94hondaman94

okay i have a 1994 ex civic with a dx motor and im getting white smoke out of the tail pipe and ive been told that it could b valve seal but i dont no what to think it smokes more the more u push the gas but at a idle it only does it a lil sorry 1.5 d15b2

mac25

not sure on this but it might give you some ideas to research.

i think if it's white smoke you're burning coolant.

check your levels.

94hondaman94

ok if it is what would cause it

ezone

Steam from the exhaust is normal when it is cold out.

94hondaman94

its not steam its smoke it does it all the time when you hit the gas not just when its cold could it be the valve seals need to be replaced

lazlong

White smoke is coolant. You need a new headgasket. Run it too long or too hard like that and you'll need a new engine.

94hondaman94

wouldnt my car run hot if it was the headgasket?

lazlong

Not necessarily. If it's burning coolant then the coolant is going into the cylinder(s). If exhaust gases are going into the coolant it will overheat. It will overheat once you lose enough coolant though.

kellogg6316

valve seal problem causes blue smoke

ezone

So do rings.
And some people can't tell white smoke from pale blue.

94hondaman94

and i looked at it the other day and it was like pail blue smoke and a lill black but i think that was just carbon im leaning toward valve seals but i dont no 4 sure and it is not loosing coolant

kellogg6316

do a compression test on all cylinders, that will rule out headgasket if numbers are normal

td1238

Aside from a compression test, a fairly good indication of a head gasket leak vs. a valve stem or piston ring leak is the loss of coolant from the coolant system. If you notice that your coolant is disappearing at an unusually fast rate, then it is likely leaking into the combustion chamber or elsewhere. If there are no external oil leaks and you are losing oil at a rate faster than about 1/2 quart per 3000 miles, then the engine might be burning excessive amounts of oil. I go by that amount because my '90 DX usually consumes about 1/2 a quart (not considering crankcase dilution) every 3,000 miles. When the valve cover gasket started to leak, oil consumption increased noticeably. My '99 Saturn, however, actually went through a quart of oil every 300-600 miles, with no visible smoking at the tailpipe. ...So at very least, if you are using a quart of oil every 1000 miles or less, then oil consumption is a likely cause of smoke. If consumption is very low, say 1/2 a quart every 3000 miles, then oil is not likely the cause of your smoke.

ezone

A compression test cannot rule out a head gasket problem.
A compression test cannot rule out ring problems.
A compression test cannot point at valve stem seals.

Passing a compression test is only that. There are other tests that can be done, depending on what the problem is.

Oil smoke is diagnosed by the conditions it smokes under. Figuring out exactly when it smokes tells me what the most likely problem area is.

A half quart per 3000 miles? A quart per 1000 is perfectly acceptable. Not desirable, but acceptable. Can the owner keep up with the consumption rate?

A cat can hide a LOT of oil smoke.

If that engine is over 150k and has maybe had a head gasket job or been overheated, it probably needs rings.

94hondaman94

not white smoke blue!!!!

Honda_finatic84

So I've been reading through these threads and would like other opinions.. I have a 98 civic dx, d16y7 and it's using a lot of oil. About 1 quart every 200-300 miles. There seems to be no apparent leaks under the hood and I've noticed at idle it'll throw a little white smoke (which I think is normal) but when you rev the engine the smoke gets darker and more apparent the higher the rpm.. No coolant loss and the car runs flawlessly. Head gasket done 40k miles ago, not really sure about valve stem seals.. I'm leaning more towards rings, but Any opinions on my problem would help out!!

ezone

IMO. Rings.