strange, inconsistent problem

Sometimes when I bring the car to a stop and it idles foe a few seconds, when I take off again I see a puff of white smoke. It seems to be more consistent when putting the car in reverse and gassing it, but it's not consistent. It's not a stream of smoke either, it's just a puff, then it stops. Is this something I should be worried about? It doesn't happen all the time.

valve seals.

valve seals.

u sure? i thought worn VSS would be indicated by blue smoke = burning oil. white smoke usually indicates burning coolant.

People mistake valve seal smoke for being white ALOT. The symptoms he describes are valve seals. If he was burning coolant it would be doing it all the time. On top of that I have heard of a total of maybe 3 3s's in 5 years of being around that have had blown headgaskets. Its not a common issue.

true, the symptoms are indicative of valve seals.

QFT about the head gaskets. i once overheated my engine 3 times in 1 hr (construction zone on highway, no shoulder either side, could not stop to let it cool down, had to go to next exit) trying to get her home. i went WAY into the red, and it stayed there for about 10 minutes each time. leakdown, compression tests all great. head gaskets perfect, just needed a new thermostat.

would this be something that needs to get fixed right away? I wouldnt want to hurt the car.

NO several people run with leaky valve seals for extended periods of time with no ill effects. Just make sure to keep an eye on the oil level.

NO several people run with leaky valve seals for extended periods of time with no ill effects. Just make sure to keep an eye on the oil level.

ya, its fine. its basically a small oil leak, but you leak oil from the valve cover into the combustion chamber, and its burned off. so periodically check your oil level.

i would wait to change your Valve stem seals (aka VSS) until you change your timing belt next, b/c it will require you to remove the camshafts.