Oil consumption and engine wear...

[martyc]

My beautiful (well to me, most people would say she's a bit tired...) Bessie has done 145k and is going in for a cambelt and water pump with a friend today (£50 + parts, can't complain). I was having a poke about under the bonnet, noticed the rocker cover is leaking virtually all the way round and the dipstick wasn't fully seated... Now to be fair the dipstick could well be my fault for not putting in fully (I'll check on it again soon). Paranoia is telling me at this sort of mileage and with these symptoms it could well be excessive crankcase pressure related to engine wear. Am I being a flid or could I be looking along the right lines here? Next job is rocker cover gasket and oil/filter, but I don't wanna keep chucking money at an engine that's on it's last legs. She runs/drives fine, no noticeable smoke and just passed the emissions test on the MOT by a mile. In approx 6k miles it's used about 3.5 litres of oil which doesn't seem huge, but like I mentioned the rocker cover gasket is leaking (and well overdue an oil and filter jobbie still...)

 

[yippeekiay]

Sort the rocker cover gasket first and see how it goes as that's a very cheap fix so worth the outlay even if you find later that it's more terminal. Hopefully it is just the rocker cover. :thumb:

 

[quest63]

Perhaps a problem with crankcase breather pipe or valve

 

[Daveyca55]

Sounds fine mate. Mine is using nearly 3 and a half litres a week! lol. Oil burning wont show up on the emissions as they only test for gasses that are created when u burn fuel, not oil. It would have to smoke really bad to fail an mot. Mine passed the emissions test with flying colours and there was blue smoke coming out of it at the time lol
Rocker cover gasket would be the main reason its losing oil. Also, check the breather pipes in the middle of where the inlet manifold is. these split and leak out oil.
My engine's on 187k so would say youve still got a bit of life left in yours yet

 

[martyc]

Well cambelt and waterpump are done, will slip a new rocker Gasket in, drop the oil and see how she behaves. Oil consumption is getting worse but still drives spot on with no smoke, oil residue in the exhaust or other terminal signs. I reckon she'll last a while yet, quite proud of the old girl

 

[Anonymous]

Maybe an oil & filter change will benefit.

My Puma used to drink oil almost as much as the fuel. I got the oil and filter changed as they were very overdue, and since then, the oil only needs a small top up every couple of months.