My 2000 Mazda Protege ES is starting to puff some blue smoke in the mornings when its chilly out.
I start it, it puffs blue smoke, and then after warming up it quits.
Car has 140k miles on it so I'm assuming its worn valve stem guides.
Curious what a valve stem guide replacement job would cost roughly? have any ideas?
You didn't say what the mileage is on your Protege. Does the oil level drop noticebly between oil changes?
My initial response is not to worry about a little blue smoke after start-up. It is normal for a little oil to seep past the guide seals when you shut the motor off.
The cost of replacing the seals will vary a lot depending on who does the work. The dealers tend to be the most expensive on engine repairs. An independent auto repair company that specializes in maintenance of Japanese vehicles will save you some money if you decide to go ahead with the repair.
Good luck..........
In my original message I said it had 140k miles.....
140,000 miles that is
Wells... its more than just a little smoke.....seems like a lot for a few minutes anyway
Unfortunately I'm in a small town....so it may be hard to find someone to do valve seal job...but will check around
I'm unemployed at the moment so money IS an issue! But this car is my only transportation so MUST get more life out of it! Would like to get 200k from it at least
The question becomes "is it worth spending big money on such a repair or better to get rid of it and upgrade"?
It's not unlikely if taken care of.
Neither, it's not a major problem.
Check your oil regularly, if you're losing a quart every 500 miles or less you have a problem (that's if there are no leaks) and if you're using less than that you're fine, try not to worry about it. Worry about the National League West title instead, that's what I'm worrying about.... ;-)
so don't worry abt the small amount of oil burned first thing in the morning then?
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