when i first start my car theres a little bit of bluish grey smoke. and i parked it today letting it idle to take some pics, and lil bit coming out then too. it sat during the winter for a cam change and other minor tuneups. what causes that? can it be, bad gas, carb running to rich or lean? any help thanks guys

 

Blue smoke is caused by engine oil entering the cylinder area and being burned along with the fuel air mixture. Just a small drop of oil leaking into the cylinder can produce blue smoke out the tailpipe.

 

anything i can do to make it stop? an additive or sealer?

 

I would pop your valve covers and check your valve stem seals.

 

actually when this happens at startup it is the valve seals. It is common for small block chevy's and normally starts in the first 30,000 miles. You can add something like lucas to slow it but to totally repair you will have to pull the heads and have the valve seals replaced. It will run you around 150 bux or so plus all the gaskets and the seals to have it done at a machine shop if you can pull the heads yourself. It really isn't something you need to worry about it is just something we small block chevy guys have to live with.

 

It is not something we have to live with, and you don't need to remove the heads. If it is the valve seals (which it usually is) pull your spark plugs out, then use a tool that hold the valves closed with compressed air or feed in a few feet of clean nylon rope through the spark plug hole to keep the valves from falling into the cylinder. It helps if the cylinder youre working has its piston near top dead center. Remove your springs, keepers, retainers and all that. Replace the valve seals, put your springs and such back on, pull out the air tool or the rope, whichever you used and reinstall your spark plugs and plug wires. Fire it up and your done. I did in my driveway in a few hours and all it cost me was a couple bucks for the seals, 15 or so for a valve spring compressor, about 15 for new valve cover seals and a couple bucks for the rope. Total cost, an afternoon and 35 bucks.

 

I didn't know that. Thanks for the info I know he'll appreciate it and I know I do.

 

i start it up and lil comes out, i rev it up while just starting it and it smokes bad. and cant tell while im driving but the exhaust smells real rich and it burns my eyes lol can the carb be to rich causen that or am i stuck with the valve seAls?

 

What would be causing it for my engine since I have brand new valve seals in it and now it is smoking on start up?

 

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No problem. If I had to pull the heads like you thought we had to, my car would still be smoking and I'd agree that it's something to live with and get used to.

As for having a shop do it, I'm not sure what they'd charge. It's an easy job though, so if you've got the time, do it yourself.

 

If you already have replaced the valve seals then it would most likely be the piston rings. You can check this by having the compression checked. If there is alot of varience inbetween the cylinders it would confirm this. I have heard if you take a cap full of trans fluid and poor it down the carb it will help reseal the rings though. I would definately try running some lucas in it at your next oil change. when your are burning oil you are definately gonna produce higher emmisions. But it would normally only be higher at start up after sitting for more than a 1/2 hour or more.

 

well, most all chevys do that after some miles on them, as stated before, and its a fairly easy fix, as stated before.......

mine does it after it sits overnight, but yet the oil is still within the full marks after 3k on an oil change, i got 140k on the clock

look at it this way, its pre start up lubrication, chevy designed it that way, maybe, or maybe not

as for the tranny fluid trick, you can also hook a vac line up and the put in into the trans fluid, it will smoke like crazy for a few, but i know of a few guys who swear by it