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    #1

    car's burning quite a bit of oil

    Two issues I'd like to ask advice on:

    My '88 Townie never leaked or burnt a single ounce of oil (as far as I know, and I was running synthetic too) back in the days before the accident, but I noticed today that my exhaust is a distinctly blue color. My car was two quarts low on oil a couple days ago, and it's only been driven for a week.

    It sat without being started for probably at least eight months, and after that it didn't get driven more than a quarter of a mile (the length of my road) at any given time. I know that the valve covers leak quite a bit because the old cork gaskets have shrunk from sitting so long, but I don't know why my engine would actually be burning oil. As far as I know the only things that really cause oil burning is bad valve seals or bad piston rings, and this car only has 107,000 on it so it'd damn well not be piston rings.

    Is it possible the valve seals have gone catastrophically bad from sitting?



    My transmission has been acting really retarded lately. I got it rebuilt at 96,000 miles after a bad rear seal caused all the fluid to leak out and the transmission burned itself up. I've noticed that usually around 50 mph when I go to climb a hill the car will stutter and shake like it doesn't know what gear to go into. Usually (not always) if I take my foot off the pedal and then re-apply it, or if I floor it, it'll downshift and make the shuddering stop. The tranny was slightly (less than a quart) low on fluid, but I attibute that to the fluid that I lost when I changed the radiator, as I have the non-HD tranny cooler that's just built into the radiator.

    Any ideas?
    Last edited by CheeseSteakJim; 12-07-2007, 07:00 PM.
    Tags: None
    #2
    so you got a oil change right before you started driving it again?

    you gotta thoroughly clean the motor and make absolutely sure its not leaking.. also remember you have to check it on a level surface. look at the exhaust when its running, does it smoke alot? does it smell like oil? take a friend with you and have him look out the back window or stand outside while you floor it, does it blow a big cloud of smoke?

    I dont think the seals would go bad in just 8 months of sitting but just a word of advice, always periodically start a car when its not being used.
    Give a man a fish and he will be fed for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will promptly forget that he once did not know, and proceed to call anyone who asks, a n00b and flame them on the boards for being stupid.

    Comment

      #3
      .

      More than likely what happened is the cylinder walls rusted while sitting and the cylinders are now pitted. The oil rings could be stuck, or the valve stem seals dried up and are allowing the oil to be sucked in.
      Builder/Owner of Badass Panther Wagons

      Busy maintaining a fleet of Fords

      Comment

        #4
        my Grand Marquis smoked pretty good out of the exhaust after i first got it from sitting for so long. took it on a few drives here and there at different speeds and it cleared itself out. i would get the engine cleaned up and check for leaks. if the VC gaskets are bad i would go with the blue perma-dry Fel-Pro gaskets instead of the cork. i would also try to run some kind of oil conditioner in the engine. could be the valve seals might have gone bad. i would try some Restore in the engine if you have a chance.
        Addicted to 86-87 Panthers

        Comment

          #5
          Originally posted by cld783 View Post
          I dont think the seals would go bad in just 8 months of sitting but just a word of advice, always periodically start a car when its not being used.
          I would've started it in that period of time had it been possible. Boot camp hindered that, plus the fact that it being in running condition was prevented by being hit head on by a pickup truck doing twenty over.

          Originally posted by mrltd
          More than likely what happened is the cylinder walls rusted while sitting and the cylinders are now pitted. The oil rings could be stuck, or the valve stem seals dried up and are allowing the oil to be sucked in.
          And the only way to fix the pitted cylinder walls would be to pull the motor and get it honed, right? Ugh...

          I can only hope it's as minor an issue as dried up valve seals. I'm planning on swapping out those heads anyway.

          Comment

            #6
            I'd say a mix of valve seals and rust on the walls is your blue smoke. Some might go away after you start running it, but if the walls got rusty and beat up the oil control rings, expect a neat blue cloud if you get on it.


            For the trans, give it more pressure. If its not downshifting out of overdrive at 50 when you're going up a hill, and/or requires full throttle to downshift, its not high enough. When the pressure is low, they will buck and jerk like that. Also, fluid level is real important with the AOD. Make sure its full. All else failing, manually put it into D when hill climbing.
            86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
            5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

            91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

            1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

            Originally posted by phayzer5
            I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

            Everything looks like voodoo if you don't understand how it works

            Comment

              #7
              Originally posted by gadget73 View Post
              I'd say a mix of valve seals and rust on the walls is your blue smoke. Some might go away after you start running it, but if the walls got rusty and beat up the oil control rings, expect a neat blue cloud if you get on it.
              It's been daily driven 40 miles a day for the past week. I really began noticing the blue a lot when it was idling at the gas station last night... I'm not saying it wasn't happening before then (or that it doesn't happen when I get on it) though because I'm slightly color blind and it might've taken me slightly longer to notice it.

