Help with oil burning issue.

[03.5MSP]

My MSP has been burning oil for the past 6k miles. And it happened all of the sudden. Long story short, I basically add about a quart of oil every two weeks. And i noticed when i redline the car in neutral and then rev again as the rpms drop i see puffs of blue smoke comming out the back. And this morning for the first time when i started the car for the first minute or so all i saw was blue smoke coming out. Also I noticed my coolant was really dark, like its mixing oil and coolant, so that might be my head gasket. My MSP has 40k on it, and oil has been changed with synthetic oil ever since 25k. (The owner before me who worked for mazda was told by mazda techs that regular oil is best for the MSP)(screwy)

I just wanted your input on what could be causing my oil burning issue. Maybe valve seals, valve guides, or turbo etc?

Thanks,
Marko

[BOOSTR]

A quart of oil every two weeks is more than burning. You've got worn valve guides and or rings that are letting the oil get in to the mix, thus the blue smoke. If coolant was getting into the oil, it would be milky

[03.5MSP]

Im wondering what caused either the valve seals or guides to start leaking. Its just really weird cause i remmember reading a thread where people were saying that they burn oil, and at the time my car didnt. 3 months down the line and my car is doing the same.

[03.5MSP]

Bump, for anyone who might know what causes the valve seals and/or guides to go bad. It just started burning oil all of the sudden.
thanks for your help guys.

[BOOSTR]

Its hard to say exactly, but it could simply be normal wear, detonation, timing issue, improper lash, or overheating. It had nothing to due with the type of oil used. There had to be some clues that were overlooked or unnoticed, as it doesn't just happen overnight. Regardless of how or why, you need to pull the head and get it fixed.

[03.5MSP]

I hope its not normal wear cause i only have 42k miles. Anyway Im not looking to rebuild right now, because I want to find a way prevent his from happening again. Is there a such thing as better valve seals and/or guides? And if I do decide to rebuild then Im going to be doing a forged bottom-end as well.

[BOOSTR]

I wasn't advocating a complete rebuild as that more than likely is not needed. Your cylinder head is what needs to be looked at and fixed after its examined for other issues. From what I've heard the stock valvetrain is stout and not a weak link. So upgrading to more expensive parts is not necessary. You do not want this to happen by ignoring your problem:
http://www.aa1car.com/library/piston_failure.jpg

[03.5MSP]

thanks for taking the time to write back, and answer my questions. The only reason I say I would go all out is because if I get the forged motor from Ken I can add a new head for just $300, and I think thats cheaper than if i paid a shop to fix my current issue. I was told that replacing the guides and valve seals costs around $800.

[BOOSTR]

No problem. You could easily spend $800 or close to it having a machine shop repair your cylinder head, getting a head gasket set, new head bolts, timing belt kit, and a water pump. Good luck with whichever direction that you go.

[03.5MSP]

Just an update. I took my car to a shop yesterday to look at my oil burning issue. I spoke to them today and they ruled out the turbo seals. They said the turbo is fine, and they are moving on to the rest of that car. I should know by either the end of the day or or tomorrow. They will be looking at the valve seals, and guides, and doing a compression check to see wats up.

[03.5MSP]

Well, my compression is as follows:
Cyl1=150
Cyl2=175
Cyl3=175
Cyl4=175

And the shop found oil in both my 1st and 4th cylinders. They think its either the valve seals or the piston rings. And in the 4th cylinder they say their almost positive its the valve seal.

[03.5MSP]

So, I kinda need you advice guys. Should I sell or keep the MSP and fix it? I dont know wat to do.

[MrDiggler]

If you like the car at all, don't sell it just because of this issue. At 42k you should still be under warranty. The blue smoke on cold startup is definitely indicative of worn valve guides/seals. Hopefully there's nothing wrong in the bottom end. Keep us posted.

[03.5MSP]

I got so many parts from the mam exhasut mani, PG intake mani, perrin fmic, full 2.5 exhaust, so my guess is as soon as they see my car they are going to laugh at me, and just deny me any part of my warranty. But i should try just for the fun of it.

But on a side note i will be keeping my car, and in the long run getting my block built.

[ncsukingpin]

Did they ever find out exactly what the problem was and how much was it for the repairs/parts?



Well, my compression is as follows:
Cyl1=150
Cyl2=175
Cyl3=175
Cyl4=175

And the shop found oil in both my 1st and 4th cylinders. They think its either the valve seals or the piston rings. And in the 4th cylinder they say their almost positive its the valve seal.