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Date:         Wed, 27 Aug 1997 00:23:25 -0600
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Gary A Meek <meek@OANET.COM>
Subject:      Unreal oil consumption on diesel Vanagon

Several years ago, I rebuilt my 1.6 litre TD motor, putting in 20 thou oversize pistons, and fitting them with Hastings oil and compression rings - all chromium.

I ran conventional oil for several thousand miles, then switched to Delvac 1, the Mobil synthetic designed for diesels. I slowly began using oil, at first a litre every thousand miles. Then several months ago, down to two hundred miles to the litre. At that point, I went back to Delvac conventional oil, as I could not afford the $ to keep feeding the motor, synthetic oil.

On my holidays just completed, the consumption increased to about 50 miles to the litre. Needless to say, when checking the oil, it has the cleanest oil for a diesel! The exhaust is sky blue and never black.

Back home, I just completed a compression test, thinking the rings must be worn or broken for some reason. The compression values average 480 psi throughout, which is what they were three years ago.

My question is then, can the compression rings be good, but the oil scraper ring fouled or broken? Alternatively, can the valve stem seals be so leaky as to allow oil to leak into the combusion chamber?

The motor has never ran low on coolant, or over heated. I changed the turbocharger, thinking the impeller was drawing oil from the oil lubricated bearings and driving it into the motor. Oil consumption was unchanged.

I'm baffled, annoyed and disgusted. What is the percentage likelihood of leaky valve stem seals versus defective oil scraper rings? ? ? Any other possibilities not heretofore considered? ?

E-mail me directly if you have a clue, as the head is coming off today at 1100 hours.

Gary A Meek Sherwood Park, Alberta Canada

82 Vanagon, turbo-diesel 83 Quantum, turbo-diesel 83 Audi, turbo-diesel


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