oil use! oil consumption

[sky nighthawk]

I have been dealing with this for several years now and at the end of my ideas. The problem is oil consumption massive amounts, like a quart in 30 miles with nothing visible. nothing out the tail pipe nothing on top of the motor very little from valve cover nothing on seams, less than normal on push rod tubes drain plug, sump or any place this is a lot cleaner than most rebuilt motors. every mac. I know has looked at it and found nothing. it's at the point I don't drive it because of the cost in oil! The only oil visible is from constantly filling it! What the heck is going on any ideas?
By the way it's a 77 FI.2,000
Larry

[Spike0180]

How many miles and how many quarts are we talking about? 1000+ miles? 40+ quarts?
_________________
Brutis Patches Izabich: 1970 VW Transporter - 1776cc DP
Current State: Projects never truly end...
Location: Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Other cars: 2003 F150, 2003 Jetta GLI vr6-6sp

Sambastic: adj; the quality of being nit picky, elitist, expecting everyone to do things the way they believe is best with no regard to situation, "sambastic"

[mainstreetprod]

Those oil thieves and their siphon hoses- I knew when it hit $5 a quart, this would happen.

[raygreenwood]

[timvw7476]

Pretty sure we ALL want to see sparkplugs.
All four & shot of the bottom of the crankcase & tailpipe too. Please.
Maybe the rings were installed upside down & scraping the oil UP?

[skills@eurocarsplus]

probably a captured ring, clogged oil control rings, bad valve guides or a combination of the above.
_________________

[sky nighthawk]

Thanks all I'll try and hit every one ideas at once as far as plugs I don't change then as much as I should because I dont drive that much but last change after four years they where cleaner than most at 1000 miles, not burning it!
No puddles under bus ever. nothing on top at all. all in all other than where I miss the oil filler under side is clean a small amount from valve covers on heater box's. the engain to my knowledge has never been apart
The only strange thing is several years ago when I did an oil change I found 2 maybe 1/4 inch dia and thick hard fiber washers? The front seal sound like a possibility but god that much oil should show up some ware, one would think that there would be huge puddles just dripping off someplace.This is reaching but could it be going in to the gearbox? most of my driving is highway so I'm sure it's being blowing some place but still that's a helluva lot of oil !!
Larry

[timvw7476]

the valve cover cork gaskets can pucker inward & let oil pour out...
if you have heat exchangers you will see the oily evidence below,
if you are running heater box delete style exhaust, you'll leave the
proof on the road, especially in the corners.
EDIT: maybe warm it up, park it & rev to 2,000-2,500 rpm for
a solid minute, if it's a gasket or the oil relief plug(s) it should make
itself known at that point.

[SGKent]

Give us an oil consumption over 500 miles. Here is why.

My 1977 was pristinely built, and did not have a drop of oil or burn any for about 1500 miles. We took a trip from Sacramento to Reno then down 395 to Tioga Road, the back entrance to Yosemite. Lots of climbing from essentially sea level to 10,000 feet almost then cruising at 6000 feet then down then back up to 10,000 feet again. Lots of 3rd gear climbing to Donner Summit. When we left Sacramento the oil was at the full mark. I checked in Reno and it was down a full quart - that is 120 miles. The bus was level and it sat for 10 minutes while I bought gas. When we got to Lee Vining at the Tioga Road turn off I bought gas again and checked it - it was still at the full line - no change. When we got to Yosemite - up to 10,000 feet from 2000 feet the oil was at the full mark. When we got home two days later and 320 miles further it was at the full mark. When we got home it was about 3/4 quart over full the next morning. I have no idea where it hid. Never happened again. Bus goes 3,000 miles without losing oil. So the fact your bus dropped 1 quart in 30 miles but left no trace doesn't haze me. Tell me how much oil it burned in 500 miles. That said, my first car was a worn out old '63 Rambler. It burned about a quart every 150 miles - you could see it coming a mile away by the cloud, and at a stop sign you needed fog lights to drive thru the cloud it left. If you are losing a quart every 30 miles it is external and not inside the combustion chambers. Your bumper would be dripping oil from the spray. There would be puddles under it the size of dinner plates to garbage can lids when you parked. Let's get the 500 mile usage and some photos. That is my vote. Who was the engine builder?
_________________
“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[sky nighthawk]

