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croSSeduP Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2004 Posts: 1106 Location: Western Washington State
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Posted: Sat May 29, 2021 10:04 am Post subject: Acceptable Oil Usage? |
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I just took two days to drive from Tacoma to Sacramento. It’s a 12+ hour drive. My engine is new, not really even broken in yet. It burned 2 qrts on the trip down, and I added a third when I got into town. Occasionally on the freeway I would see some blue smoke trailing me, but then it would go away.
What’s the acceptable oil usage of a new engine? Is what I’ve described within the range of normal? _________________ Please check my '67 sedan project progress!
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evanfrucht Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2016 Posts: 2180 Location: Laurel Canyon, CA
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Posted: Sat May 29, 2021 10:08 am Post subject: Re: Acceptable Oil Usage? |
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That does not seem normal. I never took a 12+ hour drive, but I've taken roughly 12 hours over a few days or a week. Never burned really any oil on my old very high milage 1600SP.
I would say you have a ring seal issue or possibly an issue with valve guides loose/and or leaking oil into the intakes somehow.
Either that or you somehow developed a leak that isn't very clear to see.
Perhaps it is just the rings still breaking in but I always figured that happens relatively quickly after a couple hundred miles. Could be wrong tho. _________________ 1967 Bug ( the daily rod )
1964 Fury Wagon ( the pavement shredder ) |
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mark tucker Samba Member
Joined: April 08, 2009 Posts: 23937 Location: SHALIMAR ,FLORIDA
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Posted: Sat May 29, 2021 10:15 am Post subject: Re: Acceptable Oil Usage? |
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it should be broken in a hour or so...or less. someting wrong |
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nextgen Samba Member
Joined: August 19, 2004 Posts: 6008 Location: CONGERS, N.Y.
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evanfrucht Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2016 Posts: 2180 Location: Laurel Canyon, CA
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Posted: Sat May 29, 2021 10:55 am Post subject: Re: Acceptable Oil Usage? |
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How fast were you driving and what RPMs do you turn at that speed? IIRC there are lots of big hills along that route. Once way back years ago when I first got my bug in high school I overheated on a long 3+ hour drive into the desert. I was just tanking it the whole way mashing the pedal going up hills 70mph at full throttle. I was not as wise then... I didn't know what happned at first but sometime during and then after that trip it ran shitty and was smoking kinda like you describe and running real rough. When these engines overheat the actual piston skirt can melt. Ask me how I know, lol _________________ 1967 Bug ( the daily rod )
1964 Fury Wagon ( the pavement shredder ) |
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Alstrup Samba Member
Joined: July 12, 2007 Posts: 7183 Location: Videbaek Denmark
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vwracerdave Samba Member
Joined: November 11, 2004 Posts: 15280 Location: Deep in the 405
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Posted: Sat May 29, 2021 11:50 am Post subject: Re: Acceptable Oil Usage? |
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I would say if your using more then 1/2 Qt. on a 12 hr drive then you have problems. 1st thing I'd check is valve cover gaskets. Even just one or two drops every minute is a lot of oil over a 12 hr time period. _________________ 2017 Street Comp Champion - Thunder Valley Raceway Park - Noble, OK
2010 Sportsman ET Champion - Mid-America Dragway - Arkansas City, KS
1997 Sportsman ET Champion - Thunder Valley Raceway Park - Noble ,OK
Featured in Dec. 2001 HOT VW's Magazine page 63
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clonebug Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2005 Posts: 4026 Location: NW Washington
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Posted: Sat May 29, 2021 1:55 pm Post subject: Re: Acceptable Oil Usage? |
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I've gone 3500 miles in a 2 week period and only used a pint in that time.......a puff of blue isn't too unusual when first starting an engine but steady blue smoke would mean rings.....probably got hot and the rings lost their tension.
I had that happen many years ago when a rag got sucked into the fan and I drove 200 miles with it before I found it......
..
