I think i need to go back to college OR i cant see the forest for the trees.

In a nut shell i get blue smoke from exhaust when initially setting off from cold start, under heavy acceleration (>4500rpm) and intermittently after shutting off for roundabouts and then heavily accelerating.

My money is firmly on valve guide seals. One of the guys from work (a landy fan :yuck suggested piston rings. now im starting to doubt my own diagnostics.

Oil consumption is around 1.5liters every 1000miles or so, Cat monolith has suffered a meltdown, (which i initially put down to failing Lambdas due to it crossing the threshold of 100,000mi, because it was the cheaper option)

i am under the impression (be it correct/incorrect) that nowadays, oil control rings, to all intents and purposes, dont wear and its probably not going to be that where as valve guide seals is the much more viable option on a 128,000mi motor.

a set of rings seem to cost quite a bit (i was expecting £20/30 for a set, whereas its more like £20+ per cylinder, or atleast for the first few internet listings ive found). im about to drop £180 to get the rest of the bits to do Guide seals, cat and timing belt and am now wondering if i need to spend yet more money to get the rings + honing done. The wife is leaning on me to do it 'cheaply', i keep having to explain that getting it done once is the cheaper option but i can see her point since i dropped nearly a grand on suspension and brakes last year.

TL : DR... Car's broke again, Need advice!

Cheapest rings I can find for a 1.6:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4x-Kolben...hash=item3cd2789459:m:mT0KVYK-gBzaSJYAlFBsx-w

Its worth trying a seal conditioner like wynns stop leak its cheap and might keep the stem seals at bay for another while.

Hi corcai,
Ive seen stop leak at my local factors. Im not a fan of snake oils and additives. If an engine isnt right then covering it up will just leave me with a bigger repair bill.

Thanks for the link to the rings! Theyre on my watch list. At that price, it makes it not worth arguing over for the mornings work it will take me.

richydraper said:

Im not a fan of snake oils and additives. If an engine isnt right then covering it up will just leave me with a bigger repair bill.

Click to expand...

While a lot of the leak additives are viscocity based things the wynns and forte stuff is just base oil with plasticizer added as far as I know just like running high mileage oil. The forte stuff is base oil plus thiophene.

Richy your symptoms (esp smoke on taking off after decelerating for a roundabout) are classic for valve guide seal wear. May not be so for a Landie, but for your Stilo it would be my first port of call...

Cheers Phil,
this is still my thinking but after having numerous conversations with people more experienced than myself. i am also beginning to think its (partially) rings.

im not saying that valve guide seals are not to blame but now i think its 6 of one and a half dozen of the other. the thing is, if im stripping the head off for guide seals and lapping of valves, then its actually only a mornings extra work to do the piston rings.

i am still a little skeptical about them being shot already as i've never experienced worn rings on anything under about 250,000mi but theres a first time for everything.