So i just picked up a 87 jx that had been sitting for the last 12 years or so i did the weber swap on it but am having trouble getting the rings to seat. ive been running some atf in the oil but am still getting blow by and am burning oil anyone know a to get this to stop with out a rebuild? I'm trying to hold off on the rebuild tell after summer.

Sounds like your going to be looking at a rebuild. No amount of additives are going to " re seat " stuck or worn out rings.

You seat the rings during break-in, seating is the action of the  rings and cylinder walls wearing machined edges off in a matched/honed surface to provide the seal with just a slight amount of oil on the surface. Either your rings/cylinder walls have worn or a ring is stuck in the piston groove. You will need to tear her down.


NEVER put ATF in the engine oil, that is a surefire way to ensure your machinists retirement account. ATF provides no friction protection.

really i just need to get it to stop smoking tell i can get a engine built to put in it

really i just need to get it to stop smoking tell i can get a engine built to put in it

Have you tried the " patch ? " I hear it helps with stopping smoking. 
If you must throw additives at it, try some Marvel Mystery Oil, or any one of those miracle lubes that fill the shelves at most auto parts stores. There's even stuff called " No Smoke." Honestly though, if you got a stuck ring ( and it's either that or their just flat worn out ) Not much is gonna help. That's just the sad fact.    You could always go to a heavier oil, like 20/50 wt, and throw a quart of Lucas in it for good measure.

ATF provides no friction protection.

So - tell me - what keeps your transmission from wearing out?

Granted it's not the correct lubricant for an engine, but it most certainly does lubricate - transmission gurus here tell me it's about equivalent to a 30wt oil.

NEVER put ATF in the engine oil, that is a surefire way to ensure your machinists retirement account. ATF provides no friction protection.

i know this its a old timers trick you run it for no more the 100 miles to help brake down deposits, but i guess you wouldn't know this.

I have heard of trans fluid for flushing, I am one of those " old timers."  I agree with fordem too, it is OIL so it has lubricant properties. We even used to use it for fork oil in our older bikes. But back to the stuck ring question. There are specific products just for this situation, designed to free up stuck parts. You could pull all the plugs and fill the cylinders with an oil based penetrant and let it sit for a couple days then turn it over with the plugs out to blow all the crap out.

The problem with " breaking down deposits " is how do you get them out of the engines oil passages once their loose? If it's just liquid it can be flushed out, but you'll always have some left in there.

If the cylinders were left dry for a long period  ( years ) there's also the possibility of rust on the walls, rust on the valves, and pretty much any part that oil drained away from over time. Moisture in the air can get into the engine through the air intake or breathers or carb and settle, eventually rusting parts, especially if the said engine was not properly set up for long term storage. The only way to know for sure is to have a look at the inside, either with a scope or by removing the head and or the oil pan and LOOKING at the parts.

I just finished rebuilding a block that had been left outside for LESS than a year, with the head and intake system on. Piston rings were rusted solid to the walls, and once the pistons were finally removed I found the rings were seized solidly in the ring lands. If your Sammy is in decent shape and you plan on driving it for some time to come, do it right, have a look inside and give yourself some peace of mind as well. Better to fix it right now, then go for a TOTAL rebuild later. There are no quick, miracle fixes that you can just pour into an engine, although there are many products that will lead you to believe they can fix anything from worn out rings and cylinder walls to bad valves and " smoking." At best they are a temporary band aid and only succeed in draining your wallet. If your goal is a short term masking of the problem, then by all means try every product available until you achieve the desired results.

We're only trying to help here and it may sound like criticism, but some of us " old timers " have tried everything your doing when we were in the same boat. How do you think we learned? 

I assure you I am more than likely older than thou,,,,,I have heard and seen all the supposed oldtimer tricks,,,



The lubrication required within a Auto trans is significantly different than within an engine, auto trans use volume to overcome the lower viscosity of ATF.  I have rebuilt many a engine destroyed by oldtimers tricks and tips(part owner in a machine shop) that would have required far less work to repair before trying the oldtimer trick. It doesnt matter that you only run the engine for a few miles, you are damaging the bearings. Any debris is loosened and is suspended in the oil, and that debris is circulated for some time before it ever sees the filter(50-60% of the oil pumped at any single moment bypasses the filter media) and then you have the drastic viscosity drop to deal with on top of that.

It could be the valve seals are shot and the rings are fine as well,,,,,It wouldnt hurt to do a compression and leakdown test to determine if you have compression #'s within spec elimenating the rings/cyl walls as the culprit.

I assure you I am more than likely older than thou,,,,,I have heard and seen all the supposed oldtimer tricks,,,



The lubrication required within a Auto trans is significantly different than within an engine, auto trans use volume to overcome the lower viscosity of ATF.  I have rebuilt many a engine destroyed by oldtimers tricks and tips(part owner in a machine shop) that would have required far less work to repair before trying the oldtimer trick. It doesnt matter that you only run the engine for a few miles, you are damaging the bearings. Any debris is loosened and is suspended in the oil, and that debris is circulated for some time before it ever sees the filter(50-60% of the oil pumped at any single moment bypasses the filter media) and then you have the drastic viscosity drop to deal with on top of that.

No offense meant old timer, but, today's engines, even these twenty year old ones, have them new fangled full flow filters - 100% of the oil pumped passes through the filter, except in two circumstances - if the pressure relief valve opens (in which case the oil is diverted back to the pan and doesn't flow through the engine) or if the filter clogs and the bypass valve opens, which should not happen on a normal basis.

I do agree that if ATF is going to be used as an engine flush, the vehicle should not be driven with the ATF in it, and that both the oil & filter should be replaced after the flush.

Absolutely no offense taken.
The filter I just got for the suzuki has a spring loaded bypass in it, IIRC it is the same model we tested in the shop and at 42psi it started opening bypassing the filter media and the oil enters right into the the main oil galley just like the filtered oil does, sure enough 100% of the oil exiting the oil pump enters the filter, but it doesnt filter all the oil that flows thru it at all times. This is done on purpose because higher oil pressures are seen during WOT/high rpm operation and during cold starts, times that require maximum oil volume for protection. During cruize/idle operation 100% of the oil is usually filtered.

mmm - 42 psi seems kind of low for the filter bypass to open (mind you, I've never tested one), it's just that I seem to think I see over 40 psi at cruise rpm - from memory I think closer to 60 - but - I'm in Florida and my GV is at home in Guyana, so I can't verify that.