smoking shogun

[scorpius]

Hi can anyone tell me where to start to look.We where going away for

the weekend and drove to the caravan compound with no probs. Once i

hitched the caravan up and went to pull away she smoked like a pig big

time.When driving down the A12 she drives fine . when i got stuck in

traffic off she goes smoking again.it also started to puff out smoke when i start up now. She is a 3000 cc petrol .Anyone help ???? MARK.

 

[Damian]

Shirley, the usual suspects for this kind of smoking are the valve stem oil seals, especially if it is first start up of the day it is more noticeable.

Second culprit is piston rings.

You do not say what age the vehicle is or if it is a turbo model and how many miles it has done, all would be helpful

 

[Stephen_5122599]

Sorry to hear of your concerns, what colour is the smoke?

if its whitish then it could be head gasket problems, or if it's blueish then it could be burning oil either by the valve stem seals or piston rings.

 

[DavidW1]

Shirley,

Had a bit of experience with Shoggys as an owner and with others in the family. They do let oil through the valve stems, albiet usually at high mileage or if service is neglected which would display the symptoms you have. They can also wear the bores if the oil isn't changed but don't ussually smoke much - just use lots and lots of oil.

It's not a worry as long as the oil consumption is not more than about 200 miles to the pint. The fix is both heads off and new seals/guides which is major expense! Oil is much cheaper!

You say it drives fine, is the coolant temp ok? Have you checked the oil? is it overfilled? have you checked the coolant?Is the oil clean or showing traces of coolant? Is the coolant showing oily?

Negative answers to the above could be head gasket probs which mean big bills but it doesn't necessarily have to be doom so get it checked soonest by somene competent.

 

[Ogre]

Smoke (any smoke) is a sign of either overfilling with oil, overheating or engine wear of one sort or another.

It's going to get progressively more expensive if you ignore it.

All good advice here, but continually topping up with oil won't solve the problem, only mask it.

 

[DavidW1]

Kieth,

That's a rather gloomy picture for Shirley - Shogun V6's have 24 valves and replacing seals and checking guides/valves at todays labour rates would be nightmarish.

If it is the case that the smoke is from that source then I still say make sure the oil level is ok and if consumption is not excessive then a couple of litres of oil a month is cheaper than two head overhauls.

Later Shoguns have oil quantity gauges and low level warning lights which come on when you need a litre so there is no danger of low oil with this or if you dip every couple of trips.

The oil will only get sucked in - mainly through inlet valves - at idle, overun and when manifold depression is highest, during normal running it will disappear.

 

[DavidW1]

sorry meant to say the smoke will disappear.

I once worked with a Landrover with exactly the same symptoms - used hardly any oil but smoked just the same as your shogun. The Fleet Manager had the same quote - "oil is cheaper than fixing it" he was right it continued to smoke for about three years until it was written off in an accident, not with me in it I hasten to add!

 

[scorpius]

Hi thanks for your replys. We only had her serviced two weeks ago but she is old 1993 (K) 130000 on the clock.Its going to a

garage on thursday they did say they might be able to replace

the seals without removing the heads.Gone are the days with the

old ford pinto engines when i would strip a head down on a

sunday morning.

 

[Ogre]

Gloomy or not David it's fact. Smoke is NOT good news unfortunately, and far from trying to spoil Shirley's day, I'm just stating the inevitable if she ignores the problem.

When I read "she smoked like a pig big

time. When driving down the A12 she drives fine . When I got stuck in

traffic off she goes smoking again.It also started to puff out smoke when I start up now. She is a 3000 cc petrol."

It's time for garage attention. Personally I wouldn't take the risk of a seizure due to lack of oil or sudden oil pressure failure. Then she WILL need a new engine, and they certainly don't come cheap!!

I've said it before, These big 24 valve engines are all very well, but you do have to remember that when it comes to repairs, they can also be horrendously expensive to repair and service BECAUSE they have 24 valves. That's the downside. More valves, more bills.

The mileage isn't an issue. A well maintained engine will far exceed 113,000 miles if the oil and filter is regularly changed, and the engine isn't hammered. Most engines unfortunately don't benefit from such care however, and you never know what a previous owner might have treated the vehicle like. "One careful lady owner" (who drives like a bat out of hell), springs to mind!!

I also speak from experience having had 5X 4 wheel drive vehicles, including two Shoguns, so I do know how they work, and I also do all my own repairs (and I mean ALL)including engine and gearbox repairs.

My vehicles get new oil and new filters every 4,000 miles, and I NEVER, EVER cane them. That's the secret!! I used to build engines for Perkins Diesel, so I do know my subject!

The engine, by Shirley's own description, is in urgent need of attention, and personally I'd be hunting the pages of Ebay for a replacement engine pronto!!

Dropping out an old, and putting in a newer engine (from a crash damaged vehicle for example) will be vastly cheaper than having a full engine overhaul which, I suspect, is what her present engine seriously needs.

It could be easily done in a day and would certainly be my choice.

I hope you get it sorted Shirley.

 

[cliff_5040076]

Shirley

If it is going to cost more than

 

[Ogre]

I agree Cliff.

Not worth it unless you can do the work yourself.