'95 Town slight blue smoke puff in the morning.

[olopezm]

Thanks to both of you, I didn't see your reply Blue)(Fusion according to the time on each post we did it at the same time XD.

Yes Mexico does requires an emissions test every 6 months for all cars even in some big cities (Mexico city, Guadalajara,etc.) there are certain days on which your car cannot circulate it depends on the last number of your cars license plate but if your car has a "00" emissions test sticker you are allowed to drive it everyday (it might sound like a mess I know...).

I was tracing the vacuum leak I have, found some vacuum diagrams for the '95 model and there is a tee in it, but I couldn't find it so I went to the dealer for a vacuum hose diagram and compared it to the one under the hood and they are the same, actually they don't show that tee even the guy at the dealer was surprised when I asked for it (I don't know which model will it be the one that does has that tee). Anyway I finally found the leak, it was medium sized leak on the hose between the intake elbow and what it seems to be the EVAP solenoid (I don't know if I'm correct, according to the vacuum sticker under the hood it should be, it is located at the passenger side on the back of the engine compartment near the A/C blower) so I fixed the piece of rubber (it is a nylon hose with a small piece of rubber to attach it to the elbow).

When I extracted that nylon hose it was completely blocked with crap... so I inspected the nipple at the elbow and it was TOTALLY BLOCKED along the entire length, I had to take the intake elbow off and even the horse shoe on that side was blocked, I cleaned it completely until the air could flow freely, I putted it against the light and it's clean now I decided to take a look at the EGR horse shoe and it had a little bit of carbon in it I cleaned too since I was already there... also I took my time to clean the IAC valve. When I started the engine the smell of the air coming out from the exhaust was so different that nasty leak kept the engine running too rich.

I still have to see how much oil is getting burnt, since that vacuum leak took me nearly all day I couldn't run the compression test but I'll do tomorrow. Is there any chance that the vacuum leak could make the oil consumption problem any bigger?

Finally are you saying that any engine from `96 and above will still fit into my car? the intake manifold still fit on place of the plastic model (I know these have a tendency to break) ? Will I have any problems with the PCM or any other kind of problem?

I saw the pictures from your signature Blue)(Fusion, man that engine was clean!

Best regards,

Oscar

[olopezm]

Originally Posted by danielsatur

Is the blue smoke is coming out of both tail pipes?
You might beable to isolate it down to a bad bank, and do the valve stem seal replacement on that bank only.

Ooops second time that we are posting at the same moment LOL.

I will check that tomorrow but I think it comes out from both, a moment ago that I finished putting everything back together I started the engine and there was no blue smoke at all!.

Best regards,

Oscar

[danielsatur]

Red Neck Smoke test -
1) Remove air filter.
2) Wrap the air filter with glad wrap.
3) Put Air filter back in, the idea is to block all air going into the intake.
4) Remove the brake booster vacuum hose.
5) Light up a Black & Mild cigar, and blow smoke into the brake booster vacuum hose.
6) Plug vacuum hose with thumb, repeat smoke, and look for smoke leaks.
7) Any were you see smoke, you got a vacuum leak.

[olopezm]

Originally Posted by danielsatur

Red Neck Smoke test -
1) Remove air filter.
2) Wrap the air filter with glad wrap.
3) Put Air filter back in, the idea is to block all air going into the intake.
4) Remove the brake booster vacuum hose.
5) Light up a Black & Mild cigar, and blow smoke into the brake booster vacuum hose.
6) Plug vacuum hose with thumb, repeat smoke, and look for smoke leaks.
7) Any were you see smoke, you got a vacuum leak.

Thank you buddy I will check that tomorrow I'm assuming this test has to be done with the engine running right?. Hopefully I've gotten rid of the vacuum leak: I remember a hissing sound after turning the engine off, today the noise seemed to be gone!.

Best regards,

Oscar

P.S I wonder where did the name of that test came from...

[danielsatur]

No - The engine is off, the plastic wrap will block all air flow going to the engine.
Let the cigar smoke do the work, it follow the path of least resistance.
A smoke machine is $1200, a smoke test is $80, and this type of test is so much safer.

