01 smoking blue, what to do (poet didn't know it)

[Drpeckr]

2001, bolt ons, ~88k, running a combination of Mobil1 5-30 synth w/ a lil Lucas synthetic added in.

Car doesn't smoke on cold start and only once during a warm start did I see a small puff of blue.

Most noticeable time is when I come to a stop, especially if I'm using the downshift to slow down. Once I stop, poof, here comes a cloud of smoke.

This morning the smoke during the coming to a stop started before the temp gauge was in it's normal spot.

The other day I was in 2nd gear and ran from ~2k to ~6k and sometime around 2500-3000 the "poor" Prius that was behind me was engulfed in a cloud of smoke that covered both lanes of the road (sun was behind me which may have made the cloud more visible than other times). I have since pushed it a bit and have been unable to recreate this.

I recently capped off the PCV on the upper and my JLT. Running dual K&N valve cover breathers. I was hoping this would minimize the smoking but it did not.

At this point what should I do? Compression/leakdown (in that order?)?
Replace valve seals?
Beat the crap out of it and save my $$ for an MMR rebuild?

I'm on a fairly limited budget and I hate to admit it, but my Fox 5.0's were one thing, the whole pushrod V8 wasn't too foreign to me.. this 4v thing makes me feel outta my league and hence I'd feel much more comfortable paying someone else to wrench on it.. esp since I'd like to know it's not my fault if it goes boom.. lol

Anyways, I'd appreciate any advice (unless it's something like "get rid of the snake and buy a Prius" or w/e)

 

[Black*Death]

Do the compression/leak down.

 

[shurur]

I've been waiting for more experienced folks to respond.

A compression check that shows 7/8 are down should indicate rings...otherwise a judicial use of MMO, or better yet, Kreen will/may clean up valve guides/seats on all cylinders. ..even though you have not seen it on cold start, MMO/Kreen would eliminate valve/valve guide/valve seat issues.

I am unafraid in correction on this post..as with all my posts...

There are tons of threads on this issue all across the net..

 

[TBCobra]

Rings or valve guides

My car did the same thing years ago. If you drive your car hard then let it slow itself down by letting the rpms drop the push the clutch in suddenly a big cloud of smoke will come out.

Do a leak down test.

 

[Drpeckr]

thanks

Thanks for the responses guys, I have done ALOT of googling this issue but just wanted someone who knows more than I do to confirm what I've read. Guess it's time for compression/leakdown test.

 

[shurur]

Please Keep us (me) posted in your findings...as there is a lack of follow-through on this issue...please follow through in your findings..as all else (lack of op response) has been left to educated/intuitive guessing on my (our) part(s)..Yup..

 

[Drpeckr]

stang on it

I will let you know how it works out. I had a disappointment tonight when I got home from Harbor Freight with my $19.99 universal compression tester kit and found out I had picked out a metric unit.. none of the adapters are even close.. so, tomorrow it will be back to Harbor Freight to buy the one that I skipped on stupidly trying to save a dollar ($20.99 currently on sale).

The spark plugs are currently all out of the car, and for the amount of smoke I see/smell, they look damned good.. they have ~300-500 miles on them (didn't check mileage when I last changed them).

I'll post up as soon as I have the compression numbers down, hopefully tomorrow morning.

 

[Drpeckr]

compression results, sorta

Ok, went back to Harbor Freight got a different tester, get home, find it still won't work because my plug holes are too deep. Went to mexizone and rented one of theirs. Since all the plugs are out and the CAI is disconnected, I really didn't want to put it together, and then heat up the parts that I'm going to have to take apart again. Not sure if this gives any real data this way (engine cool), but here are the results anyways. Injectors are disconnected.
Front to back starting on the passenger side:

1: 168, 170
2: 185, 190
3: 180, 176
4: 180, 180

Drivers side front to back:

1: 174, 172
2: 175, 173
3: 170, 170
4: 182, 175

Let me know if this is good enough to at least tell that cyl 1 on the pass side is a little weak compared to the others or if because the engine was not warmed the results are useless.. I'm hanging onto the tool in case I do really need to warm up the engine and retest.

Thanks for the assistance

 

[65fastback2+2]

you want them within 10% on a healthy motor...so i would say you're good compression-wise.

what about leak down?

 

[Drpeckr]

I have not run a leak down test. This is my first time running either kind of test (compression or leak down). Is the leak down the same as in it's something I can "rent" from mexizone or do I need to buy it myself?

Edit: I just googled the tester and remembered that this requires a decent air compressor which I do not have. Will be contacting my mechanic to see what he'd charge me to do the leak down test for me.

 

[2000 gt]

I have a similar issue. Only my passenger sir exhaust has a tounch of blue smoke on stop when downshifting. Curious to see what u find

 

[na svt]

The problem is the valve seals, replacing them will stop the smoking. With that, I would'nt touch them as it will take you many hours to swap them out and many dollars if you pay to have them done.

My 40k mile Mach did the same thing, don't worry about it.

 

[na svt]

The problem is the valve seals, replacing them will stop the smoking. With that, I would'nt touch them as it will take you many hours to swap them out and many dollars if you pay to have them done.

My 40k mile Mach did the same thing, don't worry about it.

I have a similar issue. Only my passenger sir exhaust has a tounch of blue smoke on stop when downshifting. Curious to see what u find

With an X or H pipe it's had to tell from which side of the engine the smoke is originating.

 

[NitrousExpress]

Rings or valve guides

My car did the same thing years ago. If you drive your car hard then let it slow itself down by letting the rpms drop the push the clutch in suddenly a big cloud of smoke will come out.

Do a leak down test.

This. I was always told that valve seals made it smoke only when the car was started, and rings make it smoke while driving.

-Garrett

 

[Drpeckr]

The problem is the valve seals, replacing them will stop the smoking. With that, I would'nt touch them as it will take you many hours to swap them out and many dollars if you pay to have them done.

My 40k mile Mach did the same thing, don't worry about it.

NA, glad to have your advice on this issue.

I live in Cali and don't want to get tagged for gross pollution or whatever other stupid environmental laws we have here.

Also, it's sorta embarrassing to decel/stop and then have this blue cloud float past me..

BUT.. it's not embarrassing enough to spend $1k to resolve if it's not going to hurt the motor.

While I have your ear NA, did it matter that I did the compression test on a cold engine?

Should I still take the time to do a leakdown test?

 

[na svt]

There's no need for a leakdown. The only time it should smoke on decel is when you use the engine for braking (down shifting while stopping).

 

[BMR Tech]

This happened with my 2001 Cobra engine (had it in my '98 Cobra)

I would stop at a light, and smoke would roll past me. It annoyed me. The car made AWESOME power, so I never even thought it was a ring/valve issue, etc.

I sold the motor to my brother in law, he had the valve seals replaced, and it never smoked again.

The engine only had 5,700 miles on it. That said, it sat for 2 years without running - before I got it.

 

[na svt]

My Mach engine sat for a couple years also and it smoked despite the low miles. There's a lot to be said for keeping the seals (and other things) moist.

 

[Roots-type]

My Mach engine sat for a couple years also and it smoked despite the low miles. There's a lot to be said for keeping the seals (and other things) moist.

Yep! That's why I drive mine year round.

 

[po-po 5.0]

Every NA 4v I've ever driven has burned oil on hard compression braking. I don't think it's an indication the motor is on it's last leg, I think oil just gets sucked in through the PCV under these conditions.