Smokin' K

[Gridgway]

My 40k miles supersport is a bit smoky on startup. It puffs a little blue smoke. Of course I can't see what happens when driving. It has had a skimmed head job and a bottom end job (both before my tenure). Not sure if the head job included new valve guides.

 

Is it likely to be valve guides or bores/rings? Any ways of checking? As it's the start of the season and the car is back together after its suspension rebuild I don't really want to do anything till next winter. I assume it'll hold up till then doing a couple of thou miles and a track day or 4?

 

Tks

Graham

[Paul Ranson]

The way I see it is that if the oil pressure remains good then burning a little is unlikely to be worth worrying about, unless it's an indication of reduced compression, so you're losing performance but it's still unlikely to go bang.

 

Paul

[Jason Plato]

Valve guide wear usually produces blues smoke on start up .

 

Do a compression test and record the data , then monitor every 6 months for a deteriation .

 

Dave

 

Lotus 7 Club Speed Champion 2003

South Wales Area Organiser

C7 TOP

[stevefoster]

That's not bad mileage for this to start happening, over double an XF .

I would think a K could keep going smoking for a fair while before action is needed.

It's when it smokes a lot with your foot down you have to do something about it.

Does the K have valve oil seals?

Let us know the progress as the miles mount up.

Jason B's bottom end failed before the top or cyls were a problem.

 

 

Hants (North) and Berkshire Area club site here

My racing info site

here

 

 

 

[Gridgway]

the bottom end has already failed and been done as has the head gasket, so that should be ok for a while.

 

How do you erm do a compression test?

 

Graham

[SLR No.77]

With a compression tester - nothing fancy for what you're looking for - Halfords do an inexpensive one.

 

K does have valve stem oil seals. Agree with Dave that it's most likely to be valve guide/seal wear - a very small amount of oil can run down into the bores whilst stopped - hence the blue smoke at start-up. Unless a compression test shows anything else, it's probably best left alone until you have time to do a refurbishment on the head.

 

Stu.

[Peter Carmichael]

Graham,

 

I would contact the engine builder and complain bitterly...

[Gridgway]

nah that's ok, I have already sold the engine builder's car plus tools and bits. I even managed to shift some ex-250bhp-k-series-bits to the Michel Delving Mathom-House.

 

Graham

 

PS how much do you charge to fit a DVA head and TB's kit then?

[Peter Carmichael]

Normal workshop rates with a 15% mate's rate discount with a Chinese on Saturday thrown in, if that's ok with you...

[Mark Piper]

😬

[Gridgway]

well the chinese on saturdays is a given! I guess I'll have to give in and let you have your car back when you have finished enjoying yourself in JF land!

 

Graham