My 04 indeavor burns oil, smokes bad when I first start it. Is this problem just in the valve seals or the valve guides as well?

its burning oil! could be worn out piston rings/bore or valve stem seals/guides but check the engine breather system is not blocked first

Blue some is burning oil. Check your PCV valve 1st, but if this is bad, your idle would be high. If it smokes when 1st starting only, the valve guides and/or seals are bad. If it smokes while driving, the rings are worn out.

Blue smoke (how many miles on engine, 50k or 500K???????
to some this means, burning oil, others steam
it that blue smoke lingers a long time that is oil burning
and smells just like oil burning.
and means 2 things,
1: engine burns oil.
2: if car had autotmatic trans the vacuum modulator love fail
and suck ATF fluid to the intake plenum and burn it, and bingo burning oil like mad.
3: PCV valve packed solid,and forces engine to leak oil or burn oil. or both. this is a 50k miles service point, skipping this?
4: gas in the oil making it thin and not sneaks past valve stems.
does oil change cure this.>?

now engines.
worn out engines smoke. (burn oil)
as do bad valve guides and seals.
and bad piston rings.
100 years same story, and miles matter. History on engine too.
matters.

This usually indicates worn valve guides. When the engine sits for a period of time, the residual oil sitting in the cylinder head will seep down the valve stems past the seals and guide and into the cylinder. When you fire it up the little bit of oil burns off giving you the blue smoke. Usually clears up right away.

When the guides get worn and theres some play in the valve stem, it stretches the seals a little too so they nolonger seal very well and allow the oil to seep past.

You can replace the seals for a temporary fix, but will not last long as the play will stretch them again. Whats needed is a valve job. Not a quick fix. The valve guides need to be reamed and honed to resize them to fit the valve stems correctly to eliminate sideways play, then the valves ground and reseated and fitted with new stem seals.

Having said all that, if the smoke clears in seconds, you can keep going for a while yet. A little oil burn wont hurt much. As the wear gets worse the smoke will persist longer till it never quite goes away and you leave a trail behind you. Depending on your usage, (and how bad now) this could be 6 - 9 months away.
Hope I have helped.

the smoke is from engine oil, it is caused by leaking valve seals , after the engine is shut down for the day oil is leaking past the valve seals and getting into the cylinders then when you start up the engine the oil is burned off, this is a common problem, and there is a couple of things you can do to help the problem with out taking the engine apart and replacing the seals, try this first at your next oil change add some Restore to the engine oil it will soften the seals and give them a little more life, if this does not cure the problem after a few 100 miles then you will need to have the seals replaced, and this is a costly repair, but you could just live with the smoke it wont hurt any thing just keep an eye on the oil

blue smoke is usually oil burning- is it light or heavy- if light- change oil and go up one grade- rings are worn- if heavy- time for a rebuild- rings need to be replaced. but for the money on rebuild- could find car newer and lower milage

Helllo there
Symptom: Gray or blue smoke from the exhaust. You notice gray smoke coming from the exhaust when you start your car. The smoke may or may not disappear after the car is warmed. If it is, it is less noticeable. The smoke may have a bluish tint to it. Possible causes:

1. The engine's piston rings may be worn.
   The Fix: Replace piston rings. (Generally not a DIY job)
2. The engine's valve seals may be worn.
   The Fix: Replace valve seals. (Generally not a DIY job)
3. Damaged or worn valve guides.
   The Fix: Replace valve guides. (Not a DIY job)

Symptom: Engine uses more oil than normal, and there is some smoke from the exhaust. The oil level is low between oil changes. It appears that the oil is being burned by the engine because of the smoke in the exhaust. You may or may not notice the engine doesn't have the same power as it used to.
Possible causes:

1. The PCV system is not working properly.
   The Fix: Replace PCV valve.
2. The engine may have mechanical problems.
   The Fix: Check compression to determine engine condition.
3. The engine's piston rings may be worn.
   The Fix: Replace piston rings. (Generally not a DIY job)
4. The engine's valve seals may be worn.
   The Fix: Replace valve seals. (Generally not a DIY job)

it's buning oil, engine is tired

If you get a little puff of white/blue smoke just at start up , it probably means that one or more of your valve guide seals are worn.
While engine not running , a bit of oil gets in the cylinder , when it starts the oil burns off causing smoke. If it was smoking all the time , I would say rings are worn. If it is black smoke at start up , it indicates a fuel mixture problem. The valve guide seal problem may get worse over time.
On your post you say " for few mnt " if that means a few moments , than Valve guide seals , if you mean a few minutes , than more serious piston ring problem. Change your oil , and add a can of RESTORE , it will fill small scratches in cylinder walls , but will not fix badly worn rings.

Usually the valve cover seals are bad. There is a seal on the valve cover for each sparkplug tube. Check the seals. If they are bad than there will be oil on the spark plugs.
If there is oil on the spark plug electrode than probably valve guides going bad.