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[grain.ben]

Evening chaps, haven't been on here in quite a while due to work and home commitments and the mrs being pregnant.

Im seriously thinking of scrapping/selling to break my beloved miggy as she seems to be pissing out blue smoke at the rate of a steam engine. She runs but there is a constant trail of blue smoke behind me, so valve stem oil seals or piston rings? Opinions on what it could be. She wont go more than 200 miles without the check oil level mid warning coming on. I have other issues with it too and the mot is coming up very soon, so im in two minds on wether to try and fix it all or not. Also, the newborn is due in a months time so i might have to give it up and get something a little bit more reliable and economical.

Just to add, its not steam, no head gasket problems, no coolant loss and no mayo, so its definatly burning oil somewhere. 

Could anyone give me any pointers/opinions as to why it could be burning?

[Webby the Bear]

Evening chaps, haven't been on here in quite a while due to work and home commitments and the mrs being pregnant.

Im seriously thinking of scrapping/selling to break my beloved miggy as she seems to be pissing out blue smoke at the rate of a steam engine. She runs but there is a constant trail of blue smoke behind me, so valve stem oil seals or piston rings? Opinions on what it could be. She wont go more than 200 miles without the check oil level mid warning coming on. I have other issues with it too and the mot is coming up very soon, so im in two minds on wether to try and fix it all or not. Also, the newborn is due in a months time so i might have to give it up and get something a little bit more reliable and economical.

Just to add, its not steam, no head gasket problems, no coolant loss and no mayo, so its definatly burning oil somewhere. 

Could anyone give me any pointers/opinions as to why it could be burning?

Probably.

Repair is heads off, removing all valves and replacing with new stem seals. You handy with the spanners? If so you could do it relatively inexpensively and would give you the opportunity to renew cam seals, manifold gaskets, HGs etc.

[Webby the Bear]

ps, that's of course just a guess. either way have it diagnosed properly before deciding what to do...

[grain.ben]

I had suspected the oil seals, although i have not done a compression test on the cylinders. Unfortunately im not good with tools so if i decide to undertake the task, then someone will be doing it for me. Its due a cambelt soon and im pretty sure the manifold is cracked too, so if it gets done, it will be, replace head gasket (anyway), new seals, new cambelt and tensioner and new manifold, im just wondering if its worth it, and i need a car as its the only one i have and its my daily runner.

Yes only guess work at the moment.

[Webby the Bear]

Well, you can get parts and advice on here.

At the very least (if it was the seals) then you'd have to get manifolds off anyway so no better time to replace.

Is the blue smoke constant? Or mixed in between puffs of normal looking some?

[grain.ben]

Puffs when cold, constant when hot and it bloody stinks 

[Webby the Bear]

Puffs when cold, constant when hot and it bloody stinks 

As a rough guide if its blue, grey, blue, grey etc it would suggest rings as the affected cylinder fires. but obviously its not definitive cos you may have more than one gone.

if its constant then id guess it was stem seals.

but get it diagnosed first 

[grain.ben]

Whats the first port of call? Compression test on all the cylinders?

[Webby the Bear]

Whats the first port of call? Compression test on all the cylinders?

IMO, yes 

[grain.ben]

Ok ill see what i can do next week as im off work and will give me an opportunity to have a good look, cheers 

[The Red Baron]

Whats the first port of call? Compression test on all the cylinders?

wont tell you bugger all about stem seals.
 

[grain.ben]

But at least i will know if its the rings or not.

[Webby the Bear]

But at least i will know if its the rings or not.

 

Not sure oil could get in to cylinders other than down the valves or broken rings 

[JamesV6CDX]

But at least i will know if its the rings or not.

Not so

If the compression rings are ok but oil control ring shot, you could get a good compression reading but still burn oil by the truck load

If it smokes heavily when cold but clears when up to temp - usually stem seals (where they have leaked overnight over time)

If it smokes when warm, and is worse when revved - piston rings (and bore wear) more likely

Does it smoke on a hard rev after ten mins idling at full temperature?

Does it smoke if you boot it after being on the over run for a period? Eg going down hill engine braking?

[grain.ben]

But at least i will know if its the rings or not.

Not so

If the compression rings are ok but oil control ring shot, you could get a good compression reading but still burn oil by the truck load

If it smokes heavily when cold but clears when up to temp - usually stem seals (where they have leaked overnight over time)

If it smokes when warm, and is worse when revved - piston rings (and bore wear) more likely

Does it smoke on a hard rev after ten mins idling at full temperature?

Does it smoke if you boot it after being on the over run for a period? Eg going down hill engine braking?

Yes and yes to the bottom two