i have just bought a 91 formula firebird with 92000 miles on it. i didnt really notice any smoke when i bought the car 5 days ago but when i start the car up there is a medium size puff of smoke that comes out and it continues to smoke until you drive 5 or 6 miles i was thinking bad seals or failing rings but a friend of mine said that he fixed this problem on his z28 and that it is common problem. but duffus cant remember how is he full of crap? can i fix this with out digging into the motor? that is why i bought this car so that i wouldnt have to always work on my ride. oh whoe is me. any help would be appreciated

 

what color is the smoke...blue,white,black????????car cold or warm??

 

hahaha

sorry. i just HAVE to work on my car so much, it was funny to read that.

my car smokes when i first start it up. it'll puff out a small cloud of greyish smoke but it goes away after a couple of seconds. i was told it was the rings..

 

from the symptoms i'd guess that the smoke is blue which means it's oil leaking into the cylinders. the likely cause is worn valve seals. replacing them is not too tough, you'll need to rent a valve spring compressor. click the search button up top and search for "valve seals" and you'll find plenty of posts detailing the procedure.

 

i 2nd that :nods:

 

5 or 6 miles before it goes away? That's a long ways to go.. After about 2 miles it'll be nearly warmed up all the way.. Must be the valve seals, piston rings are known to cause a puff of smoke when you first start it but it goes away almost instantly. Also, just for ***** and giggles check for oil on the outside of the motor.. Like the exhaust manifolds and Y-pipe.. That is a possible cause of the smoke, too.. Unlikely but possible. Check your oil EVERY DAY until you get it fixed cuz if it's smoking for that long then you're buring up a decent amount every time you drive it.