Club 80-90 Forums

HELPPPPPPP
Two years ago my 1985 2.1 injection petrol engine Westfalia conversion T3 camper needed a new clutch whilst in southern Spain. The local VW garage in Alumencar did the job. This year whilst travelling around the same area the clutch broke up (after < 10,000 km). I was towed back to the garage who repaired it. It took 3 weeks for them to get the parts so while I waited I asked them to look at a water leak I had around the right hand side cylinder head which seemed to be a worn rubber seal. To do this they took the head off and apparently the pistons came out of the sleeves as a friend of mine was passing and saw it. We got it back last week and found the following:

1 Water was leaking - not much but from a pipe connected to the head.
2 fuel consumption was up from 11 liters per 100 km to 20 liters per 100 km
3 MASSIVE oil loss, approx 1 liter per 100 km

I took it back and they repaired the water leak but said there was no oil leak.
Now such a large amount of oil must be leaking or being burnt.
There is no sign of oil leakage apart from a wet patch under the bell housing directly over the exhaust cross pipe, no splutter forwards or behind and no drops whilst standing or whilst the motor is running but the van standing still. I had thought maybe the bell housing engine casing/ clutch oil seal had failed and the oil was dripping onto the exhaust cross pipe whilst we drove and being burnt, but I can't believe such a large amount is being lost that way, it doesn't look like it.
The tail pipe is black and sooty.
We have done the standard drive in 3rd at high revs and drop the throttle and power up to see any oil puffs, very little.
There is a white tail puff whilst standing and dropping, flooring the throttle which looks like unburnt fuel but no blue burning oil puff.
I am baffled and can't get any leverage on the garage to look at it again. They simply say its nothing to do with their work, its an old van, 270,000 Km on the engine and the engine isn't leaking, its "eating" (Comida in Spanish) the oil. but it didn't do this before! Their only offer is to do an expensive total engine strip down but they actually don't want to touch it again. Could they have broken an oil ring whilst changing the water jacket seal? Would this give the same results? How could I test?
Any ideas?
Mank Thanks
Steve
http://www.whistlingmule.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; on location in southern Spain

To answer my own question, it seems there is no leak, the engine is burning the oil, why? Well latest idea is that the garage removed the head, a liner stuck, a piston popped out and when it was put back the liner wasn't replaced exactly as it was and through age is ovaled so now there is a big blowby. Anyone think this sounds plausible? If this is correct I'll strip the engine myself and replace pistons, rings and liners, anyone know where to buy these and roughly how long it might take and what's involved? I have bike and yacht mechanical experience by not more with VW boxer motors.
Cheers
Steve

The 'wet patch' at the front (clutch) end is either the crankshaft oil seal or the gearbox input shaft oil seal .... if you're losing that much engine oil my money's 100% on the former.

Ian

whistlingmule wrote:To answer my own question, it seems there is no leak, the engine is burning the oil, why? Well latest idea is that the garage removed the head, a liner stuck, a piston popped out and when it was put back the liner wasn't replaced exactly as it was and through age is ovaled so now there is a big blowby. Anyone think this sounds plausible? If this is correct I'll strip the engine myself and replace pistons, rings and liners, anyone know where to buy these and roughly how long it might take and what's involved? I have bike and yacht mechanical experience by not more with VW boxer motors.
Cheers
Steve

Sounds plausible but if the did put the rings in without staggering the gaps you could also get blow by.

Do a leak test and see what occurs by leaktest.

To be losing that much oil I would say though there is a seal gone but you would notice that kind of leakage

Thanks for the replies, checked the head and exhaust today, reved up and in clear sunlight there IS a lot of blue smoke so oil is being burnt. No leak visible from the crank seals. I removed plugs and low and behold the plug under the airfilterbox was TOTALLY black and crusted and covered in oil. This is the piston that came out of its lining when they took the head off. I know what's going to happen, I'll call round and say "its burning oil" and they'll say "yes its old" and I'll say "but it didn't do it before, did you take the pistons out of the lining?" and they'll say "no" and I'll say "are you sure" and they'll say "sure" and I'll have to say "well, that's not true, a friend saw them out and we think there's blowby because of the way you put them back, maybe you broke and oil ring or rotated the lining which might be a bit oval" and they will just refuse to do anything. Any ideas how to handle this? What would you do?

Cheers
Steve

Considering the cost and total dissapointment & inconveniance of what appears to be bad workmanship from this VW dealership.Why dont you get in touch with VWs customer services main office with an independant engineers report and explain to them the problem .