Valve Stems or Cylinder Rings?

[wildcrisps]

I have a 95 Explorer with 105,000 miles. I recently had my headgaskets replaced by the Ford dealer because one was leaking to the outside, no overheating occurred. They also sent the heads out for valve grind and guides. 1,200 miles after I got it back I noticed it needed a little more than a quart of oil. I brought it back and the dealer said that was normal, but it didn't do this before the head work. They did an oil consumption check and 700 miles later it had taken in a quart of oil. They said the oil consumption was normal. Compression was 175 all around and there was oil on the threads of the number 1 cylinder spark plug. The electrode had a whitish burn buildup, the mechanic said that was piston material because the oil ring was bad on the number one cylinder.

How did he know that? It smokes when I start it in the morning, and even at the dealership - they said that was normal. They say I have to have the lower engine rebuilt to stop the oil burning. It's odd that this sudden oil consumption started immediately after they did the head work yet they say it's the rings in one cylinder. The car runs fine with the exception of the oil consumption. Any help out there? Any suggestions?

 

[Jason_25]

Something seems a little fishy.

When my engine was broken open at 82K miles, the guys at the shop said it looked like new except for the carbon buildup. And it was by no means "pampered" either.

IMO a quart of oil every 700 miles is not normal. My 88 BII beater with a crusty 2.9 L doesn't burn that much.

You really should look the service manager in the face and ask if he can somehow help you out with the problem. It's obvious it's the dealer's fault.

 

[Lemondrop]

Most oil rings don't cause smoke on startup . Valve Stem seals do . The seals (if leaking) will allow oil to run down the valve stem and pool up either in the valve pocket in the cylinder head or run directly into the cylinder (if the valve is cracked open ) . It will smoke pretty good on startup because of this (BLUE smoke) . If the rings are worn they tend to smoke more under a load and or driving down the road . When you fire the engine the oil is cold and sitting in the pan . The oil pressure has to rise to normal level and then start slinging out of the crankshaft up into the cylinders before a faulty oil ring can cause smoke . Usually you get high blow-by with a worn or broken ring and should notice oil in your inlet system (excessive oil) around the inlet of the PCV hose .
The easy way to tell if your valve stem seals are leaking is to remove the intake manifold or exhaust manifold(s) and take a look at them . If the oil is coming from the bottom of the cylinder head port it is coming out of the piston side(exhaust manifold off) . If you can see oil streaks leading down the valve guides and stems , pushed along the cylinder port roof then the stem seals are leaking .
If you are finding a spark plug on a certain cylinder fouling , Id be suspect of that cylinder having the oil leak (obviously) .
Id talk to whoever did the repairs and get them to replace the stem seals on the fouling cylinder . They might not have caused the problem but whoever did the valve grind might have damaged a stem seal when installing . If they replace the seams on the cylinder thats fouling and it continues to eat oil , you can be guessing the piston has some sort of problem going on .
Also have them make sure if they replace the seals to check the valve guide for slop when they have the springs off . One of the guides may have been out of spec or they reamed it (reaming a valve guide is usless and most time is causes a problem shortly down the road) , and the slop in the guide to stem is too high and it will leak oil just about no matter what you do to the seals .

 

[wildcrisps]

Thanks for all the advice, my question now is:

1. Do I trust the dealership to do this without lying and saying it's not the heads

2. Should I have someone else troubleshoot and give me an estimate

3. Or should I have all the work done elsewhere and sue the dealer for the charges

 

[Jason_25]

I say have the motor checked out at an another independent shop, have them write the estimate and then present it to the Ford dealer.

 

[Alec]

I would get another opinion (hopefully at no or little charge) and try to reason with the dealer. It's clear that this is at least partially their fault, and they should want to cover their @ss. You could try contacting Ford Corporate also. The dealer has to give you the info of the regional office so you can file a complaint. Try to get the work done by Ford at no charge without legal headaches. Things always get nasty when lawyers and the courts are involved (no offense to anyone in the legal profession).