Quote:
Originally Posted by imbodie
Ok... Let me just hit each question...
Rotella 15-40, same as in my Dodge Cummins
oil seperator??? I have a rubber tube from valve cover to air intake that is an exhaust gas recirc of sorts... whats an oil seperator?
It's not pouring out anywhere though there is smoke when it runs but NOTHING like I would think you would see with a quart every 25 miles which is about the rate I'm loosing it.
The smoke that I am seeing is white or whiteish-blue. I did romp on it twice on my return trip home and got pretty good rolls of black smoke, but then that was expected when I did it.
It has been pretty cold here and since the 3 new glow plugs that I put in last week the car is firing right up and the motor sounds quite strong. I've never had an engine need rebuilt that started so easy.... It's hitting on first crank every time.
Planning a compression test, but really wonder if this is the issue.
Thanks for the feedback.
Tim
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Due to their extreme high compression compared to gas engines, diesels can burn quite a lot of oil and not have any major visible smoke. You could pour straight motor oil into your fuel tank and the engine would run OK on it. The heat and pressure in the combustion chamber are so high that it will burn almost anything.
Your situation sounds like a combination of factors, leaking and burning both. The stuff collecting on the intake runners is oil from a leaky valve cover gasket. The cork gaskets on these engines are notorious leakers. If you install a rubber 1-piece one, available from Volvo or some parts houses, it solves the problem. Check your valve clearances while you're in there.
The main thing going on is almost certainly worn, damaged and/or stuck piston rings. Valve seals or guides cannot cause that much oil consumption. Using non-diesel-rated oil is likely a big part of the problem here. Diesel oils are formulated to handle the soot production and different kinds of stresses found in a diesel engine. If gasoline engine oil is used, serious sludging and deposit problems can result, which will gum up the rings and prevent proper sealing. That may be part of what's going on in your engine if non-diesel oil was used for a long period of time. If that is the case, you may be able to help free them up by using some different types of oil, such as Lubro-Moly's MoS2 anti-friction stuff or a good lightweight synthetic, or even some additives like Marvel Mystery Oil or Rislone. However, that can turn into an expensive experiment since those oils are not cheap when you're burning through it as fast as you are. You may see some positive results, but then again you may not.
There is also the possibility that the rings have been damaged by overheating, or are just plain worn. I used to have a VW Rabbit with the 1.6L diesel (same as a D24 with two less cylinders). When I bought it, it used over a quart of oil every 100 miles. I tried different oils and additives and it made no difference. I pulled the head off and had it rebuilt with new valves, guides, seals etc, and that made no difference either. Finally I took the pistons out and discovered that the rings were shot -- cylinder bores were OK, but the rings had had all their spring cooked out of them by someone overheating it in the past. I gave the cylinders a light hone, cleaned the pistons and installed new standard-size rings and it was completely fixed. That engine never used so much as a drop of oil again. I drove it all across the country and never once added oil to it.
Even when it was burning through oil like crazy, the Rabbit always started and ran perfectly and barely smoked. I couldn't believe it could be the rings until I finally tore it down.
My guess is that your situation is similar.