              For the trans, give it more pressure. If its not downshifting out of overdrive at 50 when you're going up a hill, and/or requires full throttle to downshift, its not high enough. When the pressure is low, they will buck and jerk like that. Also, fluid level is real important with the AOD. Make sure its full. All else failing, manually put it into D when hill climbing.
              Last I checked it was on the lower part of the crosshatching on the dipstick. I suppose it could benefit from some more, maybe up to the top of the crosshatching? Maybe some of that Lucas stuff?

              How do I adjust the pressure? With that TV bushing thing? How do I know when enough adjustment is enough?

              Comment

                #8
                don't believe the dipstick......change the oil and filter, all 5 quarts, wherever it is on the stick that is full......my vic wagon's full mark is a quart over......it will burn that quart fairly quickly and stink

                1986 lincoln towncar signature series. 5.0 HO with thumper performance ported e7 heads, 1.7 roller rockers, warm air intake, 65mm throttle body, 1/2" intake spacer, ported intakes, 3.73 rear with trac lock, 98-02 front brake conversion, 92-97 rear disc conversion, 1" rear swaybar, 1 3/16" front swaybar, 16" wheels and tires, loud ass stereo system, badass cb, best time to date 15.94 at 87 mph. lots of mods in the works 221.8 rwhp 278 rwt
                2006 Lincoln Town Car Signature. Stock for now
                1989 Ford F-250 4x4 much much more to come, sefi converted so far.
                1986 Toyota pickup with LSC wheels and 225/60/16 tires.
                2008 Hyundai Elantra future Revcon toad
                1987 TriBurner and 1986 Alaska stokers keeping me warm. (and some pesky oil heat)

                please be patient, rebuilding an empire!

                Comment

                  #9
                  Originally posted by CheeseSteakJim View Post
                  I

                  Last I checked it was on the lower part of the crosshatching on the dipstick. I suppose it could benefit from some more, maybe up to the top of the crosshatching? Maybe some of that Lucas stuff?

                  How do I adjust the pressure? With that TV bushing thing? How do I know when enough adjustment is enough?
                  Add fluid to the full mark, top of the crosshatch.

                  There's a sticky at the top of the forum on how to adjust the TV pressure, but yeah you pull the cable out of the bushing, and there is a lock tab and stuff.
                  86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                  5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                  91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                  1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                  Originally posted by phayzer5
                  I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                  Everything looks like voodoo if you don't understand how it works

                  Comment

                    #10
                    Originally posted by lincolnmania View Post
                    don't believe the dipstick......change the oil and filter, all 5 quarts, wherever it is on the stick that is full......my vic wagon's full mark is a quart over......it will burn that quart fairly quickly and stink
                    I was talking about the transmission dipstick... I already know my dipstick isn't accurate.
                    Last edited by CheeseSteakJim; 12-08-2007, 06:46 PM.

                    Comment

                      #11
                      I've heard alot of good things about the Lucas tranny treatment. Maybe add some after your filter change (like a quart of Lucas in leiu of a quart of regular transmission fluid, though I am certainly not the person to ask.)
                      Back in the saddle again!

                      2004 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor in Unimaginative Bureaucratic Brown
                      Bone stock... for now.

                      Comment

                        #12
                        keep running it for a while.......my vic wagon oil consumption went from qt every 100 miles to a quart every 400 or so (car was parked almost a yr)

                        1986 lincoln towncar signature series. 5.0 HO with thumper performance ported e7 heads, 1.7 roller rockers, warm air intake, 65mm throttle body, 1/2" intake spacer, ported intakes, 3.73 rear with trac lock, 98-02 front brake conversion, 92-97 rear disc conversion, 1" rear swaybar, 1 3/16" front swaybar, 16" wheels and tires, loud ass stereo system, badass cb, best time to date 15.94 at 87 mph. lots of mods in the works 221.8 rwhp 278 rwt
                        2006 Lincoln Town Car Signature. Stock for now
                        1989 Ford F-250 4x4 much much more to come, sefi converted so far.
                        1986 Toyota pickup with LSC wheels and 225/60/16 tires.
                        2008 Hyundai Elantra future Revcon toad
                        1987 TriBurner and 1986 Alaska stokers keeping me warm. (and some pesky oil heat)

                        please be patient, rebuilding an empire!

                        Comment

                          #13
                          I've put more than 300 miles on it since I started driving it two weeks ago... should that be enough to get things back into shape again? As back into shape as they're going to get, I mean.

                          I'm changing the motor oil tonight and I'm going to mark the dipstick so I never have this mystery of a correct oil level again.

                          Comment

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