Some Technicians use starting fluid, brake cleaner, or a propane torch without flame while the engine is running, this could be very dangerous.

[olopezm]

Ok, thanks man I'll try that tomorrow.

Just one detail when I started the engine the EATC screen never came on as usual however the air conditioning still works. Do you guys have any idea about this? Maybe a blown fuse?.

Oscar

[Blue)(Fusion]

Sounds like a blown fuse regarding the EATC. Maybe even you bumped a wire in your vacuum and EGR inspection.

Yes any engine from a Grand Marquis, Crown Victoria, Town Car, or 2 valve Mustang will fit. PCM will work fine. There may be a bit of coercing some parts. Is your intake manifold plastic? If so and the intake elbow (plenum) is pointed to the driver side and not the front of the car, you will be good to go. I forget the cut off year of the less friendly front-pointing intake manifold/plenum which makes things a tad more difficult. You will have to use your original fuel injectors and a few other parts if the engine doesn't come with it. There's a few gotcha's with the ECT sensors which may need a slight modification on newer model intake manifolds but nothing that's difficult.

And depending on the size of the vacuum leak, yes it may affect oil burning. Time will tell.

[olopezm]

Originally Posted by Blue)(Fusion

Sounds like a blown fuse regarding the EATC. Maybe even you bumped a wire in your vacuum and EGR inspection.

Yes any engine from a Grand Marquis, Crown Victoria, Town Car, or 2 valve Mustang will fit. PCM will work fine. There may be a bit of coercing some parts. Is your intake manifold plastic? If so and the intake elbow (plenum) is pointed to the driver side and not the front of the car, you will be good to go. I forget the cut off year of the less friendly front-pointing intake manifold/plenum which makes things a tad more difficult. You will have to use your original fuel injectors and a few other parts if the engine doesn't come with it. There's a few gotcha's with the ECT sensors which may need a slight modification on newer model intake manifolds but nothing that's difficult.

And depending on the size of the vacuum leak, yes it may affect oil burning. Time will tell.

Thanks buddy, I'll check the fuses I was tired yesterday and I that's why I didn't check them already. Is the set of wires running on top of the engine right below the resonator box also related to the EATC system? I was careful not to break anything but I'll tamper them to see if anything changes.

About the engine, mine has aluminum intake and the elbow faces forward.

Hopefully that vacuum thing is gone for sure

Best regards,

Oscar.

EDIT: Somebody told me to turn the headlights on and then off to see if the EATC screen comes on and IT DOES but as soon as I turn headlights off it will turn back off.

[Blue)(Fusion]

Hmm, I have never heard of that headlights and EATC thing. I don't have any wiring diagrams so I can't be of much assistance here.

And since you have the forward facing intake manifold, you unfortunately have to stick with NPI heads as you can not properly fit that manifold to the PI heads. So if you do go with a new engine, go with a 96-00 model year engine from a CV, GM, TC, or a 96-98 model year engine from a Mustang and swap the intake manifold from your old engine to the new one. They will be a direct fit.

[olopezm]

Here is a quick update about the EATC, turning the lights on and off DOES WORKS to make the EATC screen work again but sometimes it takes 3-4 attempts, however as I turn the engine off the screen will remain off until I do the headlights trick again, so there is a straight relation between the EATC and the headlights switch.

Back to the engine problems, it seems that I can finally say that vacuum leak is gone for sure. I did the dry compression test and here the readings were:

Cylinder Stroke 1 Stroke 2 Stroke 3 Stroke 4
1 60 90 120 130
2 60 90 120 125
3 60 90 110 110
4 90 110 120 130
5 60 70 80 80
6 60 70 80 80
7 60 90 110 120
8 60 70 80 80

So that leaves me with 3 bad cylinders, according to the readings and my Hayness manual I think the problem is not on the valve seals but worn piston rings. I'll check the oil level until tomorrow to know how much oil is being burned if it's dropping too soon I better start looking for an engine to get rid of the valve seals problem too, that way I can kill two birds with one shot.

Best regards,

Oscar.

[Blue)(Fusion]

Yeah definitely bad compression in atleast 3 of those cylinders. It may be worn or stuck piston rings causing the compression and oil usage problem.

