Amongst the myriad problems the beater S13 has, it is now blowing billowy, stinky blue smoke out its tailpipe. It is especially bad when the engine is idling. I'm amazed the cops haven't noticed this yet since it's been getting worse for the past couple of days, and I'm worried about them pulling me over.

I need a cheap quick-fix for this problem to hold me over for another couple of weeks, since by next week, I'll have earned enough money to buy a replacement car (I hope). I'm estimating it may take one or two weeks to find a new car, and in that timeframe I'll probably sell the beater to a junkyard. It's not my ideal customer, but the 240SX has two-and-a-half wheels in the junkyard anyways, so to speak. EBay will be too much of a hassle for us, and there's no market for 240SX parts cars on the Mass-NH border.

When I had the car inspected four months ago, the mechanic addded a full bottle of Lucas Oil Stabilizer to the oil change and it seemed to work. I'm going to try it again. if it ever stops raining up here whenever I have free time (It's always sunny when I'm busy, but never when I have free time). Anything else you guys can think of?  

The blue smoke is oil being burnt off in the combustion chamber, thats for sure.  Its like a sportbike.  Problem with regular engines though is that they're designed NOT to do this, obviously.  You;ve got massive blow-by that needs to be fixed.  The culprit:  Piston rings, I';ll bet.  They're probably shot to hell.

Obviously that wouldnt be something thats easy to repair. The reason the new oil would help temporarily is that its not sludging like the old oil is (no incoming air or sparking etc).  Basically, until you can either rely on other forms of transportation or a new car, you're gonna be stuck swapping the oil out every few weeks, if not sooner.  

well it could also be vale seals and guides because he said that its really bad at idle, what does that mean, it means the engine has a high vacuum, and when that happens it can pull the oil out right from the valve area. usually with piston rings the faster the engine revs the more blue smoke pours out. he could try thicker oil because it would be hard for it to get past the rings. something along the lines of a 10-40 maybe.  

Would buying another engine be cheaper than buying another car?  

now there is a question: is it worse when you back off in gear? In gear coastdowns produce a LOT of Vacuume that can pull oil through the guides and seals. My first fiat spider did that until I replaced the seals.

I remember downshifting through an offramp that led from the highway to a T junction.. when I came to a halt, I got passed by a cloud of blue smoke.  

Well, its a slushbox, so it can be tough to tell when its downshifting (especially when it's hunting for the right gear), but I do notice the smoke wafting my way when coming to stops. I still haven't had a chance to add the oil stabilizer (rain, again).

As for buying a new engine (and I apologize to everyone else who's heard this ad nauseum), the answer there is no, it wouldn't be practical. The car has over 250K on the chassis and it's a complete basket case. Even if I replaced the engine and got it inspected, there's still a lot of other problems to fix (like struts, water pump, instrument cluster, etc.). Plus, there's some chassis rust. I make very little money right now and most of that goes towards school. Ideally, I'd like a 240SX hatch that will be a reliable daily driver now and a base for a Sileighty project later. I like my coupe, a lot, but fixing it to the point where I can start tuning it will be more expensive in the long run.  

I finally relented and had the oil change done at a shop last Saturday. I had little time to do it myself and my jackstands and hydraulic jack were rusted anyways because of flooding up here last month. The smoke has subdued slightly, but it's still very noticeable. A friend of mine found a potential buyer for the car, so I may not have to worry about it for much longer. I plan on taking a look at a couple of replacement candidates Thursday, and if I can arrange transportation, have the beater sold on or shortly after Friday.

Yeah, it is a basket case, but for the 7 months I owned it, the 240SX served me well. Here's hoping I can find a worthy, tuneable replacement.  

*Points hastily at a slightly used WRX*

Ahem...  

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I make very little money right now and most of that goes towards school.

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if you make only a little cash, want a car that really does not break down and still have the opportunity to tune it you have to look hard at a honda/acura but that's just my opinion. ohh and you can still drive it in the snow, that's if it snows where you live.  

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I finally relented and had the oil change done at a shop last Saturday. I had little time to do it myself and my jackstands and hydraulic jack were rusted anyways because of flooding up here last month. The smoke has subdued slightly, but it's still very noticeable. A friend of mine found a potential buyer for the car, so I may not have to worry about it for much longer. I plan on taking a look at a couple of replacement candidates Thursday, and if I can arrange transportation, have the beater sold on or shortly after Friday.

Yeah, it is a basket case, but for the 7 months I owned it, the 240SX served me well. Here's hoping I can find a worthy, tuneable replacement.

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I've considered old Civics/CRXs and 2nd-gen Integras, but even rusty, beat-up EF Civic sedans go for over $1500 (not negotiable, either) where I live, insurance quotes are even worse than the 240's, and they're stolen pretty often. I've been thinking about VW Golfs/Jettas, and older Saabs, Volvos, and Audis. I know the VW/Audis are not noted for their reliability, but they're everywhere, good in the snow, and there are a bunch of shops nearby that specialize in Euros. I'm beginning to think of abandoning the "tuneable" part of my criteria since there's slim pickings up here (too many gas-guzzling trucks and big engined cars!). I need to sell off the 240SX soon before Smokey sees my smoke, though I really don't want to.

I've also considered financing a used car. There's a town called Plaistow, NH, that has a lot of used car dealerships that sell decent older-model cars. When it comes to financing, what are some issues, scams, and general shadyness I should watch out for?  

ever consider hyundai? Since 2000 they have been in the top five for reliability and their elantra and tiburons are pretty sporty. You are not entirely out in the cold tuning wise, you just need to hunt.

Try:
www.rdtiburon.com
www.hyundaiperformance.com
www.newtiburon.com
www/xdelantra.com

Should give you a better idea of what is out there.  

Tiburons are fun, but the cast-iron block is a *** to work with and its heavier than the average american (no offence intended, of course).

Still tunable, though.  

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ever consider hyundai? Since 2000 they have been in the top five for reliability and their elantra and tiburons are pretty sporty. You are not entirely out in the cold tuning wise, you just need to hunt.

Try:
www.rdtiburon.com
www.hyundaiperformance.com
www.newtiburon.com
www/xdelantra.com

Should give you a better idea of what is out there.

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