Am i missing something?

[TDsamurai]

So ive put 1000km on my rebuilt 1.6TD and the whole time it was sipping away at the oil and i kept topping it up, figured the rings are just seating. Until i drove it to work and back and the oil ended up low. It must have gotten worse. Anyway i started the diagnosis.

I was running the crankcase vent to the intake as it was factory if im not mistaken. To see where the oil was going, as there are no evident leaks, i put the vent into a bucket and went for a drive. After 50km i ended up with 250ml of oil and quite a bit under the hood aswell... So being optimistic im hoping its not excessive blowby as i just had the bottom end rebuilt at a local engine builders. I have a camshaft baffle on the way now and i got a PCV/oil seperator from a later model diesel that has the drain to block. So im hoping this will make things better which i would imagine it definately will, however i have a hard time believing the factory system is now a problem. Im running a stock pump with a quarter turn on the fuel screw, boost only sees 10psi. Obviously i should check the compression but without the gauge that is difficult, and the thing fires up very easy so i figure compression must be good.

Is there anything im missing, any other possibilities?

I was going to retorque my head but the instructions for the ARP headstuds said it isnt neccessary with this fancy lube they come with. Could this be the issue? would i not see other symptoms?

Thanks for the help in advance.

[RabbitJockey]

sounds like lots of blow by, does it do it  more on the high way?  i had a car that actually ran away from me because of too much blow by, it blew the headgasket and stuff, so i reringed it and put it all back together, and still ran away from me, so routed the vc vent into a soda bottle, during normal driving it would slowly turn the paper towels in it black, but for some reason on the highway oil would gush out, i added the extra vent from the front of the block to the valve cover, and connected it back up to the intake manifold and never had another issue with it.  sold the car actually, wish i wouldn't have haha was a pretty nice 83 rabbit with an automatic.

[410]

Your rings might need a few more miles before they start seating properly.  I think you have the right idea with camshaft baffle, the pvc/oil separator and with a few more miles the bottom end should start breaking in nicely.  I find higher loads at lower rpms like 2000 rpm seats rings in the best.

[TDsamurai]

i would like to think its just not broken in yet but a cup of oil in 50km is that normal or even heard of for a fresh rebuild?

[410]

A fresh motor, no cam baffle or pcv/oil separator and high rpms?  I say yes to that much in 50km imo.

[rodpaslow]

TDsamari - I did the exact same thing as you and though my rebuild was junk.  However, I knew from previous cars I had that the factory spot to draw air was not from the crankcase, but a vent in the cam cover.  I initially had it drawing from the crankcase, and I found mine was doing the same. I went for a short drive and had about a litre of oil in the can!  So, I moved the hose to draw the crankcase gasses to the valve cover (you should have the correct VW pcv valve(it not really a valve, but it will be easier to connect to) and MUST have the plastic cam cover that sits under the valve cover as well, and then just move the hose to draw the air from the valve cover.  It will solve your problem.

I've been driviing mine now for two months connected the factory correct way and has not used a drop of oil since. 

[TDsamurai]

ok thanks guys im quite relieved to hear that.

[maxfax]

All of the above, and - Are you using the vac pump?  It exhausts to the crankcase..  IF it is sucking air it just pumps it in there and can push oil out..  IF you are using it, make sure there are no vac leaks, if not just plug it..

[Mark(The Miser)UK]

If the gauze inside the cam cover is blocked up to the point where it is only partially open for the venting gases, then the increased velocity of the 'smaller' vent allows more oil to escape, rather than condense on the gause and drip back.

I have seen this so bad that, for instance on a carb engine the sump oil poured out into the air filter and down the outside of the carb like a chocolate fountain. Immediate thoughts were "Rings gone".

It must reach a critical point, because the event happened within a week or so.
I just happpened upon an ex vw engineer, who said it was likely the valve cover, and was a quirk of vw engines.
I couldn't afford the £50 for a new cover, so I ripped off the spotwelded cover and revealed the layers of gauze.

I took out at least 3 tablespoons of gritty black glue.

Saved me a rebuild. Anyay that was 20 years ago, and since then, I've spotted the same effects on the diesels and worsened by the vent going into the intake in front of the air filter, and so is preferentially sucked by the engine.

[R.O.R-2.0]

go out, take that new engine and run it like ya stole it!

my fresh rings seated nice n' quick in my turbo 1.5 when i re ringed it.

[TDsamurai]

well for now ill clean the screen, and once my baffle and cover gasket get in i will slap er together and i will definately drive it the way it deserves. Should be back together early next week.