I am worried....a little bit....!!!!!!

[94mattda]

Hello, as you know i recently purchased the SL......It drives lovely, no knocks or noises, pulls like a train etc etc BUT...... i noticed today when i pulled away from lights a small puff of blue smoke....... and when you rev the engine at stand still a little bit of smoke too...but only the first time you rev it, rev it again and none...

So does this sound like oil is getting into a valve and being burnt off with the oil.... Its 18 years old so its fair to say its going to have a few niggles but i want to sort them all.....

Q1: Should i worry?
Q2: Are the engines easy to work on?
Q3: Head gasket sound likely?????

 

[jaymanek]

The 300-24V engine does tend to go through head gaskets due to the four valves per cylinder arrangement that was put on the same block as a 12V engine.

Monitor how much oil it uses and then decide..

 

[94mattda]

The 300-24V engine does tend to go through head gaskets due to the four valves per cylinder arrangement that was put on the same block as a 12V engine.

Monitor how much oil it uses and then decide..

Well it does not seem to use any oil yet and i have done approx 700 miles since buying her...

What ever needs doing i will get done,......I love this car so much.......Its one of the nicest cars i have driven and from an age IMO that cars were built properly.

 

[Dieselman]

Almost certainly this is valve guide seals, and possibly the guides themselves.

Drive down a hill allowing the car to over-run and change down to make the engine rev up.
When you reach the bottom and accelerate again if it gives a good puff of smoke it is guide seals.

Rings or bore wear cause smoke on power and the breather to breath heavily.

 

[94mattda]

Almost certainly this is valve guide seals, and possibly the guides themselves.

Drive down a hill allowing the car to over-run and change down to make the engine rev up.
When you reach the bottom and accelerate again if it gives a good puff of smoke it is guide seals.

Rings or bore wear cause smoke on power and the breather to breath heavily.

Sounds complicated....is this a DIY job...."rings and bore wear" does this mean new engine

 

[Ian B Walker]

Sounds complicated....is this a DIY job...."rings and bore wear" does this mean new engine

Not necessarily. If you engine uses 1/2 ltr of oil every 6000 miles I would not be overly concerned. Don't fill the engine oil up to the max mark on the dipstick. Just a tad under is fine. Sounds like valve guides to me, but I am sat by a keyboard. Head job is more than doable in your drive. (if it comes to that)

 

[94mattda]

Not necessarily. If you engine uses 1/2 ltr of oil every 6000 miles I would not be overly concerned. Don't fill the engine oil up to the max mark on the dipstick. Just a tad under is fine. Sounds like valve guides to me, but I am sat by a keyboard. Head job is more than doable in your drive. (if it comes to that)

Hello, thanks for the advice and to you Dieselman....both a fountain of knowledge....i saw blue smoke and though head gasket but reassuring to know its not too difficult a job...

Are valve guides easy too or do they require a qualified mechanic?

Cheers once again guys

 

[gina2201]

Hey dan, you should have bought a BMW....I can sell you one!

 

[Ian B Walker]

Best advice from me would be to remove the head yourself, take it to machine shop (engine rebuild one) and have them put in new valve guides. Also get them to clean the head pressure test it and check it for alignment at the same time.

 

[Dieselman]

What I meant was it's not likely to be the rings and bores and is much more likely to be valve guide seals.

The seals can be done with the head still fited, but the guides would require the head off.

It's best to just see how it goes.

 

[94mattda]

What I meant was it's not likely to be the rings and bores and is much more likely to be valve guide seals.

The seals can be done with the head still fited, but the guides would require the head off.

It's best to just see how it goes.

Cheers....as its running fine i will see how it goes like you say....not causing any problems yet......saw a little smoke so thought should start saving a few pennies just in case.