I have a problem with my engine i was wondering if any of you guy's could shed a little light on the problem. On the odd occasion a plume of blue smoke comes out of the exhaust, this only happens when changing down the gears or when i have been sat in traffic for a while. My first thought are the valve stem seals has any one else got any other idea's please.

Thanks

Kris

 

Sounds normal to me, so long as it is not excessive.

 

How big is a plume?

Blue isnt particularly healthy in any big volume but depends how much. Dont think it should be *that* visible to you.

It will be oil getting into / past the cylinders and out the exhaust to some degree. Ive never noticed anything coming out the back of mine, been told a bit of soot when I boot it, but that's normal!

Could be an excess coming through the crankcase breather and being munched!

MB

 

You got an oil catch can fitted or not?

 

Kris,

As Ian is alluding to, there is a crank breather pipe on top of the block, at the front, which is there to expel oil vapour. The S is known to use oil and this is the primary way that it can, assuming your valve seals are in tact. If you get oil mist in the breather, it will get ingsted as you initially pull away, as it goes in though the now open throttle body. As the oil is now on the intake side, its gets sort of combusted and spat out the back.

I would imagine you get more a build up of vapour at idle as the TB is shut, and the breather goes to the inlet side.

As long as its a little puff rather than a plume then I think you will be fine.

I do think a catch can is a good mod though.

MB

 

Hi,

Thanks for the info. I do have a catch tank (cusco) it was one of the first mod's i did, there is a plastic sight tube on the side the is no sign of oil build up in there.
The plume is visible, the missis spotted the smoke when she was sat in traffic for a few minutes, she pulled off and looked in the mirror to see the smoke. Then the missis dad was following me yesterday coming up to an island going down the gears and again a plume of smoke, today missis driving car with me following again she was going down the gears and once again a plume of smoke. It is quite intermittent. The problem has not altered the performance just a bit unsightly and its using a bit more oil than normal. The pic is quite an old one so don't take the piss to much, the catch tank is behind the expansion tank.

 

If its using more oil than normal then it may be best to get it checked. You could also look at your plugs and see if they are clean.

If its not coming through the can, the next likely problem is how its getting past the oil seals...

MB

 

I think its the seals. I have spoke to my local honda dealer and they have never changed them before. They have quoted

 

The labour on an engine swap is pretty huge though. I would get the head ported / gas flowed / fiddled with while its off

I think its seals too by the sounds of it.

Edit to add: I would want to make sure its that though, these cars do use a lot of oil as you know. Wouldnt want all that work and then nowt to be wrong. What oil are you using? Obvious but check the level every week in the meantime.

MB

 

The oil i use is the shell stuff. I have used the motul and the silkelene in the past but the engine did not agree with it so i went back to the shell. As for the engine swop i would do it myself it seems straight forward. I am just not keen on taking the engine apart.

Thanks for the advice Mark.