug for the fuel pump: YouTube

By the way, that cable coming from the passenger side IS coming from the cruise control module. The cruise control module is bolted to the passenger side of the engine above the wheel well. The two that come in from the driver side are your throttle and transmission kickdown cables. Like you, I took most of the slack out of mine as well. The oil in your hoses and throttle body was probably due to a sticky PCV valve and it's smart that you replaced it. I suspect your engine smoking days are behind you.

Here's the compression test video:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ky7bndfFpO0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Here's the leak down test video:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8yuCHzqH7MY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Kyngfish]

Since you mentioned doing a compression test and leak down test, I have a couple videos for you..If they don't rent them, invest in one. It's a nice tool to own.

Thanks for the all the vids, really. I've used yours and @infamosRnR's videos for everything from the Tundra brake upgrade to the suspension refresh, and now the gaskets. Nice work, it's much appreciated.

I have a leak down tester - my other car has an air cooled engine and word on the street was that the leak down tester is a more complete look at engine health, and based on whether you hear air escaping from the intake or the exhaust, you can loosely diagnose a possible problem.

I'd just rather not undertake a full leak-down test if I don't need to .

Let's see how it does with the smoke and burnt oil smell, and hope I don't need to do it. But if I do, I'm just buying a used block and just doing a full rebuild, because, why not. 2020 would be better for that though, fingers crossed.