Blue SMOKE

[Forenzic]

ok,

yes I know I'm a leadfoot, we'll start off with that. In the last couple of weeks or so I have started to notice a blue "puff" of smoke comming form my tailpipes when I start the car. Not really all that strange considering how I drive, and I do have almost 30k on the car. However, the other day, i started the car and a WHOLE LOAD of BLUE SMOKE (did not smell like oil, rather like some plastic / metal was burning) came rushing out of the tailpipes, so much so that I thought my car cought on fire. Only did it once, but freaked me right out. Any ideas what could have caused this anomoly? The weird thing is it doesn't do it all the time .... just sometime and it doesn't seem to matter if I had driven it recently or parked it for the weekend.

any help / advice would be greatly appreciated.


:cuke: <----- this is the best smiley on the planet !

[Haggis]

It is from all the low quality Rice you have been eating on the Highway. Now go out and eat a real meal, try some German food.

[roadpig58]

BL UE[QUOTE=Forenzic]ok,

three things come to mind- blue smoke on start up- valve guides
bad fuel
mass airflow sensor

roadpig

[grzellmer]

BL UE[QUOTE=Forenzic]ok,

three things come to mind- blue smoke on start up- valve guides
bad fuel
mass airflow sensor

roadpig

Bad Fuel? - No - If more than one tank burned and still happening.
MAF? - No - Would probably belch Black smoke, not blue.

Valve Guides? - Yes, best fit from the facts at hand.

Question for a more knowledgeable source - This thread sounds familiar to others in the past. Who has had this problem and gotten it resolved?

[TripleTransAm]

This thread sounds familiar to others in the past. Who has had this problem and gotten it resolved?


Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick....

[Mike Poore]

[QUOTE=Forenzic]ok,

yes I know I'm a leadfoot, we'll start off with that. In the last couple of weeks or so I have started to notice a blue "puff" of smoke comming form my tailpipes when I start the car. QUOTE]

Send Merc the info from the engine tag (ends with AA or BB), he's keeping track.

[Lowell]

Where do I find the engine tag? My 03 A is at the dealer right now for this right now. Been there since 9-20. I gave them a large list.

[BillyGman]

I'm not going to draw any conclusions here about this just yet, since all the facts aren't in. but in an effort to make sure that ALL the facts come out here, what type of oil are you blue smoke guys using? The answer to this might or might NOT be related, but the answer to this question might help to sort things out. Ya never know.

[Mike Poore]

Where do I find the engine tag? My 03 A is at the dealer right now for this right now. Been there since 9-20. I gave them a large list.It's a paper sticker on the driver's side attached (glued) to the side of the valve cover. There will be numbers, a bar code thingey, and will end with AA or BB. Something like 4-S XX AA, with the bar code above it.

[grzellmer]

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick....

Triple

Are you saying that the blue smoke problem has the same source as the ticking? The threads on the ticking problem were solved by tightening some bolts on the head or head replacement. Since no ticking, tightening bolts isn't going to help. That leaves only head replacement. Yuk.

[TripleTransAm]

I generalized... sorry.

I guess I should say that the problems *may* be related. In my case, the valves showed obvious wear on the stems and oil deposits on their backs, for the failing cylinder due to the munched valve guide. In other cases, it's been reported that faulty valve seals also contributed to oil consumption at startup.

In my case, the replacement head drastically improved the oil puff at startup that I reported in summer 2003 with the original ticking head. I still get the slightest hint of a puff on startup now and again (maybe every 5th cold startup?) and my replacement head did tap loudly for a few days after a long weekend trip (12+ hours x 2) although it's back to completely quiet now.

So it *could* be head-related, or could be something else. I'd start with the valve seals and work from there.

Or you can just live with it and resign yourself to the fact that the DOHC is a premature smoker. :(