Smoke :(((

[Mishha]

Hi, people!

It's my first topic here, sorry for poor English - it is not my native language.

I am the owner of 98’ model year 626 European version with 2.0 116 hp FS engine and 120 000 km (approx. 70 000 miles ) on the clock. And it seem to me that I have a problem with the engine. But it is kinda wierd. Oil consumption is miserable and no smoke from the pipe while driving or hard throttling. But! Almost every morning I see smoke right after engine start. It then goes away after 3-5 seconds. The color of smoke is gray-blue, no gas smell. Looks like typical oil smoke. Meanwhile the compression is fine in all cylinders. Smoke appears only after many hours of parking. What could it be??? Anyone have any ideas??? This thing really bother me, you know!

Thanks in advance,
Michael Gzovsky.

[bfieser]

I had this problem in an old Honda. The piston rings were worn, and over time did not seal against the flow of oil to the combustion side of the piston. The car would burn a lot of oil at startup, and then would stop after she warmed up and the rings expanded. The only fix was to pull the pistons and rework.

Sounds close, but the smoke for only 3-5 seconds is not consistent. Also 1998 is not very old -- this shouldn't be happening. I've had 2 626's and neither burnt a drop of oil for over 300,000 combined miles.

[korny351]

Oil smoking after startup is usually a sign of valve seal problems. After shutdown oil in the valve cover drains past the worn valve seals and rests in the cylinder until the next time you start the car. Then the oil is burned at startup causing a cloud of blue smoke that will last only a short time. Under normal driving conditions, smoking will not be noticeable because the amount of oil getting past the worn seals would be very small between combustion strokes. Only after sitting for an extended period will enough oil collect in the cylinder to cause smoking. This is why you won't notice any smoke after a short stop, say 20 or 30 minutes.

John