[krashe1313]

So my wife was driving home from work and the car started acting off, like the occasional stutter. I figure spark plugs, but I'm at work.

She stops by the bank on the way home, starts the car back up and it's blowing smoke and doesn't really want to run right. So i go meet her - it's oil she's burning. So we slowly make our way home.

Pull the plugs and they're oily and toast (about time to change them anyway.) The ignition coils had oil on them too.

I pulled the valve cover and replaced the spark plug tube seals and valve cover gasket. Put in new plugs and new air filter since I had the baffle off. Also changed the oil, because it was time and added a some Lucas stop leak for extra measure.

Took it for a drive, burned off what ever oil was still around. No more smoke or stuttering. Let it sit all night and day and take it for a drive the next day after work. All good.

Today, drive it to my job. 20 minutes, mostly interstate. About 70-75 top speed. All good.

Leave work, it's about 98 out. Does a little stutter, but ran fine. Made a stop on the way home, get in the car. Smell burning oil and the car stutters a bit, but get home fine.

Little burning oil smell, but no visible smoke. Can't figure out where, or if it's leaking. Or, worse, it's not leaking and oil is still getting into the cylinder and being passed through the exhaust.

The car has over 175k miles on it. Ran a code reader. No engine light, but ran it anyway. Nothing.

Any thoughts of what to check because taking it to a garage?

 

[smark]

High mileage car, maybe a blown head gasket! Worn out piston rings. Valve Guide seals shot. Might want to do a compression test.

 

[krashe1313]

Yeah, that's what I'm fearing.

Other concern was the pcv being faulty, but from what I understand, you need to practically have to tear apart the engine to get to that. However, the visible smoking and blowing large amounts of smoke stopped after replacing the valve cover gasket and spark plug tube seals. So it might not be that... maybe.

 

[jmartinsmart]

This was almost exactly the story at the end of my 2008 451. Valve cover leaks, spark plug tube leaks, oil everywhere. I had 189,000 miles on mine at the end, it served me well.

The only difference is I simply sold mine as is, with full disclosure to the new buyer, and moved on to a 2016 453 and never looked back, it's twice the car.

Jim

 

[krashe1313]

That maybe end up being the case, but I'm going to try first. If it gets to be the case where the repairs outweigh the car's worth + security or reliability (my wife goes into work at 4am, 20 minutes away. Can't have her breaking down), I'll consider other options.

Now, in potential good news, i found that a tiny portion of the new gasket i installed on the valve cover slipped leaving a small gap. FML that i gotta take the valve cover off, but that could solve the problem.

I replaced the coils too. Have to put more miles on it tomorrow, but hope that, with the new plugs, rectifies the misfiring.

Since I gotta take the valve cover off, anything else I should look for while I'm that deep into things?

Also, what is this part? #450

https://www.smartcarofamerica.com/attachments/smart-air-jpg.6506/

Trying to find a complete parts diagram. Just finding pictures. A list to go with them would be nice.

 

[vadsoom]

That’s the secondary air “smog” pump.

 

[krashe1313]

Thank you kindly. Appreciate it.

 

[smark]

Have you done a compression test yet? You got 175K mile on the clock

 

[krashe1313]

Not yet. Between work and my folks visiting i haven't had much time to do anything but the coils.