Would appreciate opinions on this problem. This winter I replaced a passenger side valve cover gasket due to a leak. I also installed the "Home Depot Oil Seperator" set-up on the PCV line because I noticed the PCV line had gotten so saturated with oil that it actially looked like it was "sweating" oil. Car is supercharged with the Allen Engine Development kit so that explained the excessive oil in the PCV system. The car has never smoked at any time in its life except when my Fuel regulator was going out and the car would flood at start up (Black smoke), and because of the valve cover leak which was external smoke from oil dripping on the exhaust pipe while running. Car only has 56,000 miles on it. I recently started the car for the first time in awhile, and on start-up the car blew a sizable cloud of bluish-white smoke for about 5 seconds until the pipes cleared out. It doesn't smoke after that, and does not smoke again until after the car sits for an hour or two. I use 10W30 Mobile 1, and change it every spring. I only drive the car about 1500 miles a year. I don't think Valve seals would do this over night, unless one cracked or broke abruptly. Anybody have any ideas?
Another Smoke at start-up question.
- Thread starter prsrizdgt
- Start date
What type of oil filter are you using? Make sure that the one you use, has an anti-drainback valve. My Mom's Grand Marquis used to smoke like hell every time you started it .... I replaced her crappy oil filter and no more smoke. FWIW, this also worked on my mustang. I had a fram filter and it would smoke when I'd start it up, so I bought a Motorcraft filter and it has never smoked again (on startup). Just a thought. 
DTNODYA said:What type of oil filter are you using? Make sure that the one you use, has an anti-drainback valve. My Mom's Grand Marquis used to smoke like hell every time you started it .... I replaced her crappy oil filter and no more smoke. FWIW, this also worked on my mustang. I had a fram filter and it would smoke when I'd start it up, so I bought a Motorcraft filter and it has never smoked again (on startup). Just a thought.
Thanks for the reply. All I use on anything is Motorcraft filters, and Mobile 1
MaxedGT
Member
I get a puff of smoke on cold startup, ever since I installed the off road x-pipe. No big deal. If you're getting more than an initial puff, the injectors could be dripping fuel into the intake while it's sitting. Run some good fuel system detergent through it and see if that helps. Maybe try two bottles.
prsrizdgt said:
Motorcraft filters and Mobil 1 sounds like a good setup, so that's prolly not your problem.
Check your PCV valve (as someone already stated) and you could make a 'homemade air/oil separator' to see if it's just oil being burned off through your intake. I made one last weekend ... I've driven it a total of 12 miles since then (not my daily driver) and it already has some oil in it.
Just throwing things out there ....
I always start with the simple things before assuming I have some horrific problem, ya know ..Attachments
DTNODYA said:Motorcraft filters and Mobil 1 sounds like a good setup, so that's prolly not your problem.
Check your PCV valve (as someone already stated) and you could make a 'homemade air/oil separator' to see if it's just oil being burned off through your intake. I made one last weekend ... I've driven it a total of 12 miles since then (not my daily driver) and it already has some oil in it.
Just throwing things out there ....
As stated in my original post, I did the seperator mod, and in fact it looks like I used the identical part you did. From the first minute I started it up after I installed the seperator, I could see small droplets of oil swirling around in the bowl.
I installed the oil seperator one day, and it may have been the same time that the valve cover leak got bad fast. One of the cover bolt grommets had cracked, and oil was dripping down on the exhaust. So I fixed that. The only time I drove the car was after I completed a Cobra brake conversion and took it for a test drive. I never noticed any smoke at start up on that occasion. I have side exhaust so if it happens, I see it. The car sat for a few weeks after that. Now when I start it, I get this smoking problem. And its obvious. Its not like it came on gradually. It was BAM! Now its smoking on startup.
I have to believe its got something to do with the PCV but I'm not sure. How could valve seals just crap out like that.
Attachments
prsrizdgt said:
My bad, I forgot you said that you had done the filter already.
Valve seals do crap out, but that isn't necessarily your problem (yet)..
What color is the smoke? Blue(ish), White, or Black (doubt it). I am guessing it's blue (oil burning). White would be coolant. If it were grey(ish) then it would be coolant/oil mix. Have you used "Seafoam" on your car recently? That stuff works wonders but it can also lurk around for a while and produce some smoke from time to time (until next oil change usually).
Can you visually see that the leak you previously described (leaking down the header) is fixed? In other words, is that still leaking? Or can you visualy see any other oil leaks? Scope out your motor really good, detective style.
MaxedGT
Member
If it's oil, the valve seals are likely leaking. If you're not having to add oil on a regular basis, don't worry about it. At least you're cylinders and guides arn't starting up dry.
My Safari's being doing that for 10 years. Never have to add oil between changes and it puffs blue on a cold start. GM has revised valve seals for that but I never bothered, because there's no harm in it.
My Safari's being doing that for 10 years. Never have to add oil between changes and it puffs blue on a cold start. GM has revised valve seals for that but I never bothered, because there's no harm in it.
UPDATE ON WHAT CAUSED THIS PROBLEM
I thought I would get back to all of you and let you know what I found. As I wrote in an earlier post, I had changed a valve cover gasket, and added a PCV oil line seperator around the same time. It was immediately after this when I had the smoking at start-up problem begin. BAM....it was doing it. I decided to remove the oil seperator this past Monday, and wa-la, no more smoking at start-up since. Something wierd was going on with this installation. Maybe they don't work the same way in a vacume situation as opposed to a pressure situation, or maybe the design of my Allen intake manifold and TB adaptor inlet caused a puddling problem and oil was leaking into the cylinders with open intake valves......I don't know, but I can say it was not valve seals or rings. Please pay close attention to this issue if you install the "Home Depot" pcv oil seperator. I used the very same seperator you buy at the hardware store, and can be seen in posts in this forum if you do a search.
I thought I would get back to all of you and let you know what I found. As I wrote in an earlier post, I had changed a valve cover gasket, and added a PCV oil line seperator around the same time. It was immediately after this when I had the smoking at start-up problem begin. BAM....it was doing it. I decided to remove the oil seperator this past Monday, and wa-la, no more smoking at start-up since. Something wierd was going on with this installation. Maybe they don't work the same way in a vacume situation as opposed to a pressure situation, or maybe the design of my Allen intake manifold and TB adaptor inlet caused a puddling problem and oil was leaking into the cylinders with open intake valves......I don't know, but I can say it was not valve seals or rings. Please pay close attention to this issue if you install the "Home Depot" pcv oil seperator. I used the very same seperator you buy at the hardware store, and can be seen in posts in this forum if you do a search.
Holy Crap....where have you been. Haven't seen you here, or at tccoa either. I'd all but given up on you.
Gearbanger 101 said:
I'll admit it.....I'm just a user. Use you guys for your expertise when I need you, then dump you. Kinda like women......Just kidding. My car is done, and I've just kinda drifted away. In fact, I'm actually considering selling it and buying some land and a rocking chair.
Good to hear from you Brian.
Similar threads
