I have a 1989 Ford Taurus SHO I've had for 31 years. Its been a daily drive for me and I hoped to take it to 35 years. The car body, interior, and engine I think is in pretty good shape.

i had a seal/gasket job (cam seal, valve stem seals, spark well seals, and valve cover seals) done. The car came out of the job and smokes up from the exhaust from time to time, usually when the car comes to a stop. I found that the hose that comes out of the valve cover and goes into the throttle body had been left disconnected and hanging down in the engine with a bolt in it.. Another hose had been connected to the throttle body nipple to keep stuff out of the throttle body and was also hanging down in the engine with a piece of cloth wrap around the end. I'm not a mechanic and did not notice it. I took the hose off the TB nipple and reconnected the hose coming out of the valve cover to the TB nipple and the smoking stopped for about 3 days. But its started smoking again.

I'm wondering what impact this hose being disconnected for several months had on the engine. The car is idling as its supposed to based on the tack and running very smooth. And can anyone suggest what might be causing the smoke up. The mechanic said the engine was very clean and that the rings were good.. He did a leak down test and said the seals and gaskets were tight.

Thanks.
clifft