We have a 2005 with just under 9,000 miles on it. Approx. 1 out of 5 times when you start the car it blows a lot of blue smoke out of the pipes. After it runs for 1 min or so, no more smoke. Never sounds like it's running ruff or missing. May not do this for a while then it does. Happened only when car had sat for a few days, but today we backed it out of the garage (didn't really warm up) no smoke, turned it off, then started it again awhile later it blew blue smoke. any ideas?? Is under extended warrenty still. Bought the car used in July '07, 3rd owner.

 

What octane gas are you using, hopefully you are using 93? Also if you are the 3rd owner I don't think you are cover under warranty/extended warranty unless you purchased an extended warranty from the dealer when you purchased the car...I may be wrong.

 

Blue smoke is caused by engine oil entering the cylinder area and being burned along with the fuel air mixture. As with the white smoke, just a small drop of oil leaking into the cylinder can produce blue smoke out the tailpipe. Blue smoke is more likely in older or higher mileage vehicles than newer cars with fewer miles.

How did the engine oil get inside the cylinder in the first place? The car has many seals, gaskets, and O-rings that are designed to keep the engine oil from entering the cylinder, and one of them has failed. If too much oil leaks into the cylinder and fouls the spark plug, it will cause a misfire (engine miss) in that cylinder, and the spark plug will have to be replaced or cleaned of the oil. Using thicker weight engine oil or an oil additive designed to reduce oil leaks might help reduce the amount of oil leaking into the cylinder.

Pull your spark plugs and inspect the tips... this will tell you for sure and also tell you which cylinder (s) are leaking oil.

 

Two rules of thumb.

1. blue smoke = oil
white smoke = coolant
black smoke = fuel

2. The best way to narrow down where the smoke is coming from:
drive down the road, if smoke comes out under acceleration it's typically the rings, if smoke comes out under de-acceleration it's typically the valve seals / guides.

 

I would take it to the dealer. This should not be happening o a car with only 9K miles.

 

if the car is making blue smoke when you first start the car, then oil is sipping down the valve guides. it is best to take it to the deals and have them fix it.

are there any other things you notice like valve noise (tapping) when you first start the car for the day?

 

I second the valve guide diagnosis.

Before you take it in to have the valve train torn down I would recommend changing the oil & filter to ensure you have the right amount & type of oil. If it still smokes after 500 miles or so then I would consider major surgery.

 

Excellent, thank you all. I'll let Gary know. It doesn't happen enough to pin point just what is going on, but I agree the car doesn't have enough miles on it to be doing this in any event. An oil/filter change is a good idea since it's new to us. I also like the idea of checking the plugs first. We put in premium gas only. No noise/tapping. Only thing I noticed is that every time you turn it over it makes a high pitched noise for maybe one minute then it stops as if the noise is part of ignition.
Steve, Gary wanted to know where you downloaded the manual you told us about? I see an pan drop/oil change in his future. We are covered under the 8 year/80,000 extended warranty, with what it cost to keep everything in good shape I think [when shopping for a used Crossfire] it is a major selling point. If he can work out a little more detail we may be using it sooner than later.
Does any one have a dealer in the Metro Detroit area they like for Crossfires and repair work?

 

I'm pretty sure this link will work...if not let me know and I'll e-mail it to you when I get home tonight!

http://www.gleamingedge.com/mirrors/...e%20Manual.pdf

The only person I trust to work on my car is ME! Although I think I can make exceptions to a few people on this forum!

 

Number of owners has nothing to do with the validity of the factory warranty. If he is under the mileage and time limit he is covered.

Extended warranties are different as not all of them are transferable.

 

Steve, thanks so much. When I used the link it was "transferring data..." for many minutes. Is it just that big or do you think it should be emailed? Let us know and again thank you.

 

Thanks for the link on the service manual. I pulled it down and it is a 2004 manual. Do you have a link for a 2005?

 

The 2004 is almost identical to the 2005 limited in all respects with the exception of some minor amenities (auto-dimming mirror, for one) and color choices. There is actually a thread on this board that goes into great detail about the differences.

The engine/driveline is exactly the same though.

 

Yup...mechanically...the same thing!