Blue Smoke???
Blue Smoke???
Hello Everyone,I have a question for you guys I have a 1987 z28 5.7 that smokes out of the exhaust with blue smoke alot and stinks alot as well.what could it be and am I able to fix it,And if so what do I need to stop smokey from smoking....
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,974
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Car: 91 RS
Engine: 350 vortec
Transmission: T-5
Axle/Gears: not the best not the worst
Re: Blue Smoke???
well when does it smoke all the time only at start up? or just worse at start up sorta depends on how it smokes what you need to do
Re: Blue Smoke???
it smokes bad on start up and throughout the course of the day while I"m driving it it doesn't get no better its not like when I'm at a traffic light i smoke up the the place to the point where my car disappear but she smokes on a 1 to 10,A 8?
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 329
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Car: 1987 IROC 1991 RS
Engine: 5.7 TPI 5.0 TBI
Transmission: T-5 , 700R4
Axle/Gears: 2.73 twice
Re: Blue Smoke???
Burning oil in the combustion chambers will cause a lot of blue smoke. Possibly bad valve seals, also check pcv valve if it is sticking. Somewhere it is picking up oil and combusting it giving your smokey problems. Also might help to pull the plugs and look for excessive oil buildup to help identify if it is limited to one cyclinder or affects all 8.
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 3,462
Likes: 4
From: N. Illinois
Car: 92 GTA/ 00 TA
Engine: 383/350
Transmission: 700R4/T-56
Re: Blue Smoke???
Typically valve seals only smoke on startup.
I'd be leaning more towards bad rings. Do a compression test. A leakdown test will also give you a lot of good info.
I'd be leaning more towards bad rings. Do a compression test. A leakdown test will also give you a lot of good info.
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 27,881
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Car: Yes
Engine: Usually
Transmission: Sometimes
Axle/Gears: Behind me somewhere
Re: Blue Smoke???
An excessively rich condition will make a car do that.
What's your gas mileage? You say the exhaust "stinks"; does it smell rich (too much fuel)? What do the spark plugs look like?
I wouldn't just jump instantly to concluding that it needs rings.
2 things can VERY EASILY make it run super rich. The coolant temp sensor, and the O2 sensor. Although, if the computer sees one of those not responding the way it expects them to, it will light the Check Engine light. But as cheeep and easy to replace as they are (much cheeeeper and easier than rings), that would be a great place to start.
What's your gas mileage? You say the exhaust "stinks"; does it smell rich (too much fuel)? What do the spark plugs look like?
I wouldn't just jump instantly to concluding that it needs rings.
2 things can VERY EASILY make it run super rich. The coolant temp sensor, and the O2 sensor. Although, if the computer sees one of those not responding the way it expects them to, it will light the Check Engine light. But as cheeep and easy to replace as they are (much cheeeeper and easier than rings), that would be a great place to start.
Re: Blue Smoke???
thanks my gas mileage suck in 3 days I poured $120 dollars worth of gas ,exhaust stinks badly,i know she has a exhaust leak but i know that was all but if its the rings how much roughly will it cost to fix or am i able to fix it myself to stop smokey someone please help
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 27,881
Likes: 2,434
Car: Yes
Engine: Usually
Transmission: Sometimes
Axle/Gears: Behind me somewhere
Re: Blue Smoke???
Forget the rings.
Fussing over how much they'll cost won't make the car stop smoking.
Work on the problem instead.
An exhaust leak won't cause smoke.
Start by fixing the rich issue. I just gave you 2 good things to look at, or even just change out, probably $30 for the 2. Far more productive than wasting mental effort on the cost of a total engine rebuild (another name for "replacing the rings").
Fussing over how much they'll cost won't make the car stop smoking.
Work on the problem instead.

An exhaust leak won't cause smoke.
Start by fixing the rich issue. I just gave you 2 good things to look at, or even just change out, probably $30 for the 2. Far more productive than wasting mental effort on the cost of a total engine rebuild (another name for "replacing the rings").
Last edited by sofakingdom; Jun 20, 2007 at 12:50 PM.
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From: Calgary, AB, Canada
Car: 1982 Trans-Am
Engine: 355 w/ ported 416s
Transmission: T10, hurst shifter
Axle/Gears: 10 bolt, true-trac, 3.73
Re: Blue Smoke???
Does your check engine light work? Is it flashing ? (duh?)
