i've been told by several people that when i start my car, i get a puff of blue smoke, but only when i start it. a lil history, i have an 88 IROC-Z with a 305 TPI. I've heard that this is just because of the valve seals have become hard and that this doesn't affect the motor, is this true or do i have to be concerned about something larger?

RJ

i have this same problem. so im replacing my valve stem seals

I'm sure I sound like a broken record, lol, but switch to Valvoline MaxLife oil.

Yes, your problem is most likely the valve seals. It's a fairly normal condition as our engines age. MaxLife helps to recondition the seals and lessen the leaking--even elimintate it if it isn't very severe. It works!

IMO, MaxLife is the best oil for our OLD engines. And for those who use synthetic and don't want to switch back to dyno, you can get MaxLife in synthetic too--but only lighter weights(5W-30 & 10W-30).

yep, about 99% of the time it's worn out valve seals. They allow oil to seep down through the valve guide into the intake runner, so when you start it you get the "plume of doom"

Really won't hurt anything, but it adds alot of class to your ride when you don't smoke out the neighborhood upon startup

You can get the entire valve seal kit from GM for about $35. I think felpro also makes a kit for about $20. I went with the GM kit for those.