[xxxxLumaguiJrDonaldC]

I sometimes notice when my car is on idle or stop (Drive gear while holding my break) and I am using it in a prolonged period of time, my exhaust is producing white smoke (not black) at stop especially in heavy slow traffic situations. But when my car is running fast, everything is fine.

[Ronbo]

Valve stem seals.

[xxxxLumaguiJrDonaldC]

Does it mean that I have a bad water pump if my Valve stem seals broke?
I am not losing any fluids in my coolant and everything looks fine on my cooling system.

[cdmccul]

Oh boy... O.k....

The water pump is mounted just inside the front of the engine, on the engine block, and if it leaks, yes, you will find low coolant, and water/coolant in your oil - milk shake on the dipstick, foaming, sludge, etc. Valve stem seals are up on the top of both sides of the engine on top the cylinder heads, under the valve covers (and under some other odds and ends, like cams, rockers, springs, etc).

The two things have nothing to do with each other, besides oil.

The valve stem seals wear with time on the engine, and seem to be kinda problematic on the 2.7. The water pump will wear with time, but at a separate interval. The water pump isn't for the novice to change, but it is easier than the valve stem seals IMO. BUT - both jobs are well with-in the grasp of the home mechanic who has some time under his belt, and some tools in the tool box... AND having an account here helps.

I'm not on my own PC here, so it isn't terribly easy for me to find illustrations - but if you need any more help with what that means that I wrote above, let me know - we'll get you some pictures.

[xxxxLumaguiJrDonaldC]

Valve Stem Seals cost $1500 to replace including the labor. Plus if that is not the cause, it is probably the piston rings which adds up to $3000 of repairs. I bought my car for $3500, and the cost of repairs cost more than the cost of my car. My mechanic suggest that if I could not afford the cost of repairs, just check the oil dip stick once a week and add oil (Penzoil Ultra is what I use). I've been adding oil 1-2 quarts/month for 8 months and I did passed the smog test. The white smoke only comes off when I am on idle but not when I am starting the car or running. When I smell the white smoke that comes out the tail pipe, it smells NOTHING like it is burning or maybe it is just the condensation because I always see small amount of water (H20- Clear) that is coming out my tail pipe which makes me think that it is not the Piston Rings. Thanks guys.

[peva]

Whoever quoted you that is either totally incompetent or a scammer (possibly both). Also, chances of your rings being bad is almost zero.

[xxxxLumaguiJrDonaldC]

He said that it would be a big work if they start doing it. If the piston ring is broken, oil would go on the top of the piston and the spark plug would burn the oil which cause the white smoke. I told him that my tail pipe is not releasing oil. If he start opening the engine, that is when he would start charging me. Do you have an estimate price for that?

[Crash Override]

a Compression test (non invasive) would help identify a problem in the cylinders be it valve seating, piston rings or head gasket. You can do it yourself easily (and acquire a useful diagnostic tool) for under $50. You certainly don't need to tear down the whole engine to do valve stem seals.

[peva]

Exactly. Valve covers and rockers need to come off - pretty sure the cams can stay in place on the 3.2/3.5 (not so on the 2.7). Figure about 1 hr. per cylinder - I would think a professional should be able to do it faster.

For DIY (or the pro), I highly recommend filling each cylinder with 3/16" string as you work on them one at a time and rotating the crank to compress the string against the cylinder head to hold the valves up. That way you don't need to have an air compressor, nor do you have to worry about the valves falling into the cylinder if the compressor fails or you lose power in the middle of the job. The seals themselves (OEM or Felpro) and new valve cover gaskets should be less than $100. A special type of valve spring compressor is needed for these engines - generic ones don't fit in the tight spaces around the springs. Can recommend a couple of different ones.