Exhaust Smoke

I have a 1990 Honda Accord Ex, It's just about to hit the 200,000 mile mark. I'm starting to have blue smoke coming out of the exhaust when I kick up the rpms to about 4500 or higher. Has anybody had this problem before? What would take to fix it? Somebody has mentioned it could be the piston rings but I haven't lost any power.

blue smoke is never good..

are you leaking any oil????
out of the valve cover or the oil pan??

if oil leaks on the exhaust it can make the blue but seeing how you say its when you hit a higher rpm...its probably the rings ...


do a compression test on it to see if that the case....when doing the test and it seems like one cylinder is really low...put a bunch of clean oil down the spark plug hole and do the test on that cylinder again...

if the compression is now higher..its the rings

Thanks for the advice. I'll check it out tomorrow when I get the chance. The only oil I do leak is from the valve cover but that's just a little bolt problem that I can see. But before I had that leak it seemed to consume a lot of oil. My friend that is taking automotive classes says it might be just the valves. I just don't want to have to take it in to do a rebuild because that cost as much as an H22A to put in there instead. Thanks again.

the best thing to do is fix the leak....

do a compression test...and a leak down test....
if you can get the tools to do so that is..
then you can tell what is wrong better...

otherwise drive it and just keep the oil up...or try running a little thicker oil...like 10w 40.....and add a oil addiditive that "repairs damged engines" (not sure if any actually work)

by adding a heavier oil itll slow down the oil consumption

after you put the oil in the cylinder, how do you plan on taking it back out? if it doesnt get taken out, then if there wasnt a big problem with it before, there will be one after the test is run, or the car is started. i hate to burst your bubble, but oil doesnt compress like air does. i would skip the oil part of the test if it were me, and just make do with the results i got from my compression test. sounds like rings, or at the worst head gasket. could be valves, but that usually isnt too much oil, and would be there all the time, not just above some RPM.

Ok, now b16a3sol, you've brought up a new point. The "Head Gasket". I'm not very mechanically incline. I can open up a hood and tell you what stuff is and maybe a little more inside the engine but the head gasket I'm not to sure what that is. I know that my dad had replaced the head on my mazda before. Would that be the same thing?

b16a3sol after you put the oil in the cylinder, how do you plan on taking it back out? if it doesnt get taken out, then if there wasnt a big problem with it before, there will be one after the test is run, or the car is started. i hate to burst your bubble, but oil doesnt compress like air does. i would skip the oil part of the test if it were me, and just make do with the results i got from my compression test. sounds like rings, or at the worst head gasket. could be valves, but that usually isnt too much oil, and would be there all the time, not just above some RPM.

all you have to do is put a TEASPOON or so in....

thats only if you get a low reading on the compression test...then the oil will seal the rings for a bit and itll bring up the compression if it is the rings...

and then when you start it later it will burn off...it may run like shit for a bit but it will burn out....oil wont hurt it...
THe oil is just to test if is the rings....if it doesnt bring up the compression then it could be the valves or head gasket...but those normally are found by doing a leak down test. in each cylinder..

if it was the headgasket you probably more than likely would be loosing coolant ...
it could very well be just one cylinder that is bad and thats why there probably isnt a noticable drop in power then.

BEn

at least i know how much you intend to put down there. when he first said to do it, he said to "put a bunch of clean oil down there." a bunch sounds like enough to fuck up the motor, as opposed to the teaspoon that will just make it run like shit. how often do you foul a plug doing something like that?

the head gasket is the gasket that seals between the head and the block. this usually fails after a car overheats, which it doesnt sound like it happened. it more than likely is the rings, but if not, then thats the next place to look. the coolant thing is a good argument against head gasket too. good luck figuring it out.

Actually now that you mention it, I was talking to my friend and he had told me that he had to replace his head gasket because is civic was over heating. It had some pin-hole leak in it which was/is common in those civics. But thanks for all your guy's help. I have a friend that I'm going to try and persuade him to change my rings. If not then I hope it (the engine) will last until I get enough to get the H22.