Whats the Problem Blue smoke only on startup of a Chevy V6 S-10 Blazer Tahoe

denmardenmar Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Chevrolet
Whats the Problem Blue smoke only on startup of a Chevy V6 S-10 Blazer Tahoe
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  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    Probably valve seals. What year and how many miles?
  • vlkohanskivlkohanski Member Posts: 17
    Blue smoke on startup is most likely the valve stem seals. There are factors that can contribute to early wear - frequency of oil changes, driving habits, etc. But they generally develop some seepage at around 100,000 miles for the Blazer. The best way to fix it is to have the heads pulled and the stem seals replaced. At this point, other than an annoyance, it doesn't necessarily mean that your engine is going out on you. They will continue to wear, but I don't know of any particular harm it does to your engine. Mine has been doing that for about 30,000 miles now. Another 20,000 and I might replace them. (Considering what we paid for my wife's Tahoe, I will definitely continue driving the Blazer for quite a while.) It's getting progressively worse, but at an extremely slow rate. If you're using 5w-30 and you don't live in a particularly cold climate, changing to 10w-40 may cut back a little on the smoke.

    Chevrolet has a Technical Service Bulletin on this specific topic for the Blazer, but I haven't read it. If you're really concerned, it might be worth it to you to get a copy of it.

    Good luck.
  • hengheng Member Posts: 411
    I heard that it can be done without pulling the heads, just the valve covers and there are mechanics that will even come to your house and do it.
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    Valve seal replacement does not require cylinder head removal. By applying compressed air through an adaptor in the spark plug hole after the rocker arms are removed, the valve is held in place. The valve spring and seal can then be removed without the valve dropping into the cylinder. While working as a GM dealer tech, I used this procedure many times. Did have to remove one cylinder head, though. Someone disconnected the air hose while I was at the parts counter.
  • vlkohanskivlkohanski Member Posts: 17
    Yes, the procedure can be done without removing the heads. A properly trained technician with the right tools can do it safely. For anyone else, it's way too risky. That's the best way to do it if the engine doesn't have a lot of miles on it and nothing else needs to be done.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    I can imagine the words that poured from your mouth when you found the air disconnected..:)

    So much for "flat rating" THAT job!
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    Yep, the air was pretty much blue for a while after that one. Can't remember now, but they probably warrantied a head gasket to cover it. Actually, I did end up pulling the heads on some Chev small blocks because of valve guide wear discovered while replacing valve seals.
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