I haven't gone 500 miles in it at one time in years:) but it does get used fairly often in 60 mile trips and the rate is about the same and has been for the last several years,so it's self changing I'm at 6000 ft and most places around me are at 8000ft so there is hard climbing but then you get to live for the down hill run!! I know about oil burning I have a 61 dodge Lancer that sat for 25 years and when I finely got it started I didn't think anything could run that burnt that much oil had to clean the plugs every 3 days! The funny thing is it started on the first revaluation and ran like a raped rabbit far quicker than the loaner one in the car now till I can rebuild the number matching original

[Wildthings]

At 1 quart in 500 miles the 1.9L nWBXer in my POS 83 1/2 Vanagon would foul one of the plugs badly, no smoke though. I changed the one plug out about every 2000 miles for tens of thousands of mile until the oil usage got up to a quart in 300 miles at which point I replaced the engine.

On a Bay even with a leak of 1 quart in 2000+/- miles (bad sender that would only leak during long sustained high speed runs) it would coat the back of the rig with oil.

[raygreenwood]

Seriously.....did you MEAN 1 quart in 30 miles?

If so.....if you are burning it......you are leaving a smoke trail like a B-52....and you say you aren't burning oil.....

If you are leaking it.....but not leaving the whole engine oiled up......its down low....and must be pressurized or you would have an oil slick at home.

Ray

[Marleybus]

check that the valve cover gaskets are in correctly. I had an issue couple years ago where the 77 2.0l was burning oil quickly and thought the worst. When I went to adjust the valves, I found the gasket puckered at the top on one side. It was sucking air in and the oil mist was being burnt. New gasket, problem solved.
_________________
1972 VW Westy (Hit by dumptruck)
1963 VW Beetle (RIP)
1974 VW Beetle (RIP)
1981 Vanagon Westfalia (Sold)
1969 VW Beetle Convertible (Wifes)
1977 VW Westy 2.0L FI Chrome Yellow
1978 VW Westy 2.0L FI (Under Restoration)
1973 VW Westy 1.7L Tourist Delivery Orange
Check out my thread!!http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=556709

[SGKent]

[jtauxe]

OP, are you saying that you have no dripping of oil onto the pavement, and no coating of oil spray on your back bumper and rear of the bus?
_________________
John
"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD

[sky nighthawk]

John you know the bus, it's clean every place I was wondering if alu. valve covers would be more ridged and seal the gasket better thou ?
Thats the whole point there is no point of oil leak that could explain this much oil usage a motor would not run as well as it dose and not smoke or foul plug with this type of oil consumption it is not burning oil
Back to the front seal there is some oil but not a lot and I have been more inclined to think trans. seal

[Spike0180]

For shits and giggles; how full is your tranny fluid? Still the same?
_________________
Brutis Patches Izabich: 1970 VW Transporter - 1776cc DP
Current State: Projects never truly end...
Location: Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Other cars: 2003 F150, 2003 Jetta GLI vr6-6sp

Sambastic: adj; the quality of being nit picky, elitist, expecting everyone to do things the way they believe is best with no regard to situation, "sambastic"

[mikedjames]

I had an engine that pushed out a quart in 20 miles which turned out to be misfitted rocker cover gssket. That smoked as it hit the heater boxes.

But its main oil leak was a crack in the block below the cooler which leaked badly at high rpm and less at low rpm. About a quart per tankful of fuel. It covered the rear of the bus with a fine oil spray.
_________________
Ancient vehicles and vessels

1974 VW T2 : Devon Eurovette camper with 1641 DP T1 engine, Progressive carb, full flow oil cooler, EDIS crank timed ignition.
Engine 1: 40k miles (rocker shaft clip fell off), Engine 2: 30k miles (rebuild, dropped valve). Engine 3: a JK Preservation Parts "new" engine, aluminium case: 26k miles: new top end.
Gearbox rebuild 2021 by Bears.

1979 Westerly GK24 24 foot racer/cruiser yacht Forethought of Gosport.
1973 wooden Pacer sailing dinghy

[nodrenim]

I seem to recall that a few years ago that someone had a similar problem, and when he inverted the valve covers to place the logo upside down, the problem vanished. Might be worth a try. Good Luck!

[airschooled]