sMoKy

[Brett_jjj]

If its blue(oil) then rebuilding/reconditioning is the only answer.Thicker oil might work for a while.

 

[Ryaz11]

how long will a rebuilt engine last for do you reakon?

 

[crazy.vr]

yes its quite annoying it only happends now and then always in the morning a whole heap of smoke then its ok for the rest of the day.

the mechanic i went to said he didnt no what it is he just put thicker oil in it:axe:

So it smokes a bit in the morning and fine the rest of the day? Sounds to me like your rings are probably ok but just your valve stem seals are shot. That's an easy fix. All the mechanic needs to do is hold the valves in each cylinder with air and take the collets, springs and dampers off and then replace the seals one by one. You won't need to take the heads off this way.

 

[Wombles]

Blue smoke can also mean a blown/warped head.
But it doesnt sound like he has it..
So i'd say invest in feeler guages, straight edge, torque wrench, socket sets, ring spanners, ring compressor and a gregory's manual and re-build the engine.

 

[hako]

If it only happens when taking off and not normal running at 60kph then it might just be the valve stem seals. The best way to tell if it is worn rings is to hold the revs at about 2500rpm (engine warm) - if it starts and continues blowing blue smoke as you hold these revs then it's rings for sure. There are other things that can cause smoke like an overfilled crankcase etc which will also eventually stuff the catalytic converter up. PCV might be blocked as well.
If it is the rings and you don't want to spend big dollars you can just fill the engine with the heaviest grade of oil (40W70?) and also add a can of that "stop smoke" as well if it's smoking bad. All this stuff does is make the oil thicker which ain't the best for efficiency but it sure cuts down the smokescreen. Coppers will defect you if it smoke for more than 10 seconds I think. My old FJ was so bad I carried spare plugs with me to change the oil soaked ones every few miles.

 

[crazy.vr]

Oh, and valve stem seals commonly go after many years on all cars. My brothers Commodore did the same thing. Started up, blue smoke, drove off, poured out blue smoke then after 1km, fine.

 

[Ryaz11]

Crazy-vr thats exactly like mine 1-2km fine
thanks for all your help guys its a bugger of a thing

 

[Brett_jjj]

Another test you can try is letting it idle(once its up to running temp)for about 5 min,then open the throttle up to about 3000 RPM.If it blows a heap of smoke after sitting there idling,its a sure sign of it being the valve seals.

 

[Ryaz11]

so im guesssing its better that the valve seals are gone then the piston rings? how much for new valve seals?

 

[Brett_jjj]

What crazy.vr said about holding the valves shut with compressed air is the cheapest way of doing the valve seals,otherwise the heads have to come off.Valve seals are probably around $20.for a set.Thats only a guess though.But they shouldnt be much dearer than that.(bought some years ago for around $10.)