Heavy oil burning
#1
08-06-2014, 06:16 PM
Heavy oil burning
Hi again,
I had recently posted about a sudden onset of oil burning and smoking. I ended up changing the valve stem seals which had fixed the smoking part of things but the van is really burning oi badly as I found out during a 4000 mile trip.
I burned a few quarts of oil during the trip and am pondering what to do. The van only has 190,000 km on it (120,000 miles) and its worth fixing if need be. I checked a few plugs and the rear cylinders are burning the oil. One was a bit sticky with burnt oil and the other had big chunks of deposits forming on it to the point where they broke off pulling the plug out. Like I said, I don't see any smoke from the cab but you can smell it bad engine braking down hills and you can also smell it going up some hills...there's generally a smell of 10w30 lingering at all times.
Is this something that can be ignored? Am I looking at having a valve break in half because of the clearances?
I can accept some smell but I need this van to be dependable since it doesn't generally leave the driveway for less than a 1000 mile trip. Please provide any guidance as this is a new problem for me.
Thanks, Steve
I had recently posted about a sudden onset of oil burning and smoking. I ended up changing the valve stem seals which had fixed the smoking part of things but the van is really burning oi badly as I found out during a 4000 mile trip.
I burned a few quarts of oil during the trip and am pondering what to do. The van only has 190,000 km on it (120,000 miles) and its worth fixing if need be. I checked a few plugs and the rear cylinders are burning the oil. One was a bit sticky with burnt oil and the other had big chunks of deposits forming on it to the point where they broke off pulling the plug out. Like I said, I don't see any smoke from the cab but you can smell it bad engine braking down hills and you can also smell it going up some hills...there's generally a smell of 10w30 lingering at all times.
Is this something that can be ignored? Am I looking at having a valve break in half because of the clearances?
I can accept some smell but I need this van to be dependable since it doesn't generally leave the driveway for less than a 1000 mile trip. Please provide any guidance as this is a new problem for me.
Thanks, Steve
#2
08-06-2014, 09:29 PM
This is a hard case.
Without spending big bucks right out the door, have you done a Gunk Motor flush with that engine before? If not, that is the first thing. Next, the breather element and PCV valve. Order both from Rockauto to save a bunch. The Denso part for the breather works really nice. Clean out the hose too from the air-filer housing to the breather. (start fluid or brake cleaner will do the trick there.)
The Gunk Motor Flush will really clean out a bunch. If junk and clumps hit the oil bucket, a second treatment is needed.
If everything then works itself out from that, then keep doing a Lucas fuel and oil treatments for upper end lubrication.
Report back any changes too.
Without spending big bucks right out the door, have you done a Gunk Motor flush with that engine before? If not, that is the first thing. Next, the breather element and PCV valve. Order both from Rockauto to save a bunch. The Denso part for the breather works really nice. Clean out the hose too from the air-filer housing to the breather. (start fluid or brake cleaner will do the trick there.)
The Gunk Motor Flush will really clean out a bunch. If junk and clumps hit the oil bucket, a second treatment is needed.
If everything then works itself out from that, then keep doing a Lucas fuel and oil treatments for upper end lubrication.
Report back any changes too.
#3
08-06-2014, 11:38 PM
If the oil is not getting into the cylinders through the valve stem seals, then it is getting past the rings, or getting sucked in by the PCV valve.
Have you changed the PCV valve? If the PCV is not restricting flow properly it will suck more oil mist from the valve cover and run it through the throttle body or intake.
If the piston rings are all gunked up, and not sealing well, some people do a piston soak with seafoam or MMO. With plugs removed syringe some type of mild solvent into the cylinders. Turn the engine by hand a few times, let is soak in and remove any puddling solvent with a syringe on the cylinders before returning spark plugs and starting engine. No hydrolocking the cylinders
It'll probably smoke like a banshee when started and heating up.
Put some Techron or Redline SL1 or other PEA based fuel system cleaner in the gas, and give it an italian tune up or two IE drive it like you stole it.
Have you changed the PCV valve? If the PCV is not restricting flow properly it will suck more oil mist from the valve cover and run it through the throttle body or intake.
If the piston rings are all gunked up, and not sealing well, some people do a piston soak with seafoam or MMO. With plugs removed syringe some type of mild solvent into the cylinders. Turn the engine by hand a few times, let is soak in and remove any puddling solvent with a syringe on the cylinders before returning spark plugs and starting engine. No hydrolocking the cylinders
It'll probably smoke like a banshee when started and heating up.
Put some Techron or Redline SL1 or other PEA based fuel system cleaner in the gas, and give it an italian tune up or two IE drive it like you stole it.
#4
08-16-2014, 06:48 AM
#5
08-16-2014, 12:01 PM
Sorry, I was getting ready to update this thread. The whole thing is a bit long winded but I'm happy I kept tinkering away at the van as things are clearing up. The normal traveling weight of the van appears to be about 6700#s from a couple checks on the scales.
The heavy oil burning started during a 400 mile trip where a valve stem seal fell apart. That lead to some major blue smoke clouds coming out of the van at idle. I replaced the valve stem seals and went on a 1000 mile trip where the oil consumption continued but there was no smoke or smell.
The 4000 mile vacation was quite bad as previously mentioned. The van actually did really well on the 10000# trip and only sucked back about a litre.
After getting back from the vacation, I changed the PCV valve, changed the oil to high mileage Castrol, and removed a Ford style crank vent filter I had put in under the air cleaner.
The PCV valve I took out was a brand new Chrysler part and I put in a Fram. I don't think it was the problem but changed it as it is a standard thing to do with oil consumption problems. The high mileage oil is semi-synthetic so I expect it cleaned the rings a bit. I believe the major problem was that filter I installed and removed. The smell of oil went away immediately after taking it off. The engine must have so much blow-by that it will overwhelm the PCV valve when there is a restriction on the other vent.
The plan for now is to carry a gallon of oil in the van and keep on motoring. Hopefully all is well as it has lots of power and the smell went away.
Cheers, Steve
The heavy oil burning started during a 400 mile trip where a valve stem seal fell apart. That lead to some major blue smoke clouds coming out of the van at idle. I replaced the valve stem seals and went on a 1000 mile trip where the oil consumption continued but there was no smoke or smell.
The 4000 mile vacation was quite bad as previously mentioned. The van actually did really well on the 10000# trip and only sucked back about a litre.
After getting back from the vacation, I changed the PCV valve, changed the oil to high mileage Castrol, and removed a Ford style crank vent filter I had put in under the air cleaner.
The PCV valve I took out was a brand new Chrysler part and I put in a Fram. I don't think it was the problem but changed it as it is a standard thing to do with oil consumption problems. The high mileage oil is semi-synthetic so I expect it cleaned the rings a bit. I believe the major problem was that filter I installed and removed. The smell of oil went away immediately after taking it off. The engine must have so much blow-by that it will overwhelm the PCV valve when there is a restriction on the other vent.
The plan for now is to carry a gallon of oil in the van and keep on motoring. Hopefully all is well as it has lots of power and the smell went away.
Cheers, Steve