Possible Valve Guide Issue

MinGry03

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I searched the forums to see what the end result of people with valve guide issues are and it seems that the original post just stops and the outcomes are not posted.

I have a 2003 Cobra that I purchased back in 2003 with 1,000 miles. The car is an early production car with the known spark plug thread issues and the infamous valve tick. I started off with the usual mods like a pulley w/tune and worked up to a 2.3 Whipple with supporting mods. The car was tuned by Running with the Devil and was dyno tested to check A/F. I have kept the car clean and changed oil every spring or 1,500 miles. Currently my car has 14,500 miles and change. The car is not beaten every time it's on the road but I do know were the accelerator is.

Recently I noticed that the car puffs smoke upon startup which smells like burnt oil. The smoke dissipates within 20 seconds and after that, it goes away until I start it again. I do have a Wideband Commander and the A/F is stable around 14.7. Other than the puff of smoke, the car runs great.

So my question is, how many people just ignore the puff on startup and drive the car and how many get it fixed?
 
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P49Y-CY

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My coupe was in storage most of its life before I bought it, so it has this issue.

It's a fairly extensive fix, so I ignore it. But I have put 50k on the car since without any noticeable effects. It seems to only do it in very hot weather.
 

cj428mach

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Make sure its not just oil in the intercooler, it can really show up when you up your boost. I'd start with a good catch can and see how that goes.
 

Fooj

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Mine will do the same but not on every start up. I did some searches and seems to not be a big issue just annoying
 

MinGry03

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My coupe was in storage most of its life before I bought it, so it has this issue.

It's a fairly extensive fix, so I ignore it. But I have put 50k on the car since without any noticeable effects. It seems to only do it in very hot weather.

Glad to see there appears to be no long term effects of not getting it fixed.

Make sure its not just oil in the intercooler, it can really show up when you up your boost. I'd start with a good catch can and see how that goes.

Do you have one? if so, can you post a pic of your setup?

Mine will do the same but not on every start up. I did some searches and seems to not be a big issue just annoying

I agree, it is annoying. To be honest, it kinda make me mad that they will spend money on the bottom end but forget about parts on the top end.
 

me32

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Well you can continue to drive the car. It will more than likey cost you 4-5k to fix the issue
 

ashleyroachclip

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All of the 4 cam engines have this problem if you wil to some extent .
A little oil on the top end is not going to kill your engine .
The fix is not 4-5 grand if you can do the work yourself .
There are tools available , to replace guide seals .
That is why i despise those garage queens .
Sitting , seals shrink and dry out .
Driving them , keeps everything flexible .
 

LV_Ford_Fan

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I noticed the smoke once and a while when I got my car. I installed the JLT Oil Separator on the Driver's side and the JLT PCV pre-filter on the Passenger side. I have not see it since. I only get a small amount of oil in the Separator (perhaps a teaspoon) when I dump it every oil change.
 

xtreme_exploder

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All of the 4 cam engines have this problem if you wil to some extent .
A little oil on the top end is not going to kill your engine .
The fix is not 4-5 grand if you can do the work yourself .
There are tools available , to replace guide seals .
That is why i despise those garage queens .
Sitting , seals shrink and dry out .
Driving them , keeps everything flexible .

What he said. I bought my car with low miles (also an early run '03), seemed like it spent some time sitting. The valve seals dry out and and the car will let off a pretty big puff of smoke when you first start it up, especially if the engine is warm. I spent two weekends pulling the valve covers and changing the valve stem seals. It was a pain but can be done for cheap.
 

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