How does your oil look? Does it darken pretty quickly after an oil change? It may simply be dirty with sludge.

Before you dump alot of money on a new engine, try to clean this one. Some oil additives may be able to help. I highly highly recommend Auto-Rx, which I believe is available in Mexico but don't quote me on that. This product cleans better than any other oil additive and does it in a way to prevent sludge breaking off and clogging oil galleries. The down side is it takes a long time for it to work (hundreds to thousands of miles).

For a quick attempt at cleaning up the engine, buy 1 can of Seafoam, 8 new spark plugs (Motorcraft or Autolite), and 6 quarts of Motorcraft 5W-20 or 5W-30 motor oil and a Motorcraft FL-820S oil filter.

Dump in half a can of Seafoam into the oil. With the engine hot and running, introduce the other half of the Seafoam into the PCV valve. I find that holding the throttle to about 1,000-1,200 RPMs and slowly pour it into the PCV valve works best - do not submerge the valve in it or it will not vaporize correctly. When it sucks it all up, turn off the engine and let it sit for 15 minutes. Start the engine and rev the engine up and down, mostly keeping it at mid-range RPMs. The mid-to-high RPMs help really force carbon out of the cylinders and off the rings. It will smoke ALOT. This is normal. When it mostly stops smoking, drive it around for about 10 minutes and then change the oil with fresh oil.

Wait until the engine cools off and then change the spark plugs. Do not change with the engine hot as they will not torque down properly and can cause thread damage. Only torque down to 16 lb-ft and do not use any anti-seize. You can skip the spark plugs if you've changed them recently, but it's a good idea to do them after a Seafoam treatment and they also may have alot of oil on them from the leaking rings.

Here's a friend's video of his Seafoam treatment through the PCV valve:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yibMhMADJV8

[olopezm]

Originally Posted by Blue)(Fusion

Yeah definitely bad compression in atleast 3 of those cylinders. It may be worn or stuck piston rings causing the compression and oil usage problem.

How does your oil look? Does it darken pretty quickly after an oil change? It may simply be dirty with sludge.

Before you dump alot of money on a new engine, try to clean this one. Some oil additives may be able to help. I highly highly recommend Auto-Rx, which I believe is available in Mexico but don't quote me on that. This product cleans better than any other oil additive and does it in a way to prevent sludge breaking off and clogging oil galleries. The down side is it takes a long time for it to work (hundreds to thousands of miles).

For a quick attempt at cleaning up the engine, buy 1 can of Seafoam, 8 new spark plugs (Motorcraft or Autolite), and 6 quarts of Motorcraft 5W-20 or 5W-30 motor oil and a Motorcraft FL-820S oil filter.

Dump in half a can of Seafoam into the oil. With the engine hot and running, introduce the other half of the Seafoam into the PCV valve. I find that holding the throttle to about 1,000-1,200 RPMs and slowly pour it into the PCV valve works best - do not submerge the valve in it or it will not vaporize correctly. When it sucks it all up, turn off the engine and let it sit for 15 minutes. Start the engine and rev the engine up and down, mostly keeping it at mid-range RPMs. The mid-to-high RPMs help really force carbon out of the cylinders and off the rings. It will smoke ALOT. This is normal. When it mostly stops smoking, drive it around for about 10 minutes and then change the oil with fresh oil.

Wait until the engine cools off and then change the spark plugs. Do not change with the engine hot as they will not torque down properly and can cause thread damage. Only torque down to 16 lb-ft and do not use any anti-seize. You can skip the spark plugs if you've changed them recently, but it's a good idea to do them after a Seafoam treatment and they also may have alot of oil on them from the leaking rings.

Here's a friend's video of his Seafoam treatment through the PCV valve:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yibMhMADJV8

Thanks again buddy, you have shed some light with the stuck rings possibility! I'll definitely give it a try, I have a friend who constantly travels to USA I can wait some time and ask him to bring both Auto-RX and Seafoam; I'm not sure about the first one but Seafoam is not available here I'll go and check at Autozone, there are many other autoparts shops but I don't trust their additives since they all are generic brands, most of these are the type you can always find at the supermarket...

