Here's the thing: the car has been knocking when cold (but only in the fall/winter) and occasionally burning oil right when I start it up for the first time every day or every other day. Well, I'm on vacation so its been a few days since I drove it. Today it smoked for at least a minute and a half while I was sitting there parked. I'm totally sure it's oil too.

How do I find out if its the valve seals or the piston rings? Stu and I think it's valve seals because the smoking goes away once the engine runs for a bit. The cold start knock also goes away once the thing warms up.

It has knocked like this for about 10K miles, only on cold start, and has occasionally smoked like this for the past 7K. Prognosis?

 

Mine was like that. Valve seals were a waste of money. It was the rings. If it smokes worse when you floor it, it's the rings.

You can probably get rid of the knocking by adjusting the valves. Civic engines don't have hydraulic lifters, they have screws that need periodic adjustment. It's not related to the smoking.

 

The knock is a rod bearing. Bottom end for sure. Just had a valve adjustment 12K ago. Definitely not a valve tap. It DID smoke when I accelerated on the highway, 4 to 3, then accidentally to 2, revved to 5K, SMOKED, then cleared. But only once. I did that again and it didnt smoke a second time.

 

Sounds like bad rings and rod bearings. With the knocking and the smoking, it is time for a new engine.

 

you can put some lucas oil in it and it will stop the cold knock start.