Chrysler Repair: Car smokes, valve stems, aclaim

Question
I have a 1991 Plymouth Aclaim with a 3.0 6 cyl engine. For the past 2-3 years it has smoked intermittently. Some times weeks would go by without doing it. It is getting worse now. It usually is the worst when sitting at a light and then when you take off. It is blue so I think it is oil. The engine has about 100,000 miles now. Would it be worth replacing the valve stem seals?
Jim  

Answer
Hi Jim,
My understanding is that the seals were redesigned around the '92-93 model year so no doubt your present oil smoking is due to the earlier design/materials used in the cylinder heads that you have. To save a possible disappointment, you might want to do a compression test and then add a teaspoon of oil to each cylinder one at a time and retest the compression. If there is no significant change in the compression then the rings are o.k., and the investment in the valve stems would seem to be warranted. Your situation is very familiar with the 3.0L engines of the late-80's to early-90's.
Roland