autofil

Hi!
When I start my 86 3.2 Carrera on cold engine I have blue smoke for the first couple of minutes. Then normal exaust and no blue smoke.

Can anyone explain this?
Normal or do I have a problem?

Autofil

AHEDAU

Well, it didn't do that when it was new, so I'd say its not normal. Its burning oil. How much do you tend to add per 1000 Miles?
Seriously, it sounds like some of the tolerances are getting a bit loose and perhaps you are starting to see simple signs of age.
Whats the mileage? If you aren't using 20/50, perphaps that might help.

autofil

I have not owned the car for 1000 miles yet!

Milage is about 98, and the car is all orig.

I know som 944's have the same thing, only at cold engine and very little oil use!

hoffman912

correct me if im wrong but isnt blue smoke a sign of bad rings?

i second AHEDAU, go to 20/50.. try dino juice instead of crisco.. and if thats not working, as a last ditch effort throw marvel mystery oil (has been known to solve the ring issue if you put that in there for a while)

oh.. and get a compression and leakdown test to see what the hell is going on in there.

autofil

Compression and leakdown test has been taken.
Everything OK.

Why does the blue smoke disappear after 2 minutes?

autofil

I have just talked to a mechanic wich claims to have experience with these cars.
He told me that these engines can have blue smoke from time to time at cold start. Even engines in mint condition and low milage does have blue smoke from time to time.

Does anyone agree or disagree?

3.2SLANTNOSE

Sounds like valve guides or seals getting a little worn. If it only smokes for a couple of minutes with a cold start, I would not really worry about it, until it gets to where it smokes even when hot starting, or if oil consumption gets excessive. I would also try what others said about the 20w50 dino oil change and see what it does.

Dave Thomas

Several things that could be related to this problem:

Worn valve guides. This was a problem on some 3.2s, mainly earlier cars. They could just be worn a little and allowing a little oil to seep into the intake/exhaust ports while the engine in shut off, which burns off when you restart. At 98K miles on an '86 car this wouldn't be surprising. But it's not a big deal. You're probably not really using a lot of oil, just the burn off when starting. I would keep an accurate track of oil consumption and see how much you're really using.

Oil tank level. If you're keeping the oil tank filled, the above problem will be worse. I used to keep my tank near the full mark all the time ('88 Carrera with 71K miles), and I almost always had some blue smoke on startup. But then I noticed that once the oil got down to the halfway point the smoking stopped and it dodn't go down any further. So now I keep it there all the time and I have no smoking, and there's no significant oil consumption between changes (at 5K miles).

Do you know how to check the oil level properly? If not, you may be overfilling it. Here's the drill: forget the gauge - it's wildly inaccurate and is pretty much a useless instrument. You want the engine to be up to full temp, like 180 degrees, on a level surface, and let it idle for a couple of minutes. Then with the engine running, check the oil level at the tank using the dipstick. You want the oil to be halfway between the two dots on the stick under these conditions. No point in filling to the top - it will just burn off.

Also, the 20/50 advice is right on, or Mobil 1 15/50.

I really think your engine is probably fine if you had a good compression and leakdown report. A little blue smoke on startup is normal.

Lorenfb

Mobil 1 is NOT a good choice for those old cars. It will result in more/increased
oil leaks.

Good Luck
Loren
'88 3.2

DGaunt

In a horizontal engine, oil can creep by the rings when the car is sitting, as many of our cars do--a lot. A puff on startup with a clean comp.. and leakdown test is no problem.

Dave Thomas

Correction - it MAY result in oil leaks. I've been running it in my '88 for two years and the engine leaks ABSOULTELY NO OIL. Not a drop anywhere. The engine was professionally resealed at about 50K, has 71K now, so that probably influences things. However if an engine leaks oil with synthetic, it's not due to the oil, it's due to faulty seals and/or gaskets. As far as engine protection goes, there's nothing better on the market than Mobil 1.

vvassli

Thank you for your answers!
I think I will monitor my oil level for a few miles then, hopefully everything is OK.

g-50cab

Better yet, monitor the oil consumption

Dave Thomas

911Dave

Blue smoke on startup is absolutely normal for all 911's. Read the following Pelican tech article, paying particular attention to the "Oil Consumption and Smoking" section, especially the 4th paragraph therein.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti..._rebuild-1.htm