as my car ages, it smokes more and more on start up. now it smokes (blue) the first couple times i get on the gas, and leaves a small cloud when i leave my driveway. but once it warms up, it stops smoking. is there anything out there that will recondition the seals? ive only noticed the small cloud now that i went to a full synthetic oil, but it didnt do it with the previous oils (castrol gtx high mileage, quaker state peak performance). could it just be because its a full syn?

also, how hard is it to just replace the seals? do i have to take the entire head off to do it, or can it be done with the heads on and the valves pushed down into the cylinder?

 

Im wondering this as well, but my smoke is a white puff on start up after a sitting a few hours/days...

 

i picked up some no-smoke stuff from walmart that is supposed to renew the valve seals and restore compression. so far, it sounds queiter, but still no difference in the lil puff on start up.

 

ya i dont think its a big deal, just something that needs to be done eventually

 

Valve seals are not 'hard' to replace. You just need patience and the right tools. There is an article with step by steps in March 06 Camaro Performers Mag. I just replaced my seals last week in my 90 305TPI due to the same problem. All you have to do is remove the valve covers. It's all topside work, but you will need to remove the spark plugs and have the appropriate air source and tool hose to do this work.

 

If you do replace the seals and it doesnt solve the problem or it is a short term fix you will need to check out the valve guides they could be worn or the valve stems themselves could be out of spec.