Blue smoke

[RangerJ]

1987 4x4 2.9 5 spd man trans,139,000 on the clock.At idle and accelleration blue smoke comes out the tailpipes. Will an additive help this, can't afford real repairs at this time. Thanks

 

[IMenriched]

not a good sign...it maybe just valve stem seals...which aren't to bad to replace....labor intensive.

keep a close watch on your oil level. doubt if oil additives would be any help...it'll just mask a underlying issue that will show its ugly head at a very unconvieant time later.

 

[gertsdsbs]

My auto shop teacher always used to say that Blue Smoke = shot engine.

 

[holyford86]

if it puffs smoke at startup and clears out its probably valve seals, if its blowing smoke all the time the motor might be worn out or something might be wrong with the crankcase ventilation system, pull your PCV valve and see if the "pill" inside it still moves freely, if it isn't try replacing it, i have seen that cause smoking on a couple of occasions if its stuck open. If that makes no difference then the motor is probably tired and needs a replacement. You might be able to band aid it and run a thicker weight oil to get you by for a bit.

 

[RangerJ]

Thanks folks for all the replies,as always I get good info from this site. Thanks again

 

[RustedRanger]

Try some of that stuff called Restore. I know it sounds like a snake oil cure but the stuff works really good. I have used it many times and it helps even in worn out motors. Around ten years ago I was mowing with my dads mower and it started knocking and we thought it blew up. He took it apart and a screw had fallen out of the carb and stuck in the top of the piston. Since he already had a new mower he got a rebuild kit and pit it back together without boring it out so it smoked like crazy,I mean it put out a cloud. One day he put in about a half a can of restore and started it and got the usuall huge cloud of smoke but after sitting there running for about 15 minutes it quit smoking altogether and it still runs fine to this day. It will restore some power and also cut down if not eleminate the smoke. It is one those things that needs done every oil change but is not very expensive for the good it does. Of course it wont help rubber parts like the seals if they are shot but it's worth a try.

 

[RangerJ]

Thanks for your replies.Poured in a can of Restore three days ago it may have helped a little,called Restore they stated it normally takes about 500 miles to work and if it didn't help they would refund my money.I thought that was strange but nice.I am not sure about additives but this was a last ditch effort to buy some time.

 

[militarydave]

you got too much oil man that's whats cusing the blue smoke. Please dont tell me you put Full Synthetic on that many miles on the motor. stick with dino oil (conventional) since it's thicker. best thing for you to do is:

1. change your PCV Valve
2. check for oil leaks (drips, wet pan gasket(s), etc)
3. abnormal idle higher than 750rpm
4. let the Restore do it's thing.

you would have bad valve seals (not stem -those are for tires) if you were burning lots of oil and/or white smoke.

check your oil level frequently when engine is at normal operating temperature.

-dave

 

[RangerJ]

The oil level was down a quart when I added the Restore so I did not overfill.Thanks for your reply.Pcv still rattles but I am going to replace it anyway.

 

[exbass94]

Please dont tell me you put Full Synthetic on that many miles on the motor. stick with dino oil (conventional) since it's thicker. best thing for you to do is:
-dave

Full synthetic will not harm any motor, no matter what the mileage is. What do you think will happen if he puts synthetic in?

Conventionals are not thicker than synthetics, that's what viscosity ratings are for. A 5w30 is a 5w30, doesn't matter if it's conventional or synthetic. A 10w30 is a 10w30, a 5w20 is a 5w20, etc.

To RangerJ: I don't recommend using a synthetic, simply because you're burning so much oil, it won't better your situation, and it wouldn't be worth the added expense. But nothing bad would happen if you did use it.

 

[RangerJ]

Full synthetic will not harm any motor, no matter what the mileage is. What do you think will happen if he puts synthetic in?

Conventionals are not thicker than synthetics, that's what viscosity ratings are for. A 5w30 is a 5w30, doesn't matter if it's conventional or synthetic. A 10w30 is a 10w30, a 5w20 is a 5w20, etc.

To RangerJ: I don't recommend using a synthetic, simply because you're burning so much oil, it won't better your situation, and it wouldn't be worth the added expense. But nothing bad would happen if you did use it.

Thanks for your reply, I did not mention synthetic oil in any of my post I only use dino So I do not know where this came from/ I only ask for tips and I added Restore only. I use 10w40 Valvoline hm. Thanks

 

[RustedRanger]

Idle is supposed to be 850 with a manual and 800 with an auto.