About the oil it DOES DARKENS a bit fast I changed it 3 months ago, since then I've only driven the car for 1k miles at much and it looks brown (it's a bit dark actually) already, I think this is definitely too soon to happen. Here is a list of other things I replaced at the same time:

Air filter
Oil filter
Fuel filter
Spark plugs and wires

If it helps the car was sitting for about a year (you can see an older post I opened about it) and the blue puff started some time after the oil change.

One last thing, about the Seafoam I remember you told me not to put it in the oil but to put it in the gas tank instead I guess this will work in long-term BUT since you just advised me to change the oil after the seafoam I'm assuming this will work as a short-term treatment?. How much is a bottle of Auto-RX and one of Seafoam over there?

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...76&postcount=7

Best regards,

Oscar.

[Blue)(Fusion]

The Seafoam is made to be used in three ways - in the oil, in the fuel, and directly in the combustion chamber. It does a great job at breaking up carbon deposits in the combustion chamber and clean the fuel system, but I and others agree that it is not the best solution to clean the crankcase and other internals through the oil as it is a solvent. It will still be safe for you to use in the oil and quicker than any other method.

Auto-Rx is not available in any stores, only from the manufacturer and a few export dealers.
http://www.auto-rx.com/

Since you had a substantial vacuum leak, that may have contributed to the darkening oil and stuck rings. If the PCV system is not evacuating the blow-by gases out of the crankcase, it will contaminate the oil more quickly. A lack of vacuum pressure behind the PCV valve or a non-OEM PCV valve will cause this.

About the costs, I think Seafoam is around US$11-12 and Auto-Rx are between US$20-30. I'd order atleast two bottles at a time, and looking at their site it looks like they can ship to you, if you want to use a more long-term method. Like I said, I use it (their maintenance dose) and my engine was immaculate when I took it apart to swap my cams. And many other people on their forums have success with it unsticking rings and cleaning up sludge. An extra bonus is it restores rubber seals which may keep those valve stem seals going for a long time. Read the different instructions so you know how much to order and what to expect if you use their product.

[olopezm]

Originally Posted by Blue)(Fusion

The Seafoam is made to be used in three ways - in the oil, in the fuel, and directly in the combustion chamber. It does a great job at breaking up carbon deposits in the combustion chamber and clean the fuel system, but I and others agree that it is not the best solution to clean the crankcase and other internals through the oil as it is a solvent. It will still be safe for you to use in the oil and quicker than any other method.

Auto-Rx is not available in any stores, only from the manufacturer and a few export dealers.
http://www.auto-rx.com/

Since you had a substantial vacuum leak, that may have contributed to the darkening oil and stuck rings. If the PCV system is not evacuating the blow-by gases out of the crankcase, it will contaminate the oil more quickly. A lack of vacuum pressure behind the PCV valve or a non-OEM PCV valve will cause this.

About the costs, I think Seafoam is around US$11-12 and Auto-Rx are between US$20-30. I'd order atleast two bottles at a time, and looking at their site it looks like they can ship to you, if you want to use a more long-term method. Like I said, I use it (their maintenance dose) and my engine was immaculate when I took it apart to swap my cams. And many other people on their forums have success with it unsticking rings and cleaning up sludge. An extra bonus is it restores rubber seals which may keep those valve stem seals going for a long time. Read the different instructions so you know how much to order and what to expect if you use their product.

Ok thanks man, I'll surely do that I didn't know Auto-RX wasn't available from stores, in that case I'll order some bottles I'll either use them or store them for my other cars on a maintenance dose. By the way I already got the Motorcraft PCV, it arrived today!.

So this is it, it looks like we are done with this thread thank you so much to both of you guys Blue)(Fusion and danielsatur you really helped me a lot!. I'll post any news after I've tried one of both methods, perhaps I'll even try both, after all it's not going to hurt anything and will definitely use Auto-RX from now and on for maintenance.

Best regards to both of you,

Oscar.

[olopezm]

Hello guys I just wanted to let you know that I bought an original Motorcraft PCV valve and installed it days ago, so far there is no blue puff at all!.

I'll keep a close look on the engine because of the low compression test readings. Thanks again for your great help!

Best regards,

Oscar.