'94 Lebaron convertible engine problem

It's blowing white smoke, and a smell fills the car.
My mechanic says I'm burning oil, and it's because
the valve stem seals are bad. It could cost $800,
unless the sleeves are bad, which would add more.
Or, I could need a replacement engine. Anyone
else go through something like this?


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"Endeavor to persevere"
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It is using a lot of oil, but not thru leakage, that
I can see, so I believe he's right. I dunno if it
would be worth fixing, though. I recently paid
$1500 to have the tranny rebuilt.


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"Endeavor to persevere"
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Ask yourself the following questions.

Do you want a new car?

What else might go wrong in the next few months/years?

Do you like the Lebaron and really want to hang on to it?

How much would payments on a new/used car be?



If you like the car, don't particularly want a new one, and your
mechanic says that everything else looks OK, $ 2,200 doesn't go very far
in terms of payments on a new one. It is almost always a better
financial decision to hang on to an existing car and fix it then it is
to buy a new one. Sometimes, however, too much is gone to be able to
fix it. Further, sometimes you just want a new car!!

Dan

 

Sounds like a 3.0L engine (no?). The white smoke would indicate a possible
head gasket leak. The oil consumption without oil leakage sounds like valve
guide seals. What's the smell? Coolant? Oil? Burning?

It's tough to chase a tranny repair with a head gasket or valve guide seal
repair. The problem with an aging car is that these repairs are to be
expected. If you're going to pay someone to fix it, it gets kind of
expensive. Balance that against car payments.

If you can DIY, it'll be easier on your wallet, but it takes up your time.

If you have both a bad head gasket and bad valve guide seals, then the two
repairs coincide nicely with each other. When I take the heads of my 3.0L,
it makes it easy to replace the valve guide seals. I always send the heads
into the machine shop and they can do the seals also.

If the problem is just the valve guide seals (no head gasket problem), then
the repair is cheap on parts but expensive on labor.

 

I went ahead with the repair. It came to $1035.
$675 labor. $333 for gaskets, rotor, cap, degreaser, hose, coolant,
oil change. Then I had to replace the O2 sensor for the 4th time.
Then the radiator started blowing smoke, so I replaced it ($770), just
in time for me to take a long trip! I'm ready now! I'm at 140K miles.
Next year: maybe a new top and upholstery. Thanks for your input!


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"Endeavor to persevere"
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Thanks to Dan Gates, too! I appreciate it.


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"Endeavor to persevere"
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