Possible problem with Marauder

[Tom Kuznicki]

:confused: Has anyone here experienced this? Yesterday I went out and started the car and as it started, it pumped out blue smoke from the exhaust. I went back out today and the same thing happened, just at start up. This car only has 26000 miles and I'm wondering if there is a problem with valve seals.

[Smokie]

:confused: Has anyone here experienced this? Yesterday I went out and started the car and as it started, it pumped out blue smoke from the exhaust. I went back out today and the same thing happened, just at start up. This car only has 26000 miles and I'm wondering if there is a problem with valve seals.Yes, there is a problem. Most likely as you said valve seals. Take it in, maybe you will wind up with new heads.

[Lowell]

I too have this problem intermittantly. I am wonedreing about what type of oil we are using. I have currently realized this occurs about 800 miles into an oil change using Ford oil recommended for our cars. Is there a connection or am I just dwelling on this issue too much?

[GordonB]

Yep, sounds like Valve Guide Seals. Oil sits on top of heads overnite and seeps down thru the seals. Upon startup, bingo blue smoke from burning the oil that has dripped into the cylinders overnight.

Time for a trip to the dealer, IMHO. Let us know how it goes for you. :(

GordonB

[HotrodMerc]

Tom, is your MM an '03 or '04? Joe

[wesman]

Check the engine code on the side of the heads & also post your build date.

[Zack]

:confused: Has anyone here experienced this? Yesterday I went out and started the car and as it started, it pumped out blue smoke from the exhaust. I went back out today and the same thing happened, just at start up. This car only has 26000 miles and I'm wondering if there is a problem with valve seals.

Drive the car harder, it will go away.

[jgc61sr2002]

Sounds like valve guide seals to me. RF will be along shortly to answer your oil question. I am currently using the recommended 5W20 Motorcraft synthetic blend.

[Bradley G]

Can't tell if your kidding Zack,I had noticed after only a couple months and low mi.2or 3K I had a ticking at an idle that only lasted a few weeks and hasn't returned now @13K But if the smoke is due to defective valve guide seals, I get the notion that your advise is :bs:
Drive the car harder, it will go away.

[SergntMac]

But if the smoke is due to defective valve guide seals, I get the notion that your advise is :bs:
I understand why you may feel this way, Brad, but from my point of view, leaving an MM in the garage for the once-a-week trip to the Piggly-Wiggly in DisneyWorld perfect weather is owner abuse that will lead to long term trouble. The MM is a thoroughbred itching to run. Tie her up in the barn too much and she'll lose muscle tone.

Y'all...Zack beats his car, daily, and he's into the mid 11s and without juice. No blue smoke at start up.

By "beat," I mean drive it hard, stay into the higher RPMs more than not. This is not abuse, it's exercise. You can do this legally, safely and without harm to the engine, or, danger to passengers/specators. By "beat" I don't mean "The Wild One/Hell's Angels" style of tearing up the town, I mean more like healthy jogs through the parkway...Think about it.

Likewise, my MM gets beat too. I'm not as fast as Zack, but daily, I tend to drive as hard as traffic and safety allows. No blue smoke at start up.

I'm not suggesting anyone be careless, or, reckless in their driving habits, but when I'm in tight traffic, I manually shift the tranny to keep the RPMs "into the cams" and I enjoy short blasts of power when the opportunity rises. These spurts of power "flex the muscles" of the MM, it's like the difference between pumping a few extra pounds weight on a daily basis, rather than following a once-a-week half hour program at the local gym. Which one develops true, enduring muscle?

In contrast to this observation, Zack and I have met a number of Windy City members at local events, and many who do not drive their MMs hard, (or frequently for that matter), expell blue smoke on start up. It's brief, just a puff or two, but it's getting to be that I can tell how one drives his MM by watching his tailpipes at ignition. I'll not out them here because I don't see this as a serious problem, or, a sign of permanent damage requiring immediate attention. But, y'all should take this 411 into consideration too.

My conclusion is that the MM does not have "bad" valve guide seals, rather they develop such symptoms from lack of exercise. Seals (in general) function better when they are called to seal on a frequent basis at normal temps, and for long periods of time. If you don't run the car as the engineers expected, you may earn yourself "dried" seals that will leak a drop or two of oil into the combustion chamber. Exercise more, see if your blue smoke doesn't heal itself?

Suggestion...Here's a brief and easy test. Leave your MM parked for a minimum of 48 hours. Get a friend, or, family member to start the car while you stand behind it, (or use your remote start) and tell us what you see? Be honest now, too.

I'm betting that we will hear from owners who tend to drive their car once or twice a week, and/or in fair weather only, and on short drives, that they see some kind of puff at start up.

I'd also betting that high mileage owners (those over 50K) who we can presume take their MMs out for longer drives and in less than optimal weather (where the whole drivetrain stays hot for hours at normal operating temps) will report back with a lower incidence (if any) smoke at start up.

This simple test, done honestly and quietly among us, can reveal a lot of 411. How 'bout it y'all?

[merc406]

It looks like these cars are driven, if thier smokin, it ain't gonna get better.

[LimoMerc]

Tom and others concerned, Go to http://www.mercurymarauder.org/ and look up

Blue smoke on startup!(Kenneth Phillips) 29 June 2004 at 07:39
This thread will expire (17 November 2004) and be deleted unless another post is added.
[Replys: 12] Last Reply: 19 August 2004 at 10:19

:beer:
Proud owner of a 2004 MM with 24,000 money makin miles (It's a limousine).

