Burns oil when cold

[WOTDSM]

My 1G just started burning oil all of a sudden on Xmas morning.

It only does it in the morning after sitting overnight and maybe ever so slightly at idle (never enough to smoke, but enough to have that sweetish smell). I've always had a slight smell at idle but it's never burnt oil like it just started doing.

Is this valve stem seals? Is there a way to definitively tell if the seals are bad? E.g.- would I be able to notice a bad seal when taking the valve cover off?

Thanks guys.

 

[91tsi_awd]

My 1G just started burning oil all of a sudden on Xmas morning.

It only does it in the morning after sitting overnight and maybe ever so slightly at idle (never enough to smoke, but enough to have that sweetish smell). I've always had a slight smell at idle but it's never burnt oil like it just started doing.

Is this valve stem seals? Is there a way to definitively tell if the seals are bad? E.g.- would I be able to notice a bad seal when taking the valve cover off?

Thanks guys.

Sweetish smell??? you sure you don't have a coolant leak??

 

[DSM1G90]

'92 on an original motor has to have some mileage on it.

Could be valve stem seals.

No, can't tell with the rocker cover off, but take the spark plugs out before the first start of the day and look at the tops of the pistons. Wet looking, valve stem leakage, dry and it's normal.

Sweet smell, would be coolant burning off .. oil milky looking? Hope you don't have a HG that took a real light crack causing coolant to be burned .... done any crazy WOTS or similar ?

 

[WOTDSM]

The motor has 170 compression across the board. It's only got 65k miles on it. It's not a coolant like burning smell. My old 240sx had a blown head gasket and it doesn't smell like that did.

Thanks for the replies guys. I'll pop the plugs out and check the pistons out n

 

[WOTDSM]

I am pushing 21 lbs out the 20g.

Bone stock motor internals. That shouldn't be enough to blow a HG, right?

 

[WES_393]

I am pushing 21 lbs out the 20g.

Bone stock motor internals. That shouldn't be enough to blow a HG, right?

It depends on the tune. You could blow a head gasket at 15psi on the stock turbo, or make 400hp without any problems. But with a good tune, your head gasket should hold whatever the 20g can throw at it.

 

[Wildside22]

I had the same issue on my 92 gsx when I first got her. It was the valve stem seals. Check the piston tops and if you cant see anything get some white nylon rope and feed it down threw the spark plug hole, push alot of rope into the hole and then pull it back out, the rope will show the oil that you cant see with the naked eye.

Changing the seals is a very easy straight forward task once you get to them.

 

[WOTDSM]

I had the same issue on my 92 gsx when I first got her. It was the valve stem seals. Check the piston tops and if you cant see anything get some white nylon rope and feed it down threw the spark plug hole, push alot of rope into the hole and then pull it back out, the rope will show the oil that you cant see with the naked eye.

Changing the seals is a very easy straight forward task once you get to them.

And the rope can be used for preventing the valves from falling in the cylinders! w00t!

Now with regards to changing the seals, is there a specific spring compressor I should use? I don't really want to drop $80 on that ebay compressor made for the 4g63. Would the autozone one or the harbor freight one suffice? I'd prefer to use the AZ one because I can just do the rent-a-tool program.

 

[izzieDSMER]

Leaking turbine shaft seal?

Look at you're spark plugs they can tell you if you're leaking oil internally. Also, sweet smell is related to head gasket so it's time for a leak down test. Compression test won't tell you if you got a leak but leak down test will.

Old brittle valve stem seals leak but don't leave a sweet smell.

 

[dsmcurse]

best valve spring remover tool in the world is a blue point model. i have one in my toolbox. id picture post it but its late and im lazy

 

[thomcasey]

best valve spring remover tool in the world is a blue point model. i have one in my toolbox. id picture post it but its late and im lazy

Blue-Point GA317. Awesome valve spring compressor.

 

[WOTDSM]

Leaking turbine shaft seal?

Look at you're spark plugs they can tell you if you're leaking oil internally. Also, sweet smell is related to head gasket so it's time for a leak down test. Compression test won't tell you if you got a leak but leak down test will.

Old brittle valve stem seals leak but don't leave a sweet smell.

Funny that you say this becuase when I switched to E85 I had to regap my plugs. I pulled one out and it had oil on the electrode. I think we found our culprit.

I honestly think the sweet smell I am getting is just fuel. The car has zero symptoms of a blown head gasket. And compression is still good all around and has acceptable levels of leak down.

Ordering the GA317 now. Thanks for the input guys.

 

[DSM1G90]

sweet smell I am getting is just fuel

Good ol' ethanol. I get behind a big, gas guzzling SUV running E-85 and you can smell that thing for quite the distances...gastly sweet smelling due to the corn alcohol that thing is burning ...

Hope you changed out your fuel lines and filter, flushed out the gas tank for E-85 usage ... alcohol is pretty corrosive stuff for us older vehicles..

-DSM

 

[9secSLC]

Definitely could be the turbo seal.

 

[WOTDSM]

Yeah I changed the fuel lines. -6an feed and return.

Definitely not the turbo. Turbo has an acceptable amount of shaft play. Doesn't smoke under boost. And it has less than 10k miles.

 

[WOTDSM]

Pulled my intercooler piping this morning and found it was full of oil. Looks like I need to send my turbo to Justin for a rebuild.

 

[REVELATION_34]

turbo seal and if it only smokes when cold the seals could be letting by oil ### when metal is cold it shrinks and expands when hot idk just a thought all the seals are is like a piston ring

 

[WOTDSM]

The issue ended up being a kinked return line, allowing oil to leak past the seal.

Spoke to Justin, he stated that replacing the line should fix the problem without a rebuild. Switched to the tried and true Extremepsi -10an SS braided line and immediately noticed that there was no more burning oil.

Marked as resolved!