I'm pretty sure you can test those sensors as mentioned, but if you can find them that cheaply than i'd do that first without even thinking about it.
After that, i'd look closely at the smoke, blue or black? Check the plugs as
well.
Blue - oil, usually
black - fuel rich, again, usually.
I'm pretty sure you can test those sensors as mentioned, but if you can find them that cheaply than i'd do that first without even thinking about it.
After that, i'd look closely at the smoke, blue or black? Check the plugs as
well.
Blue - oil, usually
black - fuel rich, again, usually.
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 651
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From: Adelaide, Australia.
Car: 1984 Trans-Am WS6
Engine: WAS: 5.0HO, SOON: ZZ383-425HP.
Transmission: 700R4 with shift kit
Re: Blue Smoke???
Pull the spark plugs out of the engine (unscrew them), then look at the end that was inside the engine.
Are they black & dry or oily?
Are they black & dry or oily?
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 651
Likes: 0
From: Adelaide, Australia.
Car: 1984 Trans-Am WS6
Engine: WAS: 5.0HO, SOON: ZZ383-425HP.
Transmission: 700R4 with shift kit
Re: Blue Smoke???
umm... pull youre dipstick and see what colour youre oil is.
White smoke is from water, Blue smoke is from oil, Black smoke is from exesive fuel...
White smoke is from water, Blue smoke is from oil, Black smoke is from exesive fuel...
Last edited by VenomX-87; Jun 20, 2007 at 10:29 PM.
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,951
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From: Ottawa, ONT
Car: 1987 Firebird
Engine: 355
Transmission: T56
Re: Blue Smoke???
this guy is hopeless,
1) Shut the car off,
2) Let it cool (2 hours)
3) Find the spark plug wires, usually the big yellow/blue/ or red ones
4) They go to a round thing on top of the engine on one end (the distributor)
5) And to the spark plug on the other.
6) pull the wire OFF OF THE SPARK PLUG, it should just pop off
7) Get a ratchet, and a 5/8 spark plug socket. (dont have one? go buy it)
8) Un screw, counter clockwise (lefty loosy, righty tighty)
9) It should just untighten in one shot, and should unscrew the rest of the way by hand.
10) If there is wet stuff on the spark plug, it is one of two things;
11) If its fairly clear, not very slippery, and smells like gas, its gasoline. If youre not sure, leave the sparkplug out for about 5 minutes. Check it again, if it NOW looks DRY, its gas, that evaporated.
12) If it does not dry, and is still wet and slippery, its oil.
TAKE SOME PICTURES, of the smoke, of the plugs, of your engine bay, and post them here.
1) Shut the car off,
2) Let it cool (2 hours)
3) Find the spark plug wires, usually the big yellow/blue/ or red ones
4) They go to a round thing on top of the engine on one end (the distributor)
5) And to the spark plug on the other.
6) pull the wire OFF OF THE SPARK PLUG, it should just pop off
7) Get a ratchet, and a 5/8 spark plug socket. (dont have one? go buy it)
8) Un screw, counter clockwise (lefty loosy, righty tighty)
9) It should just untighten in one shot, and should unscrew the rest of the way by hand.
10) If there is wet stuff on the spark plug, it is one of two things;
11) If its fairly clear, not very slippery, and smells like gas, its gasoline. If youre not sure, leave the sparkplug out for about 5 minutes. Check it again, if it NOW looks DRY, its gas, that evaporated.
12) If it does not dry, and is still wet and slippery, its oil.
TAKE SOME PICTURES, of the smoke, of the plugs, of your engine bay, and post them here.
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 90
Likes: 0
From: Orange County,CA
Car: 91 Z28, 86 Z28
Engine: 5.7 TPI, 5.0
Transmission: 4L60E/transgo shift kit
Re: Blue Smoke???
I have some what of a similar problem. Just recently she wont start right away and when it does lots of blue smoke comes out the tailpipes. I also noticed that in the mornings it leaves dark circles on the floor. The only thing I have change on the engine is the injectors and that was about 3 years ago. Guess I'm not to suprised that she's giving me problems since she already has 220k miles on her. Maybe it's time for a rebuild. But for now I'll try changing the coolant temp sensor and O2 sensor just like sofakingdom suggested. Last time I changed the spark plugs I did noticed that some of the spark plugs were black. I'll post if changing the sensors helped any.
Last edited by kalel21; Aug 27, 2007 at 04:43 PM.
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