Oil Consumption/Engine Issues

Well its another "I'm using a lot of oil" thread. I recently installed a BNR S2 to replace my tired K04. I have since realized my leak down numbers where not good. Due to inexperience I assumed if I was in the green on a Snap On tester I was good. Well I'm wrong that's for sure. So I'm assuming I have an oil control ring or a ring land issue at this point.

Compression is 185-190 across all cylinders car runs great and makes good power. I don't have any codes and my tuner says all my data logs look good. Currently on revision one from my base tune and I've seen 18.5 peak. Car feels better than it has in years. The issue is I'm using a quart of oil in 500 miles or so.

No smoke on start up or idle and its hard to tell if I'm making any out the exhaust while driving. I think on full boost high RPM I'm seeing some but its nothing compared to the smoke show I was making on boost with the K04.

So at this point further tuning is on hold until I resolve the motor issues. I've talked to a local shop that can help me out. I plan to pull the motor and drop it off to them so they can tear into in and fix my issues. I'm not looking to make big power so if I can refresh this motor on stock internals and be on my way I'll be happy.

 

I would read the instructions on the leakdown before teardown just to make sure.

 

What Raider said. It helps to take the valve cover off so you can see the exact position of the camshafts when doing the leak down test.

As for using the tester make sure the pressure adjustment is fully released so that when you connect the air line you have the pressure in the SET area if it isn't there then slowly turn the dial until it reaches SET. Next connect the fitting/hose into the test cylinder and connect your gauge