The left side of my engine has some smoke coming out. At first I thought that it would clear up if I let it run for a while. But it hasn't so I first ran a vacuum test and got a steady 17 with the timing measuring out at 8 before top dead center. So then I decided to run a compression test on the heads. I did left side first and I got on

#1 110 but after I put oil in the cylinder it went up to 140
#3 110 but also went up to 140 to 150 after I put oil in cylinder
#5 140 and it stayed there after I put oil in cylinder
# 7 100 but went up to about 140 to 150 after oil was put in the cylinder

all of the even side measured 140 except # 2 which measured out @ 110 but after I place oil in the cylinder it too went up to 140 to 150.

The engine starts right up .Now the even side (right)has no smoke coming out of the tail pipe or condensation like the odd side does. Does this engine possibly have bad valves or rings on the odd side? I have been restoring the car which is a 72 442 with a 455 engine.The person I bought the car from said that the engine had been rebuilt,but it doesn't appear to be. The only thing that I did do to the engine was to pull it out and repaint it. I never drove the car because I began tearing it down for a total restoration as soon as I got it. I am thinking about either pulling the heads and have them rebuilt or possibly just getting a complete over haul. Any thoughts on what going on with this engine?


*** I retested the compression using a compression tester that I could screw in and now each cylinder is reading between 140 to 150.

 

If oil helps the reading go up it has to be bad ring seal. Maybe it has not ran enough to seat the rings? But I have never had a fresh rebuild smoke so probably complete overhaul.