1989 Chrysler Lebaron – Smoke out Tailpipe and Oil is Leaking On Engine

Reader Question
My 1989 Chrysler Lebaron is smoking out of where u put in the oil and from the oil dipstick also smoking from exhaust when pressing the gas hard its has an oil drip it did overheat a couple of weeks ago and leakage has been getting worse and im not sure whats causing it to smoke from the heads and dipstick for the oil it is a turbo if that matter i just need to know what i should fix ?? PLEASE HELP

Hello there

What you probably have going on is “blow by”. Blow by is caused by compression escaping around the piston ring and entering an area of the engine it is not supposed to be in. This compression has to leave the engine somehow, so it vents out through the areas that have the least resistance….like the dipstick tube and the oil filter cap, and the rest goes out the exhaust in the form of smoke.

Sometimes the compression goes back through the air filter and gets the filter wet with engine oil. This compression also puts pressure on seals and gaskets…thus causing them to leak externally. Repairing external gaskets and seals without solving the internal pressure leak…..well, it does not work.

So, before you run out and spend lots of money and time trying to solve your external oil leak problem, I would invest a small amount in a “compression test” to determine if the engine is worn out on the inside and does have “blow by”. If it DOES….you might want to think hard about getting a new vehicle….or spending lots of money overhauling this engine or replacing it.

If it does have blow by and you are not going to get a new car or engine you can:

1. Use the thickest weight engine oil your mechanic feels comfortable with…maybe straight 40weight.

2. Use an oil additive called “Restore” which is available at more auto parts stores

3. Change your PCV valve – which ventilates the engine

4. Increase the heat range on your spark plugs…to help keep the plugs from becoming oil soaked

5. Be gentle with it – if you do have blow by, the engine is in its last stage of life….be gentle