Oil leak - dont know where its going though...!

[purplecrocs]

Hi all

I've developed an oil leak, thats gone from the occasional top-up to it going from maximum to minimum on the dipstick after a couple of hundred miles. I've just been to France and got through the best part of 5ltrs of oil!

Thing is, theres no oil on the drive so its not dripping out. Theres also no smoke that I've particularly noticed coming out of the exhaust ... wheres it going?

Thanks for any advice....

[KINGPRAWN]

Must be smoking a bit or leaking when under pressure

[discipleofsketch]

welcome to the club! What engine is yours? My diesel 1Y drinks oil like a tractor, but no visible leaks, and (from the drivers seat at least) no smoke.

see: https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=121608" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I've been in denial, but resigned myself to the fact that it must be burning it - asked a couple of mechanics about a compression test, but both said the same thing - don't bother - it's probably burning it due to worn bores/ pistons, best to strip it down and inspect it, it's likely to need new piston rings and a rebore. A possible explanation of no smoke, is that there probably is smoke, but i'm not seeing it, because it's dispersed and low down.

I'm mulling over rebuild vs replace with something else (read as: better ), currently leaning towards the latter.

Not saying that yours isn't just a leak, mind - hope you find one

[itchyfeet]

Get a friend to drive it hard on a motorway while you follow in a car and watch may be easier to see the smoke when its dark in the headlights

[purplecrocs]

Its a 1.9 DG petrol. Its got over 270 thousand KM on the clock so not sure its got that much more life in it?!

Wonder whether to get a rebuild done (dont know where though) or buy a reconditioned anyway for peace of mind...

[itchyfeet]

how do you know the engine has 270000 KM it may not the the original.

if it's petrol and you are burning 5L in 200 miles you will see the smoke if you follow it, or smell the burnt oil, if it leaking out only when driving you will waste a lot of money changing the engine. Worth checking first and in my opinion worth a compression test.

[purplecrocs]

Its not 5L in 200... its from max to min in 200 miles... so thats maybe half a litre or a bit less probably per couple of hundred

Just assuming its the original, I haven't changed it in 4 years and the person who I bought it off hadn't changed it and had had it for a similar time. (how would I tell?). I think I've also got the previous German service history and don't recall seeing anything there.

I was told a few years back that all the push rod tubes had been replaced by telescopic ones and that there was a bit of oil leaking from them, could it be that just got (a lot) worse? I dont know if thats the sort of place it would leak under pressure? (but not stood still). I don't know what push rods are and whether the telescopic ones can be replaced again?!

What is a compression test - what does it diagnose? (bit of an engine novice!)

Cheers

[itchyfeet]

A compression tester is just an air pressure guage that screws into the spark plug hole
You usually get the engine hot take the spark plugs out screw it in by hand and crank the engine for 5 seconds
Do that on all cylinders and the pressure you get is a good indication of the condition of the pistons liners and rings

Its not fool proof but a tester is only £25 in halfrauds so worth it I think

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_255216" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;