Chugging, blue smoke, overheating 32k miles

[Cwhatfield40]

I have an 84 SVO that has been freshened up with new hoses, belts, all suspension rubber, frame stiffeners... mint 32,000 mile car! Anyway, I have had it for about 2 months and flog it routinely around the Hill Country down here in Austin, TX. This car has been flawless and has always run like a top. About 2 weeks ago it started "chugging". Anytime the engine is cold it runs very rich and blows blue smoke for 30 seconds or so. This car has always been garage kept and the wires are still soft and pretty, the connectors still have viable factory grease in them! The other night on the way home it ran 90% on the temperature gauge and I had to run the heater with the windows down! I had a an 86 XR7 turbo so I am familiar with most of the issues regarding anything electric. I suspect a leaky head gasket, and maybe valve stem seals too. No matter how well it has been stored... some things just don't age well. Antifreeze, rubber bits, seals etc...
Any advise on where to start?

[blueboss]

Compression test...That'll get you to the game and a leakdown test will get you to your seat.

Alternatively, check your oil. Looks like chocolate milk=coolant in the oil.

Start the car, take the cap off the radiator and look for bubbles in the fluid/smell of exhaust gas.

The first suggestion is the recommended test procedure when compared to the latter.

[Cwhatfield40]

Compression test by Sunday

Thanks! I will test the compression this week end. I can prolly do the leak down test as well. The oil looks great, just keeps disappearing, about a pint every 2 weeks. I changed it about 3 days after the chugging began and put some into a mason jar and left it sitting on the shelf in the garage... it hasn't separated anything out. The oil was about a 2 pints low when I changed it but I could not see any evidence of water or smell gas in it. Although the oil filter felt heavy when I removed it. Prolly shoulda cut that open. I looked for bubbles in the radiator while idling but no indication there either. My radiator is seeping and the oil cooler lines are chaffed and seeping at the top of the bell housing. All of the other seals, fittings, hoses, frame... clean! No blow-by or leaks anywhere. The tail pipe is new and looks/feels/smells clean inside. On my 86 xr7 the head gasket would leak under extreme boost (24+ psi on 108 Octane) and push the thermostat shut, you could actually see it on the temp gauge... until I removed the thermostat. I bought thermostat with a little bypass hole in it and that seemed to make a difference.
I am running 16psi now... and it runs great 99% of the time. But runs hot and stays hot if I run 12+ psi boost for a long time. I did clean the IAC in the Ultra-sonic cleaner, but nothing came out of that... runs the same. The bolts still had the factory lock tight on them. I do have a box of Ford valve stem seals from 1996, think I should put them in?

[GAboySVO]

My guess is your VAM/intake track needs cleaning. The blue smoke is from oil in the intake. I suspect the flogging caused the 25+ years valvel stem seals to give up.

The rich condition at cold start up can be from the ECT or the VAM. Run the codes and see what you get.

Also, If you haven't changed to plugs and they are still original, change them out.

[THESVOTRUST]

Multiple issues here

1) Valve seals need replaced - use only the LATE TTB vitron seals.
2) Plug wires need replaced (due when you change plug ONCE)

Mark
P.S. Please confirm your spout wire is connected. (Per your hot statement)

[Cwhatfield40]

Thanks! It has new Motorcraft cap, rotor, wires, and plugs as of 2000 miles ago in October of 2008. However, I will go ahead Ohm out the wires and inspect the plugs when I do the compression test. Also the intake path and inter-cooler were cleaned at that time when the C.A.I. intake kit and compressor bypass kit from Forced4 were installed. But your right, I will check all of these things. The chugging and smoke was not a gradually developing problem. I parked the car one night and the next day... poop!
What about the turbo bushings? Doesn't this turbo use brass or bronze bushings that are oil lubricated? With car sitting for so long between uses (before I got it) wouldn't the bushings be bone dry between starts? If one were to start the car and drive it without warming up is it possible that they were damaged? I have noticed that the boost seems to come and go like a light switch. Also if the turbo were to stick, wouldn't the car run hot?

[Cwhatfield40]

OK blueboss, I tested the compression and skipped the leak-down cause I am little hungover from a mandatory Christmas party for my wife's office. (I ain't no spring Chickin' no more) 1-130psi, 2-130psi, 3-127psi, 4-124psi. Seems OK, got the same numbers on each cylinder 3 times. The spark plugs literally looked unused and each wire looked new and measured healthy. I confirmed that the spout plug was in firmly. I may revisit the leak-down test in January to get a picture of the valve seats and head gasket.
There was oil all over the intake tract and the computer didn't have any codes. (nice tip GABoySVO)
Mark, I think since oil is liberally blowing through the valve-cover vent that the valve stems seals are indeed failing. Since the dipstick isn't blowing out and the compression is decent, I think the rings are in good shape.
I don't think that the car is going to spontaneously quit running so I am going just take it easy until after Christmas.
Thanks everybody for your sage advise.
Chris

[GAboySVO]

Next thing to check is the PCV valve. Replace only with Motorcraft.

[Cwhatfield40]

I did get around to replacing the valve stem seals and that fixed the blue smoke on start up and the car seems to run much better... but hell, I had to disconnect and reconnect so many things, and a install a brand new rubber valve cover gasket. Change too many variables at once and you never really know. I also discovered the timing was set to 7 degrees, so I moved it to 10. No problem up to 6000+ rpms, where before it was struggle. That distributor dog bolt was virgin, do ya'll think its possible that the timing was off from the factory?

[THESVOTRUST]

Good to hear ! (Kind of figured VS were hard)

Sounds like you are getting to where you want to be.

So you know my "suggestion" of VS and Plug wires is due to age/pulling on off a number of times.

I know you are probably thinking "but they look great" I maintain that IF you replace them with new wires you will be posting "best $50 I spent" next !

Great to see you are working on the car. (You can in TX year round - though you took off for the ice storm season)

Mark