Mark Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 I happened to be under the bonnet of the disco this evenin, and thought I would check the oil - there was none to be seen on the dipstick so thought I had better top it up.... I ended up putting the best part of 2 litres in. Anyway, in february, when I MoT'd the car it had done 168000 miles (exactly!) and it has done just over 170000 now. I have put a similar amount of oil in once before, which by my rough calculations meaks if has used about 4 litres of oil in 2000 miles. This seems like quite a lot to me!!! Anyway, it doesn't leak in anything like the quantity that the IIa does, so I can only assume it is burning the oil. However it is not especially smokey either. The engine starts first time, every time, even in sub zero temperatures, but is somewhat gutless at times (I put this down to running 255/70-16 tyres, but could be wrong). So, does this sort of oil consumption point to something drasticly wrong, or should I just keep filling it up and treat is as a fuel cost? Cheers Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Humphreys Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 Have you looked for oil in the water? But could be rebuild time. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted May 30, 2006 Author Share Posted May 30, 2006 Yeah, I checked the water, and whilst it is murky, it dosn't have the oily sheen or mayoniase consitency that I would associate with a blown head gasket. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LR90 Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 Doesn't sound right. Mines got a very similar milage and growing fast. Oil change every 5k and with no top ups its still between the marks when it gets to the next oil change. Sure its not leaking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted May 30, 2006 Author Share Posted May 30, 2006 Sure its not leaking? There's no oily patch on the drive... It looks like the exxon-valdez parked in my car port where the series sits... Mark (getting slightly more paranoid) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Humphreys Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 There's no oily patch on the drive...It looks like the exxon-valdez parked in my car port where the series sits... Mark (getting slightly more paranoid) Could be the oil is only getting pass the rings when its hot/under load? The time to worry is when you turn it off and it still runs Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted May 30, 2006 Author Share Posted May 30, 2006 Possibly I should start worrying then... It did that on saturday, only for a couple of turns, and that was the first time I had noticed it and it hasn't dome it since. I wish I hadn't started this trian of thought now... Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 Have a read of this LR Tech bulletin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Humphreys Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 Possibly I should start worrying then... It did that on saturday, only for a couple of turns, and that was the first time I had noticed it and it hasn't dome it since.I wish I hadn't started this trian of thought now... Mark If it dose run on, put it in 5th, with the hand brake on & foot on the foot brake, and let the clutch out quick and stall it. But it sounds like a rebuild. I have have it hallen on a diesel car, not nice, but you know the signs now. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted May 31, 2006 Author Share Posted May 31, 2006 Paul, Cheers for the advice, so far the run on has only happened once, and has only been very brief. Methods of stopping are noted though... Ralph, Cheers for the tech bulletin. I will work through those instructions and see what happens. Given that my use of the car is pretty even between motorway milage (to sites/events), off-road low box/high revs (at sites/events) and general pottering around Horsham would this contribute to the oil consumption (as hinted at in the bulletin above)? Ta Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Don't panic Mark - not yet anyway. Mine (200Tdi Defender, 171k miles) also has an unhealthy appetite for oil - not quite 4l in 2k miles but 2-3l I would guess. I suspect the turbo oil seals as the culprit - one day I might get the turbo re-built... There is always a little oil in the air filter housing too so I suspect that there is some amount of piston blow-by. I have never had the engine continue to run with the ignition turned off. This is more likely to be the solenoid sticking than the engine running on it's own vapours. Running on oil vapours used to be a favourite trick of the TD engine and it is a self sustaining process - the faster the engine runs, the more oil vapours it makes and they in turn get in and make the engine run faster still. This results in the engine screaming along until mechanical failure occurs - either through component stress or lack of oil. For now, don't worry about it. Oil is a lot cheaper than mending it and as long as it is not a problem I am inclined to leave it alone. If the rest of the engine were to give out I would be peeved if I had just spent hundreds on a new turbo! At the moment I feel the same way about the injectors and pump. When this engine expires/needs lots spent on it I will look into an engine conversion... Ford Duratorque? Mercedes Sprinter engine? Isuzu 2.8l? mmmm? Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted May 31, 2006 Author Share Posted May 31, 2006 Cheers Chris, the voice of reason as ever... The run on, I am not really concerned about. As I say it has only happened once, and brieflty at that. The turbo is an oily mess, so your diagnosis of the turbo oil seals may indeed be a good one. I will keep an eye on it though. The last thing i want to do at the moment is an engine rebuild! As I say the engine pulls well, and runs very willingly - not things I would attribute to an engine with a blown head gasket. Cheers Mark (Sticking head back into the sand) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Cheers Chris, the voice of reason as ever...The run on, I am not really concerned about. As I say it has only happened once, and brieflty at that. The turbo is an oily mess, so your diagnosis of the turbo oil seals may indeed be a good one. I will keep an eye on it though. The last thing i want to do at the moment is an engine rebuild! As I say the engine pulls well, and runs very willingly - not things I would attribute to an engine with a blown head gasket. Cheers Mark (Sticking head back into the sand) My head gasket went a few years ago - may have been on it's way out when i bought it... It was not specailly dramatic, just used a lot of water initially and, as time (many months) went on made lots of bubbles and pressure in the header tank. When I did replace it I had the head re-built and gas flowed by Turners. ~£600 with a new set of (cheapo) injectors. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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