1998 ford galaxy 2.8 v6 - blue smoke from exhaust after head skimmed

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Wed 23 Jun 2021 10:23
1998 ford galaxy 2.8 v6 - blue smoke from exhaust after head skimmed - dipsomaniac

Took car for MOT yesterday. They couldn't do a emissions test as 'exhaust emits excessive dense blue smoke during acceleration.' I haven't had a problem with emmisions in the 18 years i have owned the car and i didn't notice any smoke when taking it to the MOT station.

the car has been off the road for 18 months as i have renewed the head gasket, had head skimmed, and all associated valve work (new guides, grind and lapped etc)

I haven't had chance to take car for a long run as its not taxed until MOT'ed. I only drove 2 miles to the MOT Station. Do you think the smoke will clear once the valves settle or if any build up of oil in exhaust has cleared?

Was concerned that i might have been 1 tooth out on timing chain but engine appears to run ok, ticks over smoothly at 800rpm.

Any advice appreciated

Edited by dipsomaniac on 23/06/2021 at 10:31

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 23 Jun 2021 11:07
1998 ford galaxy 2.8 v6 - blue smoke from exhaust after head skimmed - elekie&a/c doctor
I think you’re very brave doing all this work on a car that has no value. However, I wonder if you problem is related to an engine crankcase breather issue .
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 23 Jun 2021 11:21
1998 ford galaxy 2.8 v6 - blue smoke from exhaust after head skimmed - dipsomaniac

thanks. probably more silly than brave but i am doing all the work myself as a hobby and haven't spent too much money. will have a look at crankcase breather.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 23 Jun 2021 13:34
1998 ford galaxy 2.8 v6 - blue smoke from exhaust after head skimmed - bathtub tom

It seems it's burning oil. Did you generously lubricate everything when the head was off? I would have been tempted to take the 'long route' to the MOT.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 23 Jun 2021 16:59
1998 ford galaxy 2.8 v6 - blue smoke from exhaust after head skimmed - bathtub tom

Another thought, did you renew the valve stem oil seals? If the engine's left ticking over for a while, then worn seals will allow oil to be drawn past that will be burnt off as blue smoke when the throttle's opened. This is usually seen after going downhill on a closed throtttle when the throttle's opened again.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 24 Jun 2021 11:24
1998 ford galaxy 2.8 v6 - blue smoke from exhaust after head skimmed - dipsomaniac

I did lubricate everything when putting things back together. The company that skimmed the head removed and fitted new valve guides so am assuming they renewed the stem oil seals.

Took car for a short drive (4 miles) yesterday and car appears to drive ok. I can't see smoke when driving. If I rev car to 4k from idle you can see a little dark smoke from exhaust but not the amount the MOT centre witnessed.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 24 Jun 2021 17:34
1998 ford galaxy 2.8 v6 - blue smoke from exhaust after head skimmed - bathtub tom

The company that skimmed the head removed and fitted new valve guides so am assuming they renewed the stem oil seals.

Ask them to show on the receipt where they did and explain the car's failed an MOT

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 24 Jun 2021 11:26
1998 ford galaxy 2.8 v6 - blue smoke from exhaust after head skimmed - madf

Oil seals on valves first

Then blocked engine breather forcing crankcase gasses into engine (I suspect this is a long pipe full of crud leading to the air filter)

Stuck engine rings - or ring gaps all aligned vertically rather than staggered as they should be.

Or maybe the rings need bedding in : so a bit of hard driving first when engine is warmed up?

Edited by madf on 24/06/2021 at 11:27

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 24 Jun 2021 11:58
1998 ford galaxy 2.8 v6 - blue smoke from exhaust after head skimmed - sammy1

As above answers given. I do not think that a 4 mile drive on a big engine as this is sufficient to blow the cob webs out so to speak, hardly getting up to temperature..

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 24 Jun 2021 18:17
1998 ford galaxy 2.8 v6 - blue smoke from exhaust after head skimmed - dipsomaniac

Thanks for replies. cleaned breather when rebuilding top end. Difficult to do many miles when not MOTed/taxed.

Edited by dipsomaniac on 24/06/2021 at 18:19

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 25 Jun 2021 06:09
1998 ford galaxy 2.8 v6 - blue smoke from exhaust after head skimmed - edlithgow

Thanks for replies. cleaned breather when rebuilding top end. Difficult to do many miles when not MOTed/taxed.

Maybe just assembly lube burning off?

A long time ago I failed an MOT for “visible smoke” with a Renault 5 Campus in Cumbernauld.

I cleaned the crankcase ventilation circuit, changed the oil, (Castrol GTX 20W50 before and after) and added a can of Wynns Viscosity Improver.

This looked like Tate and Lyles Golden Syrup, but was in a less attractive can which AFAIK was not used by road workers as a tea billy.

However, I also swapped out the MOT inspector, which is probably what fixed it for the re-test.

RE " Difficult to do many miles when not MOTed/taxed." No it isn't.

But I base that on experience that pre-dates pervasive video surveillance, massive rapid access data banks, and OCR recognition of number plates.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

We give you the low down on how to save on insurance, little-known tricks and tips, what insurance groups mean and how to use insurance aggregators to beat insurers.

Insurance group finder and how to save on insurance

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide