Mechanic recommendation...

[Muppet_Guy]

I need someone to recommend me a mechanic that know his sh|t. My 1J is smoking like a Jamaican ambassador, pretty much all the time. Blue smoke, smells like burnt oil. I'm aware it could be either valve stem seals, or turbo seals, and I've also heard that it could be some oil leaking on the manifold somehow or whatever. Either way, I have no idea how to tell them apart. It gets even worse on idle. If I just cruise for a long time on the freeway it kind of goes away, but then I stop at lights, moments later, smokescreen behind me.
Anyway, is there a way to work out which one of the problems it is just by looking at it somehow? Or does this have to be all taken apart? Cheers for your advice guys!

[Brockas]

Dan, if it were oil leaking onto the manifold the smoke wouldn't be coming out your exhaust.

It's 90% likely that it's the rear turbo seal, I'd be starting there, but anything to do with the turbos is going to cost you an arm and a leg.

Gav @ X-Speed can now get turbos off a 1JZ in about 2 hours. Might be your cheapest option...

[Miami]

Take you engine out, drop a new one in, and sell me your engine mounts...

Or, failing that, if Gav's narrowed it down to 2 hours to get those f$#&ing turbos off, then he's by far gonna be your cheapest option.

[Muppet_Guy]

Cheers Brockas! Oh ok, if it's 2 hours then that would be fine. I thought it would take longer than that (I read it takes like 10 hours to take it off, at 90 bux an hour or something, hmmmm) I considered taking them off myself, found a link to the online tutorial:
http://www.thepointnet.com/Lenticular/Turbo/
But two hours I might just as well get someone else to do it for me....

So apart from that, when you remove the turbos, what needs to be fixed in it? That's what is gonna cost the most right? The seal can't just be replaced can it, more work involved than that? Can he also check if it is valve stem seals as well before he does anything? Should probably call in sometime and ask them...

[Endless]

Cheapest option is going to be just putting another 2nd hand set of turbos on there and hoping they aren't as smokey as your current ones... they are ~$450 for set.

It's the seals that go bad in the turbos, you can have the stock ones rebuilt & highflowed with steel exhaust wheels for ~$2500... rather steep.

Removing the turbos is a bitch of a job but provided you have the right tools and are able to have your car off the road for a few days by all means have a crack yourself at it.

[Muppet_Guy]

Yeah, but what if it's not turbos though?? What if it's valve stem seals, I don't want to take the turbos off, do all that and then realisisng it is still smoking, coz the valve stem seals were the real culprit... How can you tell which one has the problem?

[Nemi]

option B buy a skyline :P

[Muppet_Guy]

option B buy a skyline :P

Haha, funny you say that, was looking at the V35 4 door 3.5L one the other day... planning to get one leased through work sometime soon, though I'm still gonna keep the soarer, love it too much :rolleyes: so yeah, I wanna fix the darn thing!!

[Endless]

Valve stem seals will generally blow smoke on startup and then dissapear when warmed up.

[Muppet_Guy]

Oh ok, thanks endless! Looks like it's them bloody turbos then. :dizzy:

[Nemi]

pitty you can't just bash on a nice new pair of garretts

[Muppet_Guy]

Yeah, would have to look at my options now...

[mojo_type]

nows the time to change to a big single turbo :D

[TJ]

PCV Valve... is another option

Similar symptoms, alot less hassle to you.

My Cressida has "blown turbo seal" , sold it the next owner, he was well aware of this. Ended up being PVC valve which he got off my spares for nothing!

[Muppet_Guy]

How does the PCV valve affect it? Is it standard thing on all toyotas or something I need to get overnight from japan? Probably better if it is that anyway...

[Lonewolf]

PCV may be allowing oil out of the rocker cover, and into the intake tract of the engine. Oil then gets combusted and smoke out the exhaust.

Used to happen on my old car when exiting hard left handers, plumes of smoke out the exhaust.

[bodybodyrock]

oil air seperator

but being a 1jz ide most likely say turbo oil seals, most comon problem htat motor seems to have, but yes try the smal cheap things first before u blow u bucks on turbos.. compresion test might help u narrow down the option of exesive blow-by from worn rings, altho veryu unlikely, easy to do and gives u that peice of mind