Club 80-90 Forums

We've got a problem with our 1.6 TD engine - It's been replaced about 6 months ago and we haven't had any problems with it. But checked the oil recently and it was very low - put two bottles of oil in since and it's still just about up to the "min" mark, and seems to just disappear very quickly.
However, there appears to be no leak - even when it's parked up for a week, there's no oil puddle underneath.
There are a few small oil splashes over the tailgate, though, so it might just leak when the engine is running? Is that possible? And why would that happen? Does anyone have an idea where we should start checking?

Thank you!

td's do use more oil than the other engines.is it burning oil.what colour is the exhaust smoke...

The smoke is quite dark for a minute or so after starting up, not really afterwards though.
What would be the reason for it burning oil? Surely it isn't meant to do that. It's only been on one longer trip since we noticed this (Bristol-Manchester and back) and at least one bottle of oil has just disappeared in this time.

Johanna wrote:The smoke is quite dark for a minute or so after starting up, not really afterwards though.
What would be the reason for it burning oil? Surely it isn't meant to do that. It's only been on one longer trip since we noticed this (Bristol-Manchester and back) and at least one bottle of oil has just disappeared in this time.

are you smelling fuel in the cab? could be the floater - i have just this weekend had this problem

I haven't smelled any fuel so far. What is the floater? (sorry about the stupid questions. It's a steep learning curve).

He's on about his petrol engine...!!!!!

You should be checking the oil level every week really.. these "old" vehicles have a habit of using oil as they are.... old.... always check before going on a long run as if you start with a low oil level and it uses some, it could end in tears....

My 1.6td uses a bit of oil as Toomanytoys said you should check it every week.The td engine does work hard .

toomanytoys wrote:He's on about his petrol engine...!!!!!

d'oh! apologies all

Alright, thank you all! We'll just keep topping it up then. Does it make a difference what oil you use and is it really bad if you mix two different brands?

i use diesel semi synthetic in my td.i was told to use it by vw when i bought my new engine a couple of years ago....

What sort of quantity of oil is it using in how many miles?

Top up with good quality semi-synthetic 15W40 diesel oil. Anything from Halfords should be Ok, they don`t sell really cheap stuff.

Johanna wrote:It's only been on one longer trip since we noticed this (Bristol-Manchester and back) and at least one bottle of oil has just disappeared in this time.

If you're burning a litre every 200 miles I would be putting the cheaper stuff in!!

Old engines do burn oil but.......thats a lot!!

When you say "engine was replaced 6 months ago" was it replaced with a recon unit or just another engine of unknown origin?

If it had a recon unit fitted then I would take it back to the place who fitted it, as that amount of oil usage isn`t normal or right.

Turbo motors shouldn`t neccesarily burn more oil than a N/A engine, unless the turbo seals have gone, in which case you will see it burning oil, the exhaust smoke will be blue if it`s sucking it in and burning it, or probably thick white if it`s just pumping it out on the exhaust side.

Westy.Club.Joker wrote:...just another engine of unknown origin...

Yes, that's the one...
We haven't really monitored properly how much it uses, but we'll keep an eye on it. I'd say it was something like 1l in 400-500 miles, but I have a feeling it may have been running constantly slightly low during that time so that might be why it used more?

I have owned by van for 4 years now- it uses up oil- I keep monitoring it all the time - I have it down to a fine art- 160 miles from Coventry to lake district it will use up perhaps midway between min and max- I make sure it is always topped up
one tip- check that it is not leaking oil at the turbo seals - sometimes if you park on a hill you will see if there si a collection of oil in the covers underneath the van - abit of a glue.

I replaced the turbo unti on my van - pricey - I now get much better performance - ie the power comes on well at 3000 rpm. the engine has more in her but i don't like to push too hard. i always make sure I have a small bottle to fill up between min and max.

i have spoken to many mechanics amd indeed russell in synchronutz - frankly you may be bettr carefully monitoring and topping up for all the cost involved especially if the engine is working well as mine is. I'm not sure a replacement engine is the answer unless you are going to upgrade to a tdi 1.9
I hope this helps. the engines of these vans especially the 1.6 td has to work really hard given the weight of the vehicle
take care and keep motoring and just keep checking the oil level- always check at the start of the day or at least allow plenty of time for oil to settle- it is bad also to overfill - the engines don't like that. it is a quirk of the van.

sometimes the pistons will have developed a little space but maybe only one of them
Keep away from VW main dealers- they wouldn't even measure the compression on my engine so I never went back with it.

Muckamore