why does my car only smoke when it gets colder out?

[import racer]

every time it gets colder out my car smokes when i start it up.anybody else have this problem.

[ghettogeddy]

every time it gets colder out my car smokes when i start it up.anybody else have this problem.

why does your mouth smoke when u let air out when its really cold
heat and cold = steam

[Civic Accord Honda]

why does your mouth smoke when u let air out when its really cold
heat and cold = steam :werd:

[BITESIZE]

Your valve seals are bad.

[forrest89sei]

Valve Seals

My LX Does that when it gets below 60F

[MessyHonda]

i cant say my car does that but in the cold most of the car smoke

[w261w261]

Just to clarify, are you talking about blue smoke, or white "smoke?" If it's blue, then it's probably the valve guides wearing. When the car is stopped, they let oil from the top end of the engine leak down the valve stems into the combustion chambers. This is burned off when you first start the car, and, depending on how much wear there is, can produce quite a cloud. It gets worse when it gets cold, as the engine loosens up as the metal contracts. When the car warms up, it stops, eventually. Until the seals get really worn, and then you'll be embarrassed to drive it.

If the cloud is white on startup on cold days, it's just the water vapor in the exhaust condensing. It should go away as the engine warms (depending on the outside temp). If you're in MN or WI or one of those frigid places, there's lots of white exhaust fog when the temp in down to zero or so.

[import racer]

it's blue smoke kinda thought it was the valve seals but wasn't sure.

[g.frost]

Bad valve seals causing blue smoke on startup? I have a suggestion before you pull the head for a valve job: Next oil change (sooner rather than later!) add a quart or 2 of Redline Synthetic oil (or if you really want to splurge, do all 4 quarts) Mind you, not just any synthetic oil will work: it has to be a group V POA synthetic as in Redline. If your seals aren't too far gone this will recondition them and could stop the problem completely!
I switched to group V synthetic 4 years ago when I started getting that tell-tale cloud of blue smoke on a cold start. Since switching to synthetic I have NEVER seen it since! Give it a try, I would like to hear if this works for anyone else. (yeah, I know, who ever heard of a synthetic Stopping an oil leak!)

[2oodoor]

mine would do that before I reconditioned the entire PVC system, that plastic housing the pvc valve is in was cracked . I cut out the cracked part and epoxyed the end, then I used a mopar 318 V8 heater by pass hose to bring the whole works up where it is easier to keep an eye on.
Only when it was cold....
I use Castrol GTX too, that helps a lot with the blow by

[lostforawhile]

it's blue smoke kinda thought it was the valve seals but wasn't sure.it's probably valve stem seals, when it gets colder the tolerances between the valve and the guide get larger,this makes it more noticeable. also the stem seals take a set and harden from heat, especially the exaust ones, when it's cold they lose even more flexibility making it eaisier for oil to seep past them. they can be replaced without the head being removed,it's pretty easy. mine was smoking horrible and half of my exaust seals has cracked and were just gone, replacing them fixed the problem. just remember if you do it yourself, don't mix up the intake and exaust seals. one neat trick,if you don't have compressed air, take a length of nylon rope, remove the spark plug of the cyl you are working on, bring the cyl near top dead center, now feed some of that rope into the cyl, and carefully bring the cyl towards tdc, until you feel some resistance. this will hold up the valve, and won't hurt anything. reverse the process to remove the rope after you are done. make sure you leave an end hanging out of course.

[2oodoor]

My DX does this, like I already said but to add to the topic, since I installed the 38 weber on it, not nearly as bad.. no clouds of smoke at all. Yet I know it was valve seals, still is, just the oem carb must wash a bunch of it out at once.

[lostforawhile]

Bad valve seals causing blue smoke on startup? I have a suggestion before you pull the head for a valve job: Next oil change (sooner rather than later!) add a quart or 2 of Redline Synthetic oil (or if you really want to splurge, do all 4 quarts) Mind you, not just any synthetic oil will work: it has to be a group V POA synthetic as in Redline. If your seals aren't too far gone this will recondition them and could stop the problem completely!
I switched to group V synthetic 4 years ago when I started getting that tell-tale cloud of blue smoke on a cold start. Since switching to synthetic I have NEVER seen it since! Give it a try, I would like to hear if this works for anyone else. (yeah, I know, who ever heard of a synthetic Stopping an oil leak!)you don't have to pull the head to replace seals, it's an easy job, I can almost guarantee if they are original,they are gone, when you actually start removing the seals,they often will come apart or be almost missing. they are just rubber seals and are subject to a lot of heat and wear. I wish I had taken a picture of my exaust seals,they had turned into charcol. also if your valve guides are worn,they can be knurled,this puts a cross hatch patten on the inside of the guide, a lot of new guys in machine shops have forgotten about this, and will try to sell you on replacing the guides, find an older shop with older experienced machinists, knurling is an excellent way to recondition valve guides,and it produces excellent oil control. If I was reconditioning a head I would do this from the start vs. new guides.

[Civic Accord Honda]

it's probably valve stem seals, when it gets colder the tolerances between the valve and the guide get larger,this makes it more noticeable. also the stem seals take a set and harden from heat, especially the exaust ones, when it's cold they lose even more flexibility making it eaisier for oil to seep past them. they can be replaced without the head being removed,it's pretty easy. mine was smoking horrible and half of my exaust seals has cracked and were just gone, replacing them fixed the problem. just remember if you do it yourself, don't mix up the intake and exaust seals. one neat trick,if you don't have compressed air, take a length of nylon rope, remove the spark plug of the cyl you are working on, bring the cyl near top dead center, now feed some of that rope into the cyl, and carefully bring the cyl towards tdc, until you feel some resistance. this will hold up the valve, and won't hurt anything. reverse the process to remove the rope after you are done. make sure you leave an end hanging out of course.

wow cool sweet trick! ima have to try that on next 3rd gen as im sure it will need them replaced

[lostforawhile]

thats an old time trick.