Oil in Exhaust - Hyu Excel 1991

I have oil fumes coming out of the exhaust. Some time back I replaced
the rear main seal (not connected with fumes I suppose) and spent quite
a bit of money on that. My mechanic tells me its better to replace the
engine than to overhaul it (It has 97k miles on it). However, since I
have spent quite a bit of money to get the rear main seal fixed, I
would like to extend the life of this engine if possible. Can anyone
offer me tips on what could be the problem here and whether its worth
the cost?

 

My guess would be either bad valve guides/seals or a plugged up PVC valve.

Jack Cassidy

 

It could also be poorly sealing piston rings (for one reason or another).
Any way you look at it, it's not likely to be inexpensive unless it's pcv
related.

 

Unless it's something simple like a PCV, you're likely looking at more money
to repair the engine than the car is worth. Sometimes it's better to cut
your losses and move on.

 

Does it smoke out the exhaust when you take your foot off of the throttle
(valve guide seals) or when you step on the gas (rings)?? Seals would not
be so expensive as the rings.

 

Another sign of bad valve guide seals is that it smokes badly when you
take off after idling, such as at stop lights.

 

Change the PC valve yourself. Autozone will show you where it is.

If that doesn't do it you have to balance:
1. The cost of a newer Hyundai
2. The cost of just adding oil more frequently
3. The cost of a new engine (don't buy a junker)
4. Your loyalty to supporting your mechainc's boat payments.
(Cartalk)

 

Thank you all for your posts. The car fumes the most just after
starting. I see a lot of smoke smoke during idling and some when I step
on the gas.

 

Sounds like valve guide seals to me.

 

What does the oil look like on the dipstick after running the engine? Clear
or foamy?

 

It should never be foamy. Water in the oil. Time for a visit to your
friendly mechanic.

 

In a '91 Hyundai, I would agree. And foamy, yes.

But people shouldn't mistake some white, especially on their oil cap, for
foamy. This is oxidation in the oil

Every car I have ever owned that did not have a PCV valve would do this, and
usually within about 2500 miles or so. If you have a car doing that, I
learned that you just have to be content to change the oil more often. It
seemed worse in Winter in those cars, for some reason. And even using
synthetic oil, it would do the same thing. You just had to keep the oil
meticulously changed and it worked out fine.

In fact, each of those three engines (including one Korean engine) ran great
and trouble-free, and even when I had to get rid of those cars (with over
200,000 miles on them each) it was not because of a problem with the engine.

Tom Wenndt

 

I was always told it was an emulsion of the oil with condensation. That
is why it tends to collect in the parts of the engine that are coolest,
like the underside of the filler cap and the inside of the valve covers.

I believe that is because there is much more condensation in winter as
the engine often isn't run long enough to get it hot enough to
thoroughly evaporate the condensation in the engine.

Pretty amazing, eh? I've only had one car that I got rid of because of
engine troubles in 30+ years of car ownership. That was a POS 84 Honda
Accord that I purchased new, maintained meticulously (it was my first
ever brand new car), used Mobil 1 and genuine Honda filters, etc., and
the top end of the engine self-destructed at about 72,000 miles.

Honda wouldn't stand behind it even on penny. They first accused me of
not maintaining the car properly. I sent them more than 20 pages copied
from my fuel purchase and maintenance log along with receipts for their
GENUINE Honda oil filters and other parts. They replied back
acknowledging that maintenance deficiencies didn't appear to be the
issue after all, but then told me that the car was out of warranty (duh,
I knew that) and they felt that 72,000 miles was within their "normal
manufacturing tolerances" for engine life and therefore they were
"unable" to "subsidize" my repair.

That's OK. They saved $300-600, but have lost thousands since. The
repair was around $600 and since the warranty had expired I didn't
expect them to cover the full repair, but I thought they at least might
throw in the parts which came to a little more than half of the bill.
So, by saving $300 in 1984, they cost themselves the sale of at least
the four new vehicles I've purchased since then. And, though I can't be
sure, I think I've talked at least four other people out of buying a Honda.


Matt

 

Sorry for the delayed reply. I did not have access to internet the past
two weeks as I was traveling.

The oil in the dipstick is clear. So I think I will go with changing
the PCV valve first and see if the problem persists.

 

If your Excel leaves others in a bluish-gray cloud of smoke after
every stop light, or when you start it up in the morning, and people
think you work for an extermination company, then it's a sign that
the valve stem seals in the engine need to be replaced. This is
a common problem with these engines, and the seals can be
changed without removing the cylinder head by a competent
mechanic for a few hundred $.

Please note that if this has been going on for several weeks,
there's an excellent chance that your catalytic converter will
be toast, burned out, You'll notice it the next time the
car fails your state emissions test with high NOx and passing
(but not low) CO & HC.

The EGR passage in the intake manifold will be clogged with
carbon and should be cleaned out along with the EGR valve,
but this won't be enough to fix the NOx problem.

Bob