My friends 87 NA always releases a big puff of blue smoke (which smells strongly of burnt oil) when he shifts from 1st to 2nd gear and then from 2nd to 3rd gear. I believe he shifts 2nd at close to 8000rpm into 3rd gear. Anyways, why is it puffing out so much smoke between shifts?...what could be wrong?

 

Oil seals on the sides of the rotors are going. When he shifts, he gets extreme vacuum inside the combustion chambers, and it literally sucks the oil past the seals, which then gets burnt and exhausted out the back. That is exactly how mine started. I'd suggest getting a basic rebuild done while his internals are still in good shape. If he lets it go too long, he could blow the seals completely, thereby burning up his oil (which accounts for something like 30% of the cooling capacity) and then overheat his motor. If he melts the cooling jackets, then he needs new housings as well.

Spend a bit now, or spend a lot later. Just my $.02

 

He HAS an overheating problem right NOW! His temp needle always goes 3/4 way, sometime a bit higher. Can this all be related to his side oil seals?