Burning oil

[Flowerjuice77]

Big clouds of blue smoke on takeoff after a red light
Would be valve guide seals right? All the other 40 year old rubber components seem to be shagged.
Can those be replaced without taking the head off?
Cheers

[russellw]

With the right tools, yes.

[Flowerjuice77]

Do you know which socket I need to undo the head bolts? Trying to gather all the tools before starting the job

[arm79]

I always thought big clouds on take off were piston rings or a bore that had had enough.

Valve guide seals were little wisps of oil on take off, but much more commonly after being started and most noticeable when starting from cold.

Or in my case accidentally overfilling the engine on my Escort by about 1.5L on my first ever oil change. Never realised the dipstick was getting stuck and not showing the right level.

The cloud of smoke I left at the Millers Road freeway exit was beyond epic. I couldn't see anything behind me as I took off. My workmate who was behind me was nearly 10 mins late for work. He was stuck at the intersection until the smoke cleared. Everyone stood still until the smoke cleared when they could finally see where they were going.

[Flowerjuice77]

The ka has got 91,000km on the clock but smokes alot after sitting at lights and under load or decent acceleration I guess up hills etc.
Needs topping up oil frequently. Number 1 spark plug seems to have the sign of burning the oil, the other 3 are ok. So I assume number 1 cylinder is the culprit.

[PG2]

Originally Posted by Flowerjuice77

The ka has got 91,000km on the clock but smokes alot after sitting at lights and under load or decent acceleration I guess up hills etc.
Needs topping up oil frequently. Number 1 spark plug seems to have the sign of burning the oil, the other 3 are ok. So I assume number 1 cylinder is the culprit.

I assume that it is a KA Laser with 91,000k?

I used to sell these back second hand in the mid early to mid 90s. A lot of them needed new rings and bearings back then. While I understand that they are much older now, I don't actually recall ever having to replace the valve stem oil seals.

[Flowerjuice77]

Yeah a KA laser. I would guess the valve stem seals are like hard plastic after 40 years. The distributor o-ring was like hard plastic when I replaced it. Found piston rings for $2 at Repco!

[arm79]

My basic understanding is that if its valve stems you will get smoke when the car has been left sitting for a while. Over night, parked for a short time or after long periods of idling at the lights. It needs time to leak down past the seals into the intake. But the smoke normally stops pretty quickly.

If its big clouds on acceleration or under load and reasonably constant its getting in past the rings. If its drinking oil like you say that would back that up.

Unless there is something Laser specific I'm missing.

[prktkljokr]

Is it a auto KA Lazer?

My Mum used to have a KA Lazer auto, I remember it blowing smoke like crazy, after being diagnosed with all sorts of engine faults by 2 different mechanics, my auto trans guy told me its a common problem for the modulator valve to fail and the car to blow white smoke from sucking trans fluid, changed it and after the residual trans fluid burned out of the system it never did it again.

Your problem might be the same?

Seeing you use a lot of oil and the plug is showing signs of oil, it could still be valve seals, but like above it could have a problem with the rings

It would be worth doing a compression test

[Flowerjuice77]

It's the 1.3 GL 4 speed manual.
Getting all the gear together incl.compression guage then I pull it apart. Let you know what I find.

[arm79]

Suggestion from left field too...

Double check if the crankcase vents are good. Not blocked, loose, fallen off, etc etc. If it has a PCV valve (NFI if it does or whether they were required back then), make sure its working and not seized.

If the inside of the engine is becoming pressurised it may be pushing oil into and through places that are normally kept sealed... Or through old seals that would normally have "acceptable" leak levels but are now otherwise excessive.

[Crazy Dazz]

1. Check your PCV valve and replace it necessary
2. At idle, remove (and block) PCV valve and oil cap, observe if there is significant smoking from those holes. Rev engine, and check again.
3. Check your compression on each cylinder. If compression is low, squirt in some oil, and check again. If that temporarily boosts compression at crank speeds, it's a good sign that your rings are shot.
4. check your coolant for signs of oil, and vice versa. That's potentially a 40yr old head.

Do you know the full history of the car?
If a 40yr old has genuinely done only 91kk, that probably means that its spent a lot of it's life sitting. Unfortunately the bores start to corrode after sitting idle for too long, and then get cleaned next time it's run. Repeat that process over 40 years, and they could be extremely worn.

Heavy Blue smoke under acceleration is generally a sign of oil getting past the rings.

If, with all other factors being equal, the smoke on takeoff is proportionately worse relative to the length of time idling at the lights, that can be a sign that oil may be getting sucked into the intake.

[Flowerjuice77]

I got the car with 85,000km on it in December and now it has 92,000km. I use it alot do over 100km a day.
From what I heard some old guy who had from new passed away and the car was on blocks in storage. Then some uni student had it about a year.

I checked the pcv valve when I replaced the PVC grommet in the rocker cover. Like all the other rubber components it was a goner. Btw expensive those grommets! I used to work on these cars, finished my apprenticeship year 2000.

[Flowerjuice77]

Comp is 135,140,150,165
Rings or valves? 92,000km

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Flowerjuice77

Comp is 135,140,150,165
Rings or valves? 92,000km

That variation is a worry. Rule of thumb is they should all be within 10%.
Anything over 160 would be considered good in an old engine, so the 165 is surprisingly good.
135 & 140 however, are not.
Squirt some oil in through the plug holes, and try again. If that temporarily boost the compression, then its rings.

[Flowerjuice77]

Any tips on a seized head stud?

[Flowerjuice77]

I don't know how to attach photos but the head is probably shot water corrosion.
What sort of other engines fit in a 1982?