Hey guys I have a concern I'd like to address. Recently I've noticed that if I let my car sit for too long (i.e. 3 or more days) I get a puff of bluish smoke from the exhaust when I go back and start it up. It smokes usually only at initial crank up but the engine still starts and runs smooth and no smoke comes out other than a lil bit of steam since its chilly outside. it only does it occasionally meaning if i leave the car overnight after driving extend during the day before i dont get any blue smoke puffing the next day. I do have some oil leaks that I'm in the process of addressing very very soon and I wanted to know if by any chance they may be related. The leaks are coming from the valve covers (yes I have some oil in my spark plug holes but not enough to cause misfires) and I am replacing my crankcase vent system also. Once again the smoke disappears right away and once the engine is at correct temp there is no smoke whatsoever. Should this be something I should be concerned or just monitor a bit. Thanks so much

2001 Audi A6 Avant 2.8 quattro 178,200 miles

 

One possible cause for blue smoke after sitting is bad valve guide seals. The oil sitting around the valve stems will run down the stems during prolonged period of sitting and build up on the valves. It will then burn off at startup. The guides also leak during operation but the leak is so slow that the oil burned off during normal operation is so small that it is not noticed.

The problem could also be related to the crankcase ventilation system. If it were me I would fix the crankcase ventilation system first. If that does not fix the problem then you will need to replace the valve guide seals. It is a lot of work and I would not bother unless your oil consumption is high.

The seal replacement can be done without removing the heads but you will need to remove the camshafts and the valve lifters. Lock the crankshaft at TDC. Then, one cylinder at a time pressurize the cylinder through the spark plug holes, remove the valve springs and change the seals, reassemble and move onto the next cylinder.

 

yes I'm ordering the crank case ventilation kit this week cuz some of my hoses are cracked already. I went to start it today and now I noticed a slight tick coming from the driver side of the engine. It's noticeable thru the wheel well on the driver side and it ticks faster with rpm. It sounds kinda on the low side of the engine. If I'm not mistaking a sticky valve would sound higher up from where I'm describing?

 

Bad valve guide seals will not make any noise, bad valve guides may. A ticking sound would most likely be a bad hydraulic lifter.

 

is it really possible for those to go bad (start ticking) basically overnight? Hydraulic lifters and/or valve guides. Because on Friday when I last ran my engine it wasn't ticking but this morning yes.

By the way sorry for so many questions I just want to be well informed and prepared to what I may be looking forward to in the near future.

 

Usually as the hydraulic lifter fail they will start to drain down slowly, they will then pump back up once the car is running. You will hear a ticking sound when you first start the car in the morning and then after a while (usually a matter of a minute) the lifters will pump back up and quiet down. They will stay quiet until the car sits for an extended period (a few hours). As long as they quiet down in 1-2 minutes they are not worth fixing.

Eventually the bad lifter will not hold fluid at all and it will make a ticking sound continuously - then it is time to replace the lifter(s).

 

ManyAudis thank you so much for your time and input on my issue it is greatly appreciated.