Engine: Smoke from exhaust

[Jimmie]

Bought nice looking GT Hawk but found that when it is first started it smokes a lot. It starts good and runs great and holds plenty of oil pressure all the time. I am wondering if there is a particular thing that causes it to smoke so much when it is first started. I see in the repair manual that there are some "things" that go around the valve stems that I suppose may help to keep oil from leaking into the cylinders. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[rkapteyn]

Choke not opening and "yes" on the valve seals.
Robert Kapteyn

[karterfred88]

Valve stem seals, clogged return holes in rear of cylinder heads. If it's mostly when first starting and goes away, most likely a new set of valve stem seals will cure it, as long as the guides themselves are not worn too much. Had a 74 Pinto ( I know, why?) that used a quart of oil every 400 miles, changed the valve stem seals and then used none! It's not a critical repair, but if not done you will have to change you're plugs more often. Do it when you need to adjust the valves and change the rocker cover gaskets. Takes patience and the right valve spring compressor to do them in the car, but is actually not a bad job--if you're careful and have a strongly magnetized tool to remove and hold the keepers from falling into the wrong area.

[Chucks Stude]

Drive it. Mine smoked like mosquito fogger, the more I drove it, and changed the oil , the better it got. Now, runs clear.

[Mike Van Veghten]

Funny thing, no one asks what color "smoke" you are seeing. I guess they "assume" the oil pressure comment is a lead, but not nesessarilly.
White = Exhaust system condensation
Black = Normally excessive fuel in the chambers
Blue = Normally excessive oil in the chambers

There is also kind of a combination of colors, which is more difficult to diagnose.

All of these options have nothing to do with "holding" oil pressure. Different system altogether.

Mike

[Jimmie]

Funny thing, no one asks what color "smoke" you are seeing. I guess they "assume" the oil pressure comment is a lead, but not nesessarilly.
White = Exhaust system condensation
Black = Normally excessive fuel in the chambers
Blue = Normally excessive oil in the chambers

There is also kind of a combination of colors, which is more difficult to diagnose.

All of these options have nothing to do with "holding" oil pressure. Different system altogether.

Mike

My reason for mentioning the oil pressure was to show that the engine apparently isn't totally worn out with bad bearings. Also, since it doesn't keep smoking after it is driven for a short time, this causes me to think that the rings are doing their job too. Thank you for your input. Jimmie

[doofus]

Hey jimmie, isolate the problem first. Have someone follow you in the offending hawk. If after a long coasting period you hit the gas and get a puff of blue smoke out back you have bad valve stem seals. Its a fiddly job that requires a few special tools, a single spring valve spring compressor from KD tools works good. If you get into this let us know and we'll help you through it Good Luck, Doofus