I have a 1994 Camaro with an LT1 engine and automatic trans. Some days when you start up the car, it will idle up higher than normal and blue smoke will come out the tail pipe. And when your at WOT it smokes blue badly. It runs fine, just smokes at start up and WOT. The engine has been rebuilt before. What could my problem be?

 

blue smoke indicates that oil is getting in the combustion chamber.You may have a head gasket leak or bad piston rings.

 

Is there any water/coolant in the oil? If so it's probably a head gasket issue. Otherwise I would be willing to bet that you're pushing oil past the rings. Sounds like when the motor was rebuilt it may not have had new rings put in, or they weren't seated correctly.

 

i was under the impression that when a head gasket goes, the smoke is white...i have no personal experience here since i've never blown a head gasket, but that was my understanding. blue is usually burning oil

 

yeah blue smoke means oil is getting burnt in the combustion chamber.White smoke means coolant is getting into the combustion chamber and being burnt.But there is no one sign of a head gasket leak.But SLVR is more than likely right, the piston rings may have not been installed correctly, they could have even been installed upside down, which will damage the cylinders.You shouldnt have this problem so soon on a rebuilt engine.

 

Thanks for the help. There isn't any oil mixing with the coolant. It has smoked white before, but now its just blue. A mechanic told me it could possibly be a worn valve guide or bad valve seal. Could a compression check help solve the problem or would visible inspection be the only way?

 

I had a nova with worn rings and blow by. Have you checked to see if the spark plugs are oil fouled or if there is oil in the air filter? Could also be the PCV valve?

Or how bout different spark plugs, hotter ones?

 

Off subject, but I also used to have a Nova haha. I live on a dirt road, so i check my air filter pretty often and I haven't noticed any oil on the filter. The spark plugs are fairly new, they were changed about 5000 miles ago and they are AC Delco Platinum spark plugs. I haven't checked the PCV valve though, so I guess i'll start by replacing it.

 

a compression check will tell you if a head gasket is bad, it even narrows it down to where the gasket is bad

 

Wished I had kept my Nova. It was a 1970 auto with a 327. Paid $800 for it but it needed too much engine work. (I was changing plugs once a month.) Sold it for $1200.