Did Seafoam Fubar my Engine? Still smoking after about 500 miles....

[driftin8ez]

Car: 92 Nissan 240sx 5spd. All stock except for k&n drop-in & msd 6AL.

Ok so i just got my new 240 and i decided to do the whole seafoam thing to restore my engine and maybe get a little power back. So i poured half bottle in the oil, half bottle through the break booster line, and a whole bottle in the gas tank which was about half way full. I changed my oil after i drove around for about 5-10 miles. Now 500 miles later a puff of blue tinted smoke is still present. Only happens when i sit at a stop light for a while and then blip the throttle to get going again. Also there is no smoke if i get on it to redline. Only happens when i let the car idle for a minute or so. Also car has only 140k and was just recently converted to manual so the engine should be relativly healthy. At first i thought that maybe some seafoam with still burning off in the cats but could it takes this long to burn off? Did the seafoam fubar my engine. Also i changed the oil with 10w-30. Could that be too light weight and causing me to burn oil? Would using thicker weight oil or some additive solve the problem? The engine sounds healthy and pulls pretty good.

[rogoman]

The valve stem seals are most likely worn.

Stay away from using aftermarket additives in the oil; you could do more harm then good. Good quality motor oils already have many additives.

Stay with the 10W-30 motor oil. Heavier oils are only beneficial if the motor is very loose or if you're racing in a hot climate.

[driftin8ez]

so is there anything i can do to badage the problem until i get it fixed?

[driftin8ez]

I think i may have found the problem. My valve cover gasket is leaking oil into the spark plug holes. On top of that the spark plugs weren't all that tight either. So is it at all possible this pool of oil has been leaking in through the spark plugs cousing me burn a small amount of oil here and there.

[rogoman]

So is it at all possible this pool of oil has been leaking in through the spark plugs cousing me burn a small amount of oil here and there.

It's unlikely but all you have to do is tighten the plugs and see if your problem goes away.

[driftin8ez]

It's unlikely but all you have to do is tighten the plugs and see if your problem goes away.

Yep it's still the same. What are we looking at cost wise for a valve seat job? Is it a diy or best left for a mechanic?

[rogoman]

First of all, it's a valve stem seal replacement job, not a valve seat job; big difference between the two.

It's a major job because the cams have to be removed to gain access to the valve spring assemblies; then you need to use a valve spring compressor to remove the springs in order to get to the seals.

[babowc]

my car does the same thing..burns oil at start from sitting at a stop..valve seals, thats what i was told anyways.

also, mine did smoke alot more when i did seafoam my crank.but then the mass smoke subsided and my normal smoke came back.

poo

[driftin8ez]

First of all, it's a valve stem seal replacement job, not a valve seat job; big difference between the two.

It's a major job because the cams have to be removed to gain access to the valve spring assemblies; then you need to use a valve spring compressor to remove the springs in order to get to the seals.

Thats what i ment to say. Must of been a slip of the finger. seal seat. Well this really sucks. i could probably find anouther dual cam for cheaper than what a mechanic would charge for the job. Also i could just swap the motor my self in a day or two. So how long does my motor have? Like is it going to blow any second?

my car does the same thing..

[babowc]

i dont think its gonna blow anytime soon as long as you keep your eyes on the oil level.

[driftin8ez]

ya it just sucks becouse i paid a bit more money for the car becouse it only had 140k and i figured the engine would be fine for at least anouther 60k if not more. Now i have this embarrassing cloud of smoke after i talk to a hot chick at a stop light.

[babowc]

lol.to get the smoke to come out reaaal slowly..just get on the throttle VERY lightly.

[driftin8ez]

Ya true. Ever try any additives like lucas or that high mileage oil to see if it makes a diff. How long has your been doing this?

[babowc]

since i bought it.lol i bought it like this..i'll probably turbo this motor and if it blows.. ill just get a new block.

[driftin8ez]

oh ok.. LoL

[driftin8ez]

I was looking through my old posts seeing if there were any updates to them and i have all but forgotten abut this post. The reason being is that a few days after my last post all the smoking cleared up. I can now let it idle for 20 minutes come back and rev it an get not even a little smoke. What also should have told me something was the whole time my valve stem seals where "leaking" i never lost any oil from the pan. So ya im happy now that my motor is healthy again.

[babowc]

what do you mean :"leaking"?if its leaking.. leaking into cylinders?= smoke?

im confused

[driftin8ez]

By putting Leaking in quotes i ment that it really wasn't leaking and something else was a foot. Such as the whole bottle of seafoam i poured in my 1/8 filled gas tank. When it supposed to be 1/3 can of seafoam to a full tank.

[tinaslynn]

Had a similar problem with my stanza... puff o smoke coming off a redlight.. yea embarrasing.. i dealt with it for over a year till i finally got the valve seals replaced.. cost me about $200 to have it done by a mechanic.. not something to tackle on your own unless you have the right tools... nothing major, and I didnt lose any oil either really.. not like its a huge leak, more annoying than anything... just tell the hot chick in the car next to you that you got a nitro system under the hood, thats why it smokes like that.. most women will never even know (or have a clue what you are talking about)... unless it's me in the car next to you.. then I'll wanna race u just cuz...hehe good luck!Tina