Easy fix would be a new set of P/C's..... _________________
vwracerdave wrote: |
Take a good long look in the mirror and report back on what you see. |
Paul.H wrote: |
That one line on that chart is probably better info than you can get from this place in a month |
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mark tucker Samba Member
Joined: April 08, 2009 Posts: 23937 Location: SHALIMAR ,FLORIDA
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Posted: Sat May 29, 2021 4:03 pm Post subject: Re: Acceptable Oil Usage? |
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when I sold off my bug 2 years ago or so it had around 80000 miles in that configuration. 1 oil change every 2 years.none added inbetween. even though it did have a very slight seep that would collect dust.no drips. drips&leeks are major causes for oil consumption. also....if your on the highway and comming to a off ramp or whatever where you need to slow down...never clutch it till your stoped.down shift yes, but clutching and coasting will super heat the cylinders witch will make it pull oil past the rings and possiably also kill the rings of you do it enough. remember when the clutch is in and your off the gass...the fan aint blowing squat....and all that collected heat...swells the cylinders...and cooks stuff. |
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Igpoe Samba Member
Joined: February 24, 2019 Posts: 853 Location: South Boston, VA
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Posted: Sun May 30, 2021 3:25 am Post subject: Re: Acceptable Oil Usage? |
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I'm guessing you left home with a crankcase full of synthetic oil. _________________ '73 super. |
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nextgen Samba Member
Joined: August 19, 2004 Posts: 6008 Location: CONGERS, N.Y.
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Posted: Sun May 30, 2021 8:37 am Post subject: Re: Acceptable Oil Usage? |
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I mentioned I went from NY to Orlando, well I found a photo of us stopping off at Daytona Beach. 1251 miles one way.
As you may have noticed it was before digital photos, B/W.
Actually that is my wife and daughter on the shore line. My daughter is 50 now, so you got timeline, ha.
BTW the oil I used was Castro straight 30w. (synthetic, what is that, ha ) . Nice oil for long trip to hot climate in a loaded, 1600 FI with a family of 4 and all the luggage, with the A/C.
_________________ email: [email protected]
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nextgen Samba Member
Joined: August 19, 2004 Posts: 6008 Location: CONGERS, N.Y.
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virusdoc Samba Member
Joined: August 13, 2018 Posts: 518 Location: Durham, NC, USA
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 6:16 am Post subject: Re: Acceptable Oil Usage? |
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Are you certain you are burning and not leaking? _________________ 1976 Convertible Super Beetle, "June Bug".
FI-->34PICT3 carb conversion-->now dual 40 IDFs
Self-rebuilt 1904 (after totally botching a 1641 rebuild, cussing a lot, and throwing lots of cash in the fire) |
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croSSeduP Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2004 Posts: 1106 Location: Western Washington State
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 10:05 pm Post subject: Re: Acceptable Oil Usage? |
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I’m NOT using synthetic oil. This ain’t my first rodeo. Running Driven 100% mineral oil, 5-30 break in. This engine is a 2276 that (if tuned properly) should make about 190 hp. I’m going up big grades w/o it breathing hard, 3500 rpm, 70+ mph. It has remote cooling with fan plus the doghouse, and today driving in 100 degree mid-Cali heat the oil got at most to 215, heads to 320.
The oil burning that I see is not steady-it comes on randomly. I’ll look behind me and see some smoke, then step on it and see a decent cloud of blue smoke come out. Then, it goes away. I’d be surprised if it’s a valve guide as the heads are Performance Workshop Stage 3 heads with CB 650 springs with at most 3000 miles on them. I’m more thinking it’s a slipped expander ring. I didn’t abuse it or overheat it before going on my trip, so I can’t imagine it’s a problem with failed rings, except for maybe faulty install. The second comp ring is Total Seal, and if one is not careful when installing cylinders... _________________ Please check my '67 sedan project progress!
