94 corolla with blue smoke

[ntjacks23]

Hi I have a 1994 toyota corolla dx 1.6l that I just bought as a first car. looked at everything and its all good except i just changed the oil and filter putting 2.6 quarts/ 3 liters in the engine and it is putting out blue smoke and an excessive amount liquid out of the tail pipe when I rev the engine about half way? Not sure of the cause but I dont think it was doing it on the way home from getting it... anyways ive been just starting it up and messing around with it because its not on the road yet so I was wondering maybe that could be a problem starting it and shutting it off within only maybe a minute or two. so maybe it just needs a good run down the road to clean it up?

[quick69gto]

Take it for a 15 minute ride then go home and test it again.
If it stopped, then I'd bet what you were seeing was first start up condensation coming out the tail pipe.
If the car exhibits the same smoking behavior after the 15 minute ride, then the piston rings are done. Time for a rebuild.
Be aware that a Corolla that old (and depending on mileage) may puff a little smoke out the tail pipe when you first start the car for the day. The oil seals for the valves could be old and allowing oil to get into the combustion chamber as the car sits over night.
When you start the car up first thing, it will burn the oil in the combustion chamber for a few minutes. It can also happen through out the day after the car is shut of for a little while.
Of course the only way to fix that is to install new oil seals on the valves.

Hopefully it's just condensation.

[ntjacks23]

i will try that and let you know when i get it on the road

[Monkeytech]

Originally Posted by ntjacks23

Hi I have a 1994 toyota corolla dx 1.6l that I just bought as a first car. looked at everything and its all good except i just changed the oil and filter putting 2.6 quarts/ 3 liters in the engine and it is putting out blue smoke and an excessive amount liquid out of the tail pipe when I rev the engine about half way? Not sure of the cause but I dont think it was doing it on the way home from getting it... anyways ive been just starting it up and messing around with it because its not on the road yet so I was wondering maybe that could be a problem starting it and shutting it off within only maybe a minute or two. so maybe it just needs a good run down the road to clean it up?

Remember this tip
This is common terms of piston rings are done for or gasket problem

White = Anti-freeze
Blue = Oil

I think there is one more i just can't remember.

[jdmccright]

What's the mileage on it? That info can help sometimes, especially when engine wear is a possible answer.

With blue smoke you've got oil getting by either the piston rings or the valve stem seals. Not unheard of for high-mileage cars...I'm guessing upwards of 200k miles. The former requires an engine rebuild while the latter can be fixed with new stem seals. But if a rebuild is done, the seals are replaced too along with alot of other items.

I hate to suggest it but I think the previous owner put some oil treatment and/or used a heavier weight oil in the engine before selling it to hide the smoking problem. This would increase the viscosity and cause it to flow slower, keeping it from seeping past the seals and rings as quickly thus minimizing the smoke.

If you have the old oil still you might try a poor man's viscosity test by putting the same amount of the old and new oil on piece of card board and tilt it to see it run. If it runs slower than the new stuff, you can bet it wasn't the right weight. Old oil should be slightly thinner due to it breaking down from use. I would also be suspect if the old oil looked abnormally clean, meaning it has been recently changed or has been topped off frequently due to excessive oil consumption.

Hope this helps!

[quick69gto]

Originally Posted by Monkeytech

Remember this tip
This is common terms of piston rings are done for or gasket problem

White = Anti-freeze
Blue = Oil

I think there is one more i just can't remember.

You're thinking of "black smoke" (too rich or too much fuel).

[Monkeytech]

Yeah I knew it was something like that Im going to college for automotive i ready took my engines and electrc and also brakes now im at steering ans suspension so sorry if im a bit off