FIESTA "L" REG.....BLUE SMOKE ON START UP !!!!

[Davy007]

Car been in family since new as run a round for several members of family. Recently not used for approx 6 weeks until i bought it from sister and drove to my home in Scotland. Upon start up before i set out on the long drive north blue smoke came out of exhaust but i thought it was just as it had sat idle for 6 weeks.

NOT TO BE !! Ever since every time i start it up blue smoke bellows out the exhaust for approx 1 to 2 min. After this inital time period all if fine. I have tried an additive but no luck. Am i right in thinking oil leak, possibly seals or around exhaust manifold ??

Car only done 41,000 miles from new and in very good condition. Got MOT in 2 weeks time and at a loss what to do next ?? Paid £400 for car but fear repair to it may cost even more ?

Any views / comments on fixing the problem ? what the problem is ? possible cost of repair ? if i were to leave and get thru MOT any long lasting damage ?

All replies most gratefully appreciated.....Thx a million........

 

[djinn]

Hi ... blue smoke usally indicates oil being burnt..have you checked the oil level to make sure it has not been overfilled ?..could be valve stem seals have gone..

 

[ratm]

Sounds like your valve stem seals have hardened up while the car was lying. While it was being used the constant oil washing and heating keeps them supple but once a car is left especially a high miler they get tough and don't form a proper seal. It will probably last for years as long as it's not too bad and lots of cars smoke first thing without any other problems. What type of engine is it? Some are easier than others to do.

 

[Tilly-1]

Sounds like valve stem oil seals or sticking rings, what additive did you use ? Forte do an excellent range of additives, use the gas treatment in a full tank of fuel ( the longer its in the system the more work it does ) so that will clean the top rings, then you could use their engine flush, that will clean the oil control and second compression rings.
If the valve stem oils seals are the problem use their seal conditioner, it does take a little time to work, if the seals are hard and have shrunk it will make them supple and expand, however if the seals have bits broken off then it won't do a thing.
Given the price of the products its well wort a try.
P.S Is the oil level dropping ?
Lynn

 

[Davy007]

Thanks to you all for your great assistance.

1298cc Petrol, CVH CFi Fuel Inj Engine. 1994 - L Reg

I used WYNN'S STOP SMOKE OIL SUPP FOR PETROL AND DIESEL ENG. This was recommended by Halfords.

Tilly-1. Thx for your informative and very helpful reply. Ive looked on the internet and the following site www.camskill.co.uk have the products avail you mentioned. Should i buy via the internet ?? or are these products available at retailers ??

Ive tested the oil level several times and the level is constant which i guess is a good sign ???

Hope the extra info helps you further ?

Till-1....If i follow your instructions/advise from your experiences what chance do i have of solving the problem ??

Cheers again..........

 

[johnwr]

You can change the valve stem oil seals without taking the head off, you have to buy a special tool( not much money) it's fairly easy to do, might be best to get hold of a manual. This ought to help with the blue smoke. BTW the car will fail the MOT if it has excessive smoke.
johnwr

 

[ratm]

If the blue smoke is only at start up it shouldn't be a problem for the MOT. Most of my cars (admittedly diesels) have burnt a bit of oil on start up when they go over 100,000 but I never had any problems getting an MOT. However it is a fairly easy engine to do so get it done. And with the best will in the world additives, in the unlikely event that they actually do anything at all are only a postponement of the inevitable.

 

[davieboy]

davy007, you sure its a CVH engine and not a HCS engine? on the HCS there are other things that cause a bit of smoke on startup, ie breathers, PCV system etc.

 

[Tilly-1]

HI Davy I think the product you used is just an oil thickener, the gas and flush I told you about work very well ( only if its a contamination problem with the rings), seal conditioner for hardening and shrinking of the rings again is excellent if there are no bits broken from the seals.
Forte is normally available at work shops only, ( its a trade only product for professional use ) but as with all things... it does sneak its way out to the general public ( its on E bay at the moment ) lol.

ratm Hi, I know lots of you guys are sceptical about additives in the combustion engine, but, honestly it works, I know, I was a sales engineer for 12 years, I made a wonderful living with Forte products, I spent my days in Dealerships, with service managers and their lads in the workshop, demonstrating the products, I would take an mot failure treat it and get it through, even a car that had just been serviced ( ready to go back to the customer) I would treat and improved compressions ( by freeing rings) reduce emissions and brought lambda back into line, they used to laugh at me at first, then all the lads in the workshops would ask if they could buy it from me for their own cars, they would repeatedly test to check the car, to see if the reading would revert to the original reading... after weeks or even months ( they didn't).
OK I'll shut up now lol
Lynn

 

[ratm]

Don't you just hate sales people.

 

[Tilly-1]

roflol Awwww thats not nice ratm
Lynn x

 

[ratm]

Must admit I've used a lot of additives in the past but most if not quite all are completely useless and a waste of money. I'm intrigued by your claims however...any chance of a freebie to convince a sceptic. What makes you think I'm a guy? or were you using the masculine as a generic term

 

[Tilly-1]

I use the term " guys" all the time, even on my Shih Tzu group, where all the members are ladies.

You know what, I wish I could send some Forte for you to try, I only have the bit I purchased from E Bay ( I haven't worked for the company for 4 years now). Back in the days when I was there though I Had Lex lease, British car contracts and Cowies, now leasing companies will NOT use "extras" when servicing, they keep spending down to the bare minimum, unlike the dealerships, they love to see extra on their bottom line, but not if they run the risk of losing customers through pricing..

We used to tell garages... if the customer doesn't see a difference in the running of their vehicle, we would refund FULLY, I think I gave back the cost of 10 tins in 12 years.,

OH go on E Bay and treat yourself roflol use exactly as per instruction on the bottle, test compression before and after, test again a few weeks later you will be surprised.
Regards
Lynn

 

[ratm]

OK Lynn I took your advice and went on a hunt for it. I found a few on ebay and a place selling direct. I would need the diesel additive, but I would also need and oil additive and a flush etc. It would end up costing me nearly as much as it would cost to rebuild the engine. A lot less messy mind you.
The one thing that's always bothered me about these miracle cures however is; if your engine has a very high milage there's a good chance the scraper rings and gas rings have been gummed up for years. If they are as most will be they'll have seated in the chamber slightly off centre, now if you just free them up (which I might add I've tried with the pistons out of the vehicle and it's nearly impossible) won't that cause oil and gasses to bypass the rings if they're worn?

 

[Davy007]

Afternoon all. Thanks for all the comments above, I appreciate all points of views based upon your own experiences, thats why I ended up having to post the question as I had drawn a blank from other enquiries.

I have ordered Forte Gas Treatment ( off E.bay ) and am going to give it a bash based upon comments by Tilly-1. Also in process of getting the engine flush.

Not having much knowledge in this field I could have just taken the car to a dealer and been screwed for several hundred pounds, possibly even more than the car is worth ?? Anybody have an idea on the cost to replace the seals at a garage / dealer ??

All being well I will have the product by the weekend and the experiment can begin. I will also try the Engine Flush Tilly-1 talked about. I see it that eliminating these two options with what seems a highly recommended product can do me no harm at all.

HOWEVER. I will return to this post asap with a progress report and also what the final outcome was.

Cheers all and happy debating Till-1 + ratm