[Bradley G]

Thanks Mac, and welcome LimoMerc!I learned something from your post Mac,and Zack I Know your thick skined, But If I offended you in any way I appoligise about the BS .If the smoke on starts is only for a second or two(Not excessive)Stands to reason your seals drying up theory.I would partisipate in this test too,But I can't go that long without "lett'n 'er stretch"
Bradley G

[jgc61sr2002]

LimoMerc - Welcome aboard. :welcome:

[Glenn]

My $.02 - for whatever its worth. My MM has 30,000 miles on it. Purchased 7/03. It gets beaten each time I drive it, WOTs (OD on), burn rubber, downshift into first at 80 mhp, blasts to 100, max shifting at 6,000 rpm, etc. The car has never seen the inside of a dealer except for an oil change or mods. No smoke and no ticking. O'yes, I had it at the dealer several weeks ago to get my first set of free "Tires for Life". I have NO complaints on this car. It was perfomed exactly like Ford advertised. I am anxious to see how it does at SSHS4 with my mods.

Glenn

[jgc61sr2002]

Glenn - Free tires for life. Please fill us in.

[DEFYANT]

Tires for life???? What gives?

[BillyGman]

Defyant, welcome aboard!! I believe you're also on the SVT board also, right? BTW, I think it's very lie;y that MAC and Zack both have a good point here. i say that because I drive my Marauder hard, and I also drive it atleast 15 miles daily, and I've never had the blue smoke yet. However, my car only has 18K on the clock.

[TripleTransAm]

My conclusion is that the MM does not have "bad" valve guide seals, rather they develop such symptoms from lack of exercise. Seals (in general) function better when they are called to seal on a frequent basis at normal temps, and for long periods of time. If you don't run the car as the engineers expected, you may earn yourself "dried" seals that will leak a drop or two of oil into the combustion chamber. Exercise more, see if your blue smoke doesn't heal itself?


Your argument definitely makes sense. But the issue I have is, what's the breakpoint for adequate use?

When I bought my GTA, it displayed the "classic" small block Chevy puff at startup, from crappy seals. I figured I'd address it when the time came and I had some spare time and spare cash, yet the car 'healed' itself within 2 years and has not puffed yet at startup since circa-1995. No 'abusive' driving, per se, just regular day-to-day use with the occasional stomp now and again. Considering the car had travelled no more than 4000 miles in the 3 years prior to my purchase and a total of 14000 miles in the 3 years prior to those, I definitely attributed the smoky issue to lack of use in the years leading up to my purchase... especially validated by the way the car's powertrain loosened up over the years shortly after my purchase.

But at the same time, I've been storing cars since that time (1993) and with the exception of the first 2 storages of my GTA, I can leave any of my cars sitting for up to 6 months and will get nothing remotely resembling a puff of smoke at startup. I'm sure there's a threshold in storage time that I'd cross where I would bring my GTA to smoke up a bit at a startup, but I've yet to find it. Due to my house construction and the local roads only being paved just a few weeks ago, I have not fired up the GTA in close to 3 months, and am willing to bet I won't see anything visible out the tailpipes at this afternoon's startup. To accentuate matters, I was expecting a poisonous cloud to emit from my '78 after close to 2 years of sitting without so much as a sympathy visit, but again, no puff or smoke of any kind (I have to admit, at the same time I'm a bit perplexed at this: 110000+ miles on this untouched 400, and yet it pulls unbelievable manifold vacuum numbers and burns no oil... WTF?). Same thing with my previous Hondas... 6-8 months of little to no use during the nice months and not a hint of protest at startup.

And yet my Marauder, with anything remotely approaching 2 days of disuse, would greet me with a nice stinky blueish cloud at startup (remote starter), followed by an eager happy ticking. For the high-tech nature of the car, I'd simply have a really hard time justifying this type of behaviour, and I addressed it and pushed the issue and got the replacement head, and no more puffs (or, less... I still think the passenger's side has issues, but nothing remotely resembling the driver's side overheating head from last year!).

I do agree there is definitely something to the hard driving, though... perhaps a matter of burning off the results of an overly-rich startup mixture, perhaps some overheating issues from lean part-throttle cruising mixtures dreamed up by some powertrain engineer trying to squeak out some mandatory MPG from a 3.55:1 equipped 2500RPM-stalled 4.6l high-RPM cammer pulling a 4500 lb automobile. Nonetheless, I don't think anyone should be forced to alter their driving habits in order to allow a modern motor to survive basic driving patterns... not in 2003.

I say, bring it in to Ford, document it, if something goes South later on down the road, you've got a history on the problem, and your rear is covered. As much as I dislike the overall tone over on BON, the site administrator(s) make a valid point: you paid for a fully-functional car, it's your right to demand quality... keep 'em honest.

[SergntMac]

Thanks for your input /Steve, I was just offering something to think about. One thing you mentioned dregged up another memory from the old days.

I wonder how many of us are stuck with the driving/car care habits of our parents? I remember clearly, my father giving the engine a little "goose" just before shutting it off, as if to leave it primed for the next ignition. Perhaps this "blue smoke" we're discussing isn't really "burning oil" blue?

[Bradley G]

Thanks for your posts as usual I continue to learn from your comments.Hey Mac,I too saw someone rev the motor just prior to shut down as a young man,AS soon as I practiced this in front of my father ,He said that was'nt good for the motor.He claimed the sudden burst of fuel that does'nt burn (because of ignition being off) washes the oil off the cylinder walls.the next start is always dry = more friction.
Thanks for your input /Steve, I was just offering something to think about. One thing you mentioned dregged up another memory from the old days.

I wonder how many of us are stuck with the driving/car care habits of our parents? I remember clearly, my father giving the engine a little "goose" just before shutting it off, as if to leave it primed for the next ignition. Perhaps this "blue smoke" we're discussing isn't really "burning oil" blue?