Blue smoke on start-up

[DavieGravy]

When I start my car after it has been sitting overnight, blue smoke comes from the exhaust along with a foul smell. It lasts for a few seconds then goes away. I don't have this problem if the car has recently been ran. Any Ideas?
Thanks,
Dave.

[Beav]

The blue smoke is oil burning. On more conventional engines it's usually caused by oil running down the valve stems and entering the cylinders. When started the first few strokes will burn off the oil and create the blue smoke. On the H-6 I'm tempted to believe that the oil is coming from the piston rings instead of the valves, due to engine layout.

Is the oil level a bit overfull? Do you 'gun' the engine a bit before turning the key off? Either will cause the smoke. If those items are o.k. you might post to Chris Debban's garage and see if he knows of a common Suby problem that causes this. If there isn't a common problem then I would recommend using an 'engine flush' before changing the oil the next few changes. Sometimes the oil rings in the pistons will cake up and not do their job properly. The oil flush will normally remove the residue and allow them to again work properly. Marvel Hi-Rev, Rislone, etc. are examples of engine flushes. Follow their instructions implicitly.

Beav

[DavieGravy]

I don't gun the engine at startup, nor do I think the oil level is over full, although Iwill check it. I think I'll do the engine flush before the next oil change. Thanks.

[Aredubjay]

Originally posted by DavieGravy
I don't gun the engine at startup, nor do I think the oil level is over full, although Iwill check it. I think I'll do the engine flush before the next oil change. Thanks.

Davie, not on "START UP" -- Before turning the KEY OFF, when you pull into your driveway after work. Just wanted to clarify.

[Mr. Pockets]

Originally posted by DavieGravy
When I start my car after it has been sitting overnight, blue smoke comes from the exhaust along with a foul smell. It lasts for a few seconds then goes away. I don't have this problem if the car has recently been ran. Any Ideas?
Thanks,
Dave.

When I used to drive my SVX in winter (sniff, sniff), it would sometimes smoke on start-up in really cold weather. The smoke smelled distinctly like gasoline. The explanation I got was that the MAF was telling the engine to add too much gas on startup. No big deal. My wife's Legacy does the exact same thing.

[DavieGravy]

It tends to do it in the cold. It hasn't happened recently now that it's warming up a bit. I'm not too concerned if it isn't a major problem, which from what Beav told me, I gather it isn't.
Thanks,
Dave.