engine smoking

[dayle1960]

Hey guys, need some guidance!!!!!!

My wife's '98 grand voyager 3.0 6 cyl. 112k has started smoking when first starting up. It is blueish in color. After leaving the driveway the smoke stops. Wondering if I need a ring job.

Also would it be cheaper to do a ring job or just replace the engine?

Any idea of a ballpark figure for each fix?

Also it gets crappy gas mileage! In town about 20 mpg. We have not done anything major to the engine since we bought it 1999 with about 22k on the odometer. We do keep up on regular maintenance.

Any suggestions on how to improve mpg?

Thanks for any help....

[GTP Dad]

The blue smoke is probably due to oil leaking by the valve seals. This is common in older engines as the seals wear and should not be a real problem unless the vehicle starts to use a lot of oil. You might want to try some of the high mileage oils in your van. They are designed to condition seals and may stop your problem entirely. As far as doing a ring job you don't need one at this point. If you find you want to replace the engine purchase a low mileage one from a wrecking yard or purchase a remanufactured engine from a parts store or you can find several dealers that sell online. The cost of the oil is about $2 per quart and the reman. engine will be in the $1200 to $1500 range plus installation. About the same cost as having the current engine's rings replaced.
The gas mileage problem can probably be solved by changing the Oxygen Sensor. Costs about $50 to $75 depending on the model of sensor. This should cure the gas mileage problem. They should be changed about every 75 to 100K miles depending on the manufacturer.

[dlowings]

tighten the valve covers, it is a common problem.. same thing happened to me.