ok next week im planning to replace my valve seals.. before i do i want to make sure it's really them. what's making me think it's them is thiers blue smoke when i start it up. but i have noticed it's smoking down the road periodicly. so is seals really it?

 

Could be or the valve just isnt seating properly. Thats what I would think. One or the other.

 

Compression test/Leak down

 

leak down?

 

is it smelly when idling?

mine did when the valve seals/seats went in my dakota.

 

it could one of a number of things. it could be piston rings, burnt valves, valve seals, or a head gasket starting to go out. u need to do a compression test and a leak down test to figure out what exactely is bad.

 

what is a leak down

 

a leak down tester looks like a compression tester with a fitting for a compressor hose and it fills the cylinder with air and by how much air it hold or how fast it leaks out it narrows down whats wrong.

 

If it smokes when you start it up, then for sure it's the valve seals.

 

if it smokes when u start it that could be piston rings, head gasket of valve seals. start the car let it run for a few mins and then turn it off and take off the oil cap and look at it for like a min and c if any smoke comes out. if smoke comes out that means that theres blow by and that is usually is rings or a bad head gasket. if theres no smoke than its probably valve seals.

i had a bronco that did the same thing it smoked when i started it from a long sit and it smoked when i accelerated hard and it was a bad head gasket.

 

its got 203k on it so i can imagine it's about time for all the goodies.

 

mine has 235000 and its all original. it doesnt burn and oil no smoke nothing just keeps trucken great. so its not always by miles it has its also how its taken car of. hope my advice helped u out

 

i don't know the history of my xj. but i can tell it's been driven lol.

 

ya well if u have the money and u got to take it apart u might as well replace it all. if ur short on cash do what u have the money for. just remember if u take a gasket off replace it. dont use old gaskets.

 

are valve stem seals the same ones that im looking for? they look right but im not sure lol.