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Last edited by croSSeduP on Tue Jun 01, 2021 6:52 am; edited 1 time in total |
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FreeBug Samba Member
Joined: March 12, 2012 Posts: 4278 Location: deepest, darkest Switzerland
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2021 1:55 am Post subject: Re: Acceptable Oil Usage? |
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Pull the plugs; that will tell you where the oil is going. |
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Slow 1200 Samba Member
Joined: July 02, 2004 Posts: 2103
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2021 1:59 am Post subject: Re: Acceptable Oil Usage? |
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how high do you run the oil level? |
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evanfrucht Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2016 Posts: 2180 Location: Laurel Canyon, CA
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2021 7:25 am Post subject: Re: Acceptable Oil Usage? |
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How does the engine sound in general right now?
Are you positive you don't have a leak somewhere? Possibly even spraying or dripping oil onto hot exhaust?
Synthetic would be fine too, that was a joke from that guy... oil in not the problem unless you didn't have enough or had it filled way too high.
If it was leaking, you may have overheated because of low oil and then then also messed up your rings a little in the process, maybe that's why it's smoking now?
Just some random thoughts/ideas _________________ 1967 Bug ( the daily rod )
1964 Fury Wagon ( the pavement shredder ) |
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croSSeduP Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2004 Posts: 1106 Location: Western Washington State
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2021 8:25 am Post subject: Re: Acceptable Oil Usage? |
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evanfrucht wrote: |
How does the engine sound in general right now?
Are you positive you don't have a leak somewhere? Possibly even spraying or dripping oil onto hot exhaust?
Synthetic would be fine too, that was a joke from that guy... oil in not the problem unless you didn't have enough or had it filled way too high.
If it was leaking, you may have overheated because of low oil and then then also messed up your rings a little in the process, maybe that's why it's smoking now?
Just some random thoughts/ideas |
It isn’t leaking oil. The oil level never got to a dangerous level. How does the engine sound? It has a miss. You can hear it at idle, and it is particularly pronounced at freeway speed, 3500 rpm. If I step on it from that speed the miss clears up and it just goes. I’ve also had to adjust the idle a couple of times when I pull off the road. It starts to bog down so I give the throttles a little more opening, and readjust the mixture. _________________ Please check my '67 sedan project progress!
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evanfrucht Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2016 Posts: 2180 Location: Laurel Canyon, CA
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2021 9:07 am Post subject: Re: Acceptable Oil Usage? |
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croSSeduP wrote: |
evanfrucht wrote: |
How does the engine sound in general right now?
Are you positive you don't have a leak somewhere? Possibly even spraying or dripping oil onto hot exhaust?
Synthetic would be fine too, that was a joke from that guy... oil in not the problem unless you didn't have enough or had it filled way too high.
If it was leaking, you may have overheated because of low oil and then then also messed up your rings a little in the process, maybe that's why it's smoking now?
Just some random thoughts/ideas |
It isn’t leaking oil. The oil level never got to a dangerous level. How does the engine sound? It has a miss. You can hear it at idle, and it is particularly pronounced at freeway speed, 3500 rpm. If I step on it from that speed the miss clears up and it just goes. I’ve also had to adjust the idle a couple of times when I pull off the road. It starts to bog down so I give the throttles a little more opening, and readjust the mixture. |
I'd do a compression check at this point. If its burning oil and has a rough idle that is constantly needing adjustment it sounds like something may have broke and is getting worse. Like a ring or valve issue or something. It might not be that serious but I'd stop driving it and figure it out before it gets worse.
When did you last check/adjust the valves? That might provide a clue _________________ 1967 Bug ( the daily rod )
1964 Fury Wagon ( the pavement shredder ) |
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74 Thing Samba Member
Joined: September 02, 2004 Posts: 7375
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2021 1:32 pm Post subject: Re: Acceptable Oil Usage? |
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Possible ring or valve guide walked or loose.
You certainly got the temps under control in the heat of Sac this weekend, and are putting miles on it.
Compression and leak down tests may be in order and if you pull the manifolds peering down the head ports you can visually see if the intake guides have moved back or forth. |
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