Burning oil + White smoke = Bad Valve Stem Seals?

**Li0nHe4rt** · 21-01-2014 01:49 AM

Hi guys, I've got a 97 prelude h22a and it has been blowing copious amounts of white smoke for a while. From doing some reading around i have been lead to believe the likely cause are bad valve stem seals. These are the symptoms the engine continues to produce:

White smoke after coming to a stop
White smoke from accelerating after a stop
White smoke from accelerating after some deceleration (common especially in higher gear)
A lot of white smoke when passing 4k rpm and at VTEC
Strong burning oil smell, which i can smell often without seeing smoke
Burning excessive amounts of oil (driven approx 1800km over a 5 month period and there was no oil on the dipstick)

I have also noticed that sometimes after not using the car for a while, upon start up the engine might knock a bit like as if a cylinder wasn't firing properly. Also a couple days ago after coming home from a 3wk vacation and i turned on the car and noticed there was significant engine knocking which went away after driving a few kms (maybe oil burnt off from a clogged plug?). All this has led me to believe its due to bad valve stem seals.

Any opinions on this would be much appreciated thanks.

**Spoon SiRG** · 21-01-2014 08:51 AM

Time for an engine ovehaul/ rebuild.

Or a newer car.

**RenzokukenJ** · 21-01-2014 09:09 AM

Its a common problem unfortunately with h22s

Lucky for me, I haven't had the problem.. Yet...

**curtis265** · 21-01-2014 09:19 AM

might be the rings too - consider that they might also be a problem

white smoke is usually coolant though... just keep that in mind

**mocchi** · 21-01-2014 09:29 AM

do a leakdown test. could be cracked valves. dat lumpy idle vtec killer beast m8

**RenzokukenJ** · 21-01-2014 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by curtis265

might be the rings too - consider that they might also be a problem

white smoke is usually coolant though... just keep that in mind

How many plugs are getting oil on them?

**Adrian @ SAS** · 21-01-2014 09:00 PM

Probably broken ring land

**dougie_504** · 24-01-2014 08:29 AM

^ Gee that would suck

Get a leak-down IMO.

**Jasemas** · 24-01-2014 10:51 AM

H22's are notorious for destroying piston rings
That FRM sleeve eats at them like nobody's business
Do a rebuild

**VH770** · 19-02-2014 01:25 PM

if you want to find out if your compression and oil rings are worn, do a compression test before and after squirting some oil down the spark plug hole. If compression is higher after squiring oil, your rings are worn.

usually valve stem seals show up as smoke on startup and deceleration (more than other times), but also acceleration. If you are experiencing smoke at all times (i.e. cruise, as well as accel/decel/startup) it may well be a combination of stem seals and rings. It's not necessarily a problem by the way; old engines have huge tolerances and still run for many more miles before requiring a rebuild. As long as you don't starve the engine of oil it's not necessarily a problem to burn oil, it just reduces fuel efficiency, costs a lot in oil top-ups, and is embarassing/bad for the environment.

Also keep in mind that a damaged head gasket could leak oil into the chamber, but you'd most likely also observe overheating/coolant loss as well as what you've described, so by the sounds of it you aren't facing a head gasket issue because you haven't noted overheating/coolant loss. White smoke can sometimes mean water, but it's not a foolproof assumption by any means; could simply be oil mixed with other impurities from the crankcase. But do keep in mind that a head gasket can fail at one of the oil passages only, and not affect any of the water passages. So a head gasket IS a possibility to keep in mind.

I'd advise fitting new valve stem seals, this can be done on most engines with the right tools without removing the cylinder head, but admittedly i've never done it on a honda, so it may be easier to remove the head and do them on the bench. Coupled with the other possible causes of oil use i think the best step forward is just to remove the head and deal with everything at once (head gasket, stem seals). With the right tools and patience, removing a cylinder head is not a hard job. Also, while you're there you might as well hot tank the head and recondition it with a new head gasket if it's been in service for a while.

cheers

**curtis265** · 19-02-2014 11:09 PM

older engines have lower tolerances yes, but not honda m8

**Li0nHe4rt** · 31-07-2014 08:36 PM

Hey guys thanks for the input! Sorry about the lack of participation, work has been keeping me busy and with a lack of funds, the car has fallen in priorities. A lot of the people here suggest i do a rebuild. Would anyone know of a reputable rebuilder in the Sydney region? Ive been given a couple quotes that start at about high 3K -4k minimum and i believe that is with stock parts. Anyone have experience or solid figures so i know what to look out for in terms of range for price and what should be done? Thanks again guys!