My engine has used nearly 2 litres of oil in under 2000 miles .I have done mostly town driving with a couple of longer journeys.
Im going to try and find out if its loosing oil through the breather before i do a compression test and then a leak down test but im prepairing myself for the worst just in case.
The car has done 59k and doesnt leak oil what so ever and to be honest it only shows blue smoke when its first started from cold but that quickly clears.I have yet to get someone drive behind me when i push the car under load to see if it smokes but i never notice anything from the mirror and the way its loosing oil you would think there would be quite alot of smoke.
If my compression is down and i need new rings what pistons are best to go with that offer good performance and strength.As i assume i cant use the oe ones again even if they are not damaged ,is this correct.I dont want to rebuild the car as an out and out race engine as i do not have the funds but would like to upgrade the pistons if i find i need new ones(hopefuly not though)Or could this amout of oil usage be due to wear in the head or is it unlikely? I realy hope its not in the block .
The car still pulls realy well and a friend who has a 250bhp cooper s thinks mine feels hardly different to his.

 

is usually valve seals, where oil comes down the valve when the car is sitting for a while. This would be a very easy fix compared to rings or the like...

Matt

 

Could worn valve seals make the car use this much oil? also what test would give me a acurate result as to what condition my rings are in?

 

If a leakdown test says that you have ring issues, it's more than likely that you'll need pistons instead of just rings. The stock pistons are known for collapsing ring lands and seizing the rings when you are running high boost, nitrous and the like. This is an issue with any motor like ours that has high ring lands. If you need to pull the pistons, you might do well to upgrade 'em while you are in there.

 

What sort offer strength and can handle performance modds.As for the venom kit its plumbed in but the jet isnt tapped into the blenum.The guy before me who had the car fitted the jet into the stock intake pipe but since ive fitted a alta CAI kit i didnt bother and will not use the system as im worried it might cause and indeed may of caused my possible problem.The car is realy quick with out the venom kit and so if i can fix this oil issue i will run the car with out the venom kit..

 

Have a 5.9 Dodge V8 Ram that started to consume mass quantities of oil at a relatively low mileage. Discovered that a leaking intake manifold gasket was the culprit. Don't know if this would apply.

 

The only thing is i cant see any sign of oil leakage around or under the engine.And theres zero drops on my garage floor.I rely hope its something other than rings as it will cost me heaps i guess to put right if its with in the bottom end.

 

but not an I-4.

Matt

 

I've had engines that burned that much oil (or more) as the result of worn valve guide seals, although they all had more than 59k miles. But the fact that you're getting blue smoke at startup points to the guide seals, even if there's nothing else wrong.

To narrow things down, you can do a compression test on the engine. Record the compression values, and then squirt a teaspoon of motor oil into each cylinder and repeat the test. If the second set of numbers are significantly higher than the first, you probably have ring wear. If both tests give about the same results, the rings are probably fine and the oil consumption is coming from the valve guide seals.

 

thanks i'll try that and prey its head trouble and not below.

 

I'll add another vote for heads-valve seals probably.

(If you end up pulling the heads, you'll get a good look at the cylinders and that should ease concerns about the rings)

 

I have yet to do the compression and leak down test but i was told that if i find a decent hill apply a little throttle at the top then let the car run in 5th gear to the bottom of the hill with no extra throttle, then at the bottom of the hill dip the clutch and apply throttle.If the car kicks out blue smoke its more than likely rings if it doesnt then its valve guide seals..
Does this sound right?

 

I've heard of a similar test where you take it up near redline in 2nd gear and then lift off, engine braking to 2k or so and then flooring it. Something about high vacuum when off throttle sucks the oil out and then flooring it will cause a puff of smoke.

 

Ok so i did a test some one sujusted which is find a decent hill approch it at a decent speed and then make sure your in a high gear (5th or 6th) and go down the hill using no further throttle.At the bottom press the clutch in and rev the engine .If it showed blue smoke then it would sujust worn rings if there was no smoke it would more than likley be worn valve guides.I did get some blue smoke and so now im worried it might be rings.Is this an acurate test or could it still possibly be the head.I will do a compression test next.

 

The high vacuum from running downhill with no throttle could easily have pulled oil from the cylinder head down through the valve guides, so I don't think the test really told you anything you didn't already know.

You already know that at a minimum, you have worn valve guide seals, because of the "morning puff of smoke" symptom. Oil can easily leak downward past worn valve guide seals overnight - it can't leak UP past worn rings.

After you do the wet-versus-dry compression tests, I think you'll know exactly where the problem is.

 

Thanks mate,that makes sence,i was also told by my mechanic that as my intercooler has oil in it (which he noticed when we had it off) it will also lead to some smoke.So he has asked me to flush my intercooler out and as i now have a oil catch can it should keep things clear for when i retry the test.Obviously i will do this dry/wet test asap when i can get to see him as he has the tools .

 

I doubt oil in the intercooler would be a problem unless there's a lot of it getting through the pcv and breather. It's normal to find some oil in there as it condenses out of the gas phase when going through the intercooler. The pcv and breather are there to let these gasses enter the intake tract.

 

and get a compression tester or a leak down tester. At Harbor Freight they are cheap. In the end, it will take less time to do the tests right and know than to do a bunch of these tests and not know.

Matt

 

Ive got just under 120 psi on 1,3 and 4 piston and 95 on 2.The leakdown though not done realy correctly showed 1 and 3 to be leaking from the valves i was told.Either way im taking the head off and replacing the seals etc and possible reseating the valves and then fitting CP pistons With ARP bolts ,this way hopfuly it will be stronger

 

but at least you have a direction to go, and it will all be better soon! Well, all but the credit card balance!

Matt

 

Well, I still haven't seen any firm evidence of ring leakage from any of the tests you've done, but I guess if you pull the heads, replace the valve guide seals, re-lap the valve, and replace the pistons (which also entails new rings), then I guess you'll have all the bases covered.

Are you planning some serious performance mods that warrant the new pistons/rings?

 

Do you mean it still could be my head causing that much loss of compression?
I dont realy want to have to buy new pistons but i guess when i remove the head i will be able to see the state of them to a certain degree.I also thought i would do a test where i will fill the bores with parafin and leave them over night,to see if theres any leakage,Before taking the costly step of removing and replacing the pistons.
As far as going for big power.Im currently running around 245bhp and would like to use my m7 venom kit but dont want to push the internals any further without upgrading to better pistons,bolts,etc.If my pistons/rings turn out to be ok (though i dought it )i would be happy to just redo the head and not use the venom kit .But i dont want to strip the head off twice as the cost is too much so i have to know for sure when the head is removed exactly whats needed to make the engine good again.

 

Well, the paraffin test might give misleading results, because piston rings seal their best when they're assisted by the cylinder pressure from combustion. When you're only relying on the spring tension of the rings, you might get a little bit of leakage overnight, even if there's nothing wrong with the rings.

When you get the head off, look at the condition of the cylinder walls and the rings themselves. Also, look at how much of a "ring ridge" is present on the cylinder walls at the top of the rings' travel. You can also look at the piston tops for any signs of detonation damage.

You *are* making a significant amount of power, and I'm not trying to talk you out of a piston upgrade if it would make you more comfortable with the longevity of your engine, but replacing the valve guides, lapping the valve seats, and replacing the cylinder head gasket might still solve all of your problems.

The only other test I'd still recommend would be the wet/dry compression test. That will give you the best indication of whether the leakage is upwards through the valve guides or downward past the piston rings.