high oil use - lowish mpg

[VWCamperfan]

It's a bit strange, I have to agree!
A quick test for turbo leakage... Run engine on tickover for about 10 mins, blip the accellerator for a second or two and stop the engine. Remove the pipe from the turbo on the engine side and check inside for oil. If its got a fair amount in there then it's probably the turbo seals gone.
I'm wondering if there's too much oil pressure running round the system. Maybe only at higher rpm? Could be pushing oil past the seals.
Or a blocked crankcase breather?

[rhm]

Hi Mike / Mark, thanks for your input.

I'll run the check on the turbo as suggested.

Mike, Yes you're right, its had 2 replacement heads in the receipt history that I have.

Blocked breather? Is that the pipe from the top of the rocker cover? I need to replace the grommet there. There is a bit of dirt fouling on the rocker cover. I'll check the pipe beyond that for blockages tho.

Oil pressure too high? Possibly yes on the pressure test that I ran. I thought low pressure was a problem not high?

[VWCamperfan]

Breather pipe is the one from the rocker cover, yes.
Slightly high oil pressure isn't normally a problem but it depends how high. The pressure relief valve normally keeps that sort of thing under control. It's a bit like blood pressure!

[rhm]

Ha, I thought buying a bus and living life in the slow(ish) lane was a good way to keep my blood pressure in check.

I have a feeling that getting to the bottom of the many niggles that are arising is gonna get my BP rising, still, the bus is absolutely loads of fun and Im determined to get it running and keep it running as sweet as a nut.

With a great deal of help, assistance and encouragement from all on 80-90 of course.

[VWCamperfan]

Of course!
Just a quickie regarding the breather pipe. When the engine is running you should have a constant purr of air coming out of the pipe when it is disconnected, not much but enough to feel it.

[rhm]

Guess I know what I'll be doing this bank holiday. Cheers Matey, enjoy yours

[VWCamperfan]

Cheers, and you!
I'm working all bank holiday... But I don't care because I'll be on a boat running up and down the River Medway, drinking tea and eating apple pies... All a bit bizarre... But good fun!

[Plasticman]

ah not much to add so keeping quiet, keep the laid back approach and it wont be stressfull . you will get there in the end, better to be sure of what it at fault or wrong before spending hard earned on whims etc.
It would be real interesting to know why they saw fit to do the heads and turbo twice, yes I know there was a time/mileage element but twice?
There are some firms as often spoken of by folks on here that change things in the proccess of elimmination school.very expensive way and dont always work,
Its hard when your paying someone for this and I would be fearfull but if you can do youself then it helps, problem comes with knowing when wear is excessive etc, so much can be learnt from stripping something down.
You now know how to have a good go at sussing the turbo, checking the breathing etc , and if at the end of the day you have to lift a head then do pull the pistons and get them checked over, the engines are so basic agricultural there is little to worry about.
have a good w'end as Im at my van the same
mike

[rhm]

Hi Guys, well unfortunately Bank Holiday didn't quite go as planned and as Im now back working away again.
I did some checks done.

Checked the turbo pipe, no heavy oil deposits there so perhaps the turbo oil seals aren't a major source of my problems.

Cleared out a fair bit of sludge from the breather pipe. It wasnt blocked and did have a flow of air which is now improved a little more.

I replaced the coroded oil return pipe to the sump. It now looks like the area around the pipes connection in the sump is also perforated through corrosion and also now has a very slow leak!

Is this a common problem? Is it feasible that the sump would become perforated through age? Im certain that the pipe connections are tightly sealed.

There is visibly blue smoke leaving the rocker cover through the breather pipe, so defo smoking from inside.
My compression tester has finally arived and ive just taken delivery of new injector washers (flame traps) and some other bits from brickwerks.

tbc

[rhm]

Compression test looming for this weekend.

Ive read the notes in the wiki, info a bit scant in relation to diesel however my understanding is that I take out the injectors, do tests with the washers, repeat with new washers.

What about the fuel pipes? I have the metal ones going to each injector from te diesel pump and also rubber ones linking each injector to the next. What purpose do they serve?

How easy is it to remove these without getting fuel all ober the place? Are these pipes delicate? Im not ham "interfered with" or clumsy but they way things have been going I doubt if it'll be plain sailing!

