blue smoke??

[4drpower]

ok whats the remedy i know you guys have had it happen... blue smoke on startup goes away after 5 seconds of running when i got the dealer put the new motor in they used 10W30 quaker state hmmm not sure but also there is a very slight tick coming from underneath the car in front.... not sure if it is exhaust leak or my luck something else i would post the video on here but im stupid

[Paul]

No guru here, but isn't blue smoke from new engine bad?! I've always thought of blue smoke coming from wear. Ticking noise could be a problem with the heads, or could it be the sound of the fuel injectors operating? That would be normal.

[Raudermaster]

It's common on 03's, however, if you have a reman. engine, it's fine. Did they put a BRAND new motor in?

[Richy04]

Just about everyone I've seen had it, but with the right oil it goes away in most cases. I switched to Valvoline conventional in 5w-20 and its gone.

[MM2004]

Just about everyone I've seen had it, but with the right oil it goes away in most cases. I switched to Valvoline conventional in 5w-20 and its gone.

I have always ran 5W20 and had the blue smoke at startup.

Now that I think about it; it hasn't done this in about a year.

I shouldn't have said that... :o

Mike.

[4drpower]

it is not a brand new engine it is a used engine out of an 03 totalled marauder, the motor they had to put it in, well the only motor that they could find it had 66000 miles on it but I didnt know if I should switch to a full synthetic or what.... what oil should I use?

[RF Overlord]

what oil should I use?Five little words that will create a big ruckus... :rolleyes:

FWIW and IMHO, use whatever oil gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling. Many people swear by Motorcraft 5W-20, while others will tell you that Royal Purple is FTW and everything else is junk. The brand of oil you use is actually less important than the brand of filter you install. Stick with Motorcraft or WIX/NAPA Gold and avoid FRAM. Use a K&N or Mobil 1 if you must, just remember they're 3x the cost but not 3x better.

There's absolutely no reason you shouldn't switch to a full synthetic oil if you want to. Pennzoil Platinum and Mobil 1 are excellent, as are AMSOIL and RP.

[MM2004]

What ^^^ Bob ^^^ said!

The 5 words that will start a ruckus..

Who has the best Supercharger?

:lol:

Mike.

[jonroe]

I have an '04 and I have seen the blue smoke only 2 times in 47,000 miles. Both times occurred on start-up AFTER I had (foolishly) started up and shut down quickly a very cold engine. Now, I NEVER shut down a cold engine. I know it sounds quirky but it CAN'T be good to immediately shut down a cold engine. Yesterday is an example. The car had sat outside in cool/cold weather since Friday afternoon. Monday morning I had to move the car because the lawn mowers came unexpectedly and I cannot have wet grass sprayed all down the side. So, I moved it to a safe location and left it running for about 15 minutes to warm things up before I shut her down. I hope I can avoid the blue smoke with no cold shutdowns.

[ckadiddle]

If you see blue smoke on every cold start, that's bad. If you started the car cold, moved it to the other side of the driveway, then shut it off, next morning you had big blue cloud of smoke...that's fairly common and nothing to worry about. These guys can explain the technical reasons that it happens. I have had it happen to me once or twice on the 03.

[fastblackmerc]

dealer put the new motor in they used 10W30 quaker state hmmm not sure but also there is a very slight tick coming from underneath the car in front.... not sure if it is exhaust leak or my luck something else i would post the video on here but im stupid
The problem is the oil used.... can't the dummies at the dealership read????

You use either 5w20 or 5w30 in your engine... says so in the owners manual.

Full synthetic or semi-synthetic it's up to you......

[chader]

I'm sure its just luck.but since I got the Trilogy installed I have not seen any smoke?

[Breadfan]

Here you go:

Blue smokes on startup is no big deal. Most if not all of the cars do it, it's due to the design and not a sign of engine failure.

So long as it's only on startup and lasts only a second or two it's no big deal.

If it gets worse, i.e. happens every startup, and lasts longer, or happens after idling for awhile, that's bad.

Otherwise, the normal blue smoke issue is a feature. Think of it as a James Bond smoke screen to make our cars even more badass.

[magindat]

Bob, why you always forget Redline?!

It's all I use. The car likes it better than RP or Mobil 1.

[Marauderman]

Here you go:

Blue smokes on startup is no big deal. Most if not all of the cars do it, it's due to the design and not a sign of engine failure.

So long as it's only on startup and lasts only a second or two it's no big deal.

If it gets worse, i.e. happens every startup, and lasts longer, or happens after idling for awhile, that's bad.

Otherwise, the normal blue smoke issue is a feature. Think of it as a James Bond smoke screen to make our cars even more badass.

Yeah!! Like he^^says^^^^^^^^......actually---your MM is burping settelment from having been left cold for awhile-----she only loves to be warm --the hotter the bettter-------test in point----you never see it when she it hot on a restart----just like he^^says^^^^^^^^:lol:

[Pat]

Blue smoke at start up on occassion = OK
Putting in the correct wt and type of oil (synthetic blend or synthetic) = OK

Regards,

[wchain]

I have an '04 and I have seen the blue smoke only 2 times in 47,000 miles. Both times occurred on start-up AFTER I had (foolishly) started up and shut down quickly a very cold engine.

Happens to a lot of Ford Engines. When I move my car around the garage, I just leave it running.

[ckadiddle]

The real true reason is that Marauders really don't digest rice fully. If it only happens occaisionally, it's known as "rice-farting".

[RF Overlord]

Bob, why you always forget Redline?!Rich, no disrespect to RL is intended, I just consider it more of a "boutique" oil as it's not as common or readily available as the others...plus it's a bit more money.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

It's all I use. The car likes it better than RP or Mobil 1.

Your scientific proof to back that up is.....

Let me know

[hot-rauder]

common prob... mine does it on cold starts and after i have foolishly "played" around with the car for a night....

problem was worse when the dealer went back to mix 5w20....

i have switched back to full syunthetic and not thought twice about it.

[MM2004]

common prob... mine does it on cold starts and after i have foolishly "played" around with the car for a night....

problem was worse when the dealer went back to mix 5w20....

i have switched back to full syunthetic and not thought twice about it.

OK. I am :confused:

What does ^^^all that^^^mean?

Mike.

[Canadasvt]

Unburned fuel passing through the rings would be my guess for the smoke.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

Unburned fuel with a catalyzed exhaust will not be blue.......

[hot-rauder]

OK. I am :confused:

What does ^^^all that^^^mean?

Mike.


when i play with the car... go WOT for long races or leave the car at high speeds..... no longer treat the car as a daily driver, and treat it like a toy.

and when i bought the car, the dealership i bought it from put the mix synthetic in.... the blend that came from factory, although the car was already running full synthetic.... i know because i contacted the old owner via left over insurance info in the seat pocket lol

[MM2004]

when i play with the car... go WOT for long races or leave the car at high speeds..... no longer treat the car as a daily driver, and treat it like a toy.

and when i bought the car, the dealership i bought it from put the mix synthetic in.... the blend that came from factory, although the car was already running full synthetic.... i know because i contacted the old owner via left over insurance info in the seat pocket lol

I put nothing in my DTR but 5W20 (Motorcraft).

Driving it more aggressively has not produced the smoke startup in over a year.

I don't beat the snot out of it, but am not easy on it either.

Interesting..

Mike.

[hot-rauder]

I put nothing in my DTR but 5W20 (Motorcraft).

Driving it more aggressively has not produced the smoke startup in over a year.

I don't beat the snot out of it, but am not easy on it either.

Interesting..

Mike.

same here.... I do not beat on my car, however i do not baby it either..... i dont push its limits, heck i hardly come close to its limits. i just enjoy what the car can do.

-Adam

[4drpower]

what about the slight little itty bitty ticking noise, my father says that it may be a little bit of valve lash which is also common for fords he said that its not a distructing thing and to just drive it like your paying for it haha he knows me.... he said it may be a factor of running the thicker oil and beating on it since the dealer ran 10w30 I dunno he just said to change the oil to full synthetic or a synthetic blend... and dont beat the hell out of it haha i trust him he has been a mechanic for 40 years.. oh well

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

Valve lash would only be "normal" with a misadjusted solid valve train. I do a lot of engine work but haven't opened up a modular ford yet -- I wouldn't think a car this new would have solid valve train. If it has hydraulic lifters, and you have "lash", you have a major problem.

[RF Overlord]

The DOHC motor has HVLAs...Hydraulic Valve Lash Adjusters...there should be zero lash and therefor zero ticking from the valve train.

Most likely you are hearing injector noise, which is commonly described as a "light ticking" and is perfectly normal for this motor. The fact that you currently have 10W-30 in it has nothing to do with it since it's the same viscosity when hot as 5W-30, which is perfectly acceptable for this motor. Since you seem highly concerned about the fact that you have 10W-30 and keep asking whether to change to synthetic, just do it now. Put in Pennzoil Platinum 5W-20 and be done with it.

[hot-rauder]

The DOHC motor has HVLAs...Hydraulic Valve Lash Adjusters...there should be zero lash and therefor zero ticking from the valve train.

Most likely you are hearing injector noise, which is commonly described as a "light ticking" and is perfectly normal for this motor. The fact that you currently have 10W-30 in it has nothing to do with it since it's the same viscosity when hot as 5W-30, which is perfectly acceptable for this motor. Since you seem highly concerned about the fact that you have 10W-30 and keep asking whether to change to synthetic, just do it now. Put in Pennzoil Platinum 5W-20 and be done with it.


i like using the Pennzoil Platinum 5w20 syn. too

[MainEngDwarf]

I had the blue smoke at start up issue. The dealer in NY where I bought it tried to fix it and failed,(new valve cover and PCV setup, new valve seals in the passenger side head). When I moved to Va Beach in Jan 07. I decided to try again. Luckily I got a real good mechanic at the Ford dealership down there. He discovered that not only was it smoking at startup, but was puffing smoke occasionally while running. Ford decided to do a teardown and replace rings. When the engine was tore down they discovered "soft" rings in all 8 cylinders, and ring slots lined up in 4 cylinders. :confused: Since they had the heads off,( and they couldn't find the proper tools to tear the heads down) They sent them to a local ( and reputable) machine shop, where they found out of spec valve guides and seals. Needless to say they rebuilt the heads. Now the engine is quieter, tighter and I hate to say it(not really) but faster. I guess there are still good dealer mechanics out there. :D

[99SVT]

Mine occasionally smokes on startup, usually after a start and stop before it gets to operating temp. My 99 Cobra did the same thing and I had it for 5 years. seems to be a common trait among 4V motors.

On a sidenote:
When I bought my MM with 73000km used I took an oil sample to a lab and they found a iron and aluminum wear to be 3X normal. I took this into the dealer and they told me to take another sample next oil change. I did that, the wear was even higher, and they said they weren't going to arbitrairily change a motor and to drive till it dies or bring it back near the end of the warantee. I flogged it like a rented mule that summer to see if it would die. after the summer I took another sample and the wear was suddenly normal. I talked it over with the lab techs and they figured that the previous owner babied it so much that the engine hadn't broken in properly, and my beating on it finally seated everything in at 100000kms.

The moral of the story: These motors require the driver to lean on the throttle on occasion, it makes them run better.