What about deposits aroung the injector holes, how best to clear them away before i take the injectors out? I guess its best not to let crud fall into the holes

Cheers my dears

[Plasticman]

metal pipes are sturdy, undo at both ends and dont strain them, rubber pipes are the returns to tank no pressure here but make sure they are in good order as fuel costs money and leaks are messy, crud! airline and clean what you can before removal then as they are being removed more air,
have fun
mike ( cos i am , am on hols )

[rhm]

Cheers for that Mike, I appreciate you taking the time to reply, especially while on your jollies.

Ok, compression test done, quite surprised at how relatively straightforward it was too. I was expecting fuel leak all over when taking the fuel lines etc off but not so.

Ive used new injection washers for the test and then put further new ones in when the injectors went back in too.

Had a bit of a hiccup, got all the return pipes on but dropped the small blank end for the first injector into the engine gaps under the pump and couldn't for the life of me retrieve it. Like a numpty I started the engine without it and had fuel pumping out for a second or two. Have since fabricated a stop gap blank end by cuttinga bit of pipe off one of the longer ones and stopping the end with a small plug and sealing it around with self amalgamating tape. Seems to be holding pro temp but will get a new just in case.

Anyway, down to the nitty gritty, according to the wiki info for the Diesel 1.6 NA (normally aspirated?) , minimum 11 bar, but the range should be 28 bar (406 PSI) ~ 34 (493) with the max difference of 5 (73). Will the figures be any different for the 1.6TD?

Ive got very close readings for all 4 pots, the first 3 pots are approx 400, there or therabouts, the 4th pot, the far end where one of the oil pressure switch's is was about 420. As long as the range isn't any different for a TD then I guess this suggests my problems aren't in the pistons but the valves etc. Is that right?

I must it seems to be getting more and more smokey each time I start it up.

Ive still got a small bit of oil weeping from the sump but that small beer in the current scheme of things. Im sure its perforated.

[rhm]

Just sourced a thread which suggests that Bentleys states the commpression range for the 1.6td is:

normal 34 bar (500psi)
lower limit 28 bar (400psi)
max difference between cylinders 5bar (72psi)

I guess this suggests my readings are lower than normal but at least at the lower limit. I guess tho that ideally I should aim to get them back to norm when possible.

Any body out there with the Bentleys able to verify these numbers for me please?

Been thinking about what appears to have been an ongoing problem (of sorts) with this engine. 2 new turbo's, 2 new heads etc etc. which along with recent drips n drops etc. Im now leaning towards putting in a recon unit from Remtec. My thinking is that I get a fresh base start with everything new (well almost).

Cost wise, well I guess by the time the engines been stripped down, checked etc. then the labour costs and parts is likely to add up to about the same in the long run, and thats if eveything is sorted right the first time around. My worry is that if it doesn't then the costs could rise exponentially with the probability that any fault would be blamed on what wasn't done first off rather than correcting what had been done, but not done right. (does that make sense?) With a recon, I have the backing of the guarantee.

Not that sure about total costs though. I reckon that it'll be a net £1650 for the recon unit, but what other costs am I likley to be looking at to have my old block taken out, ancillarys stripped off and swapped over to the recon block etc? Anybody able to give me a ball park figure for the number of hours work this would require?

Anybody able to recommend agood garage/mechanic able to this work in my locality?

Cheers for now peeps

[Plasticman]

Nearly right, but.............youve got compression and importantly its fairly even across the cyyclinders, but if I was to sneak round and remove your oil rings I very much doubt that you would be able to tell with a comp test, if you follow,
Engines have different types of piston ring and the compression rings are often specific to the groove/land they sit in oil rings/oil scraper rings/oil control rings are entirely different, and have not dicernable effect on compression,
Its your call but If it was my engine then cos I can rebuild it easy enough myself saving any labour costs ,then I would whip it out, strip it, measure it and go from there, or be damned and stick a 1.9 along the lines of aaz or eqv' in, even a 1Y for absolute simplicity
either way a cheap and satisfactory option
Mike

[horns]

If you want a new engine, get one - but to be honest it still doesn't sound like there's much wrong with your old one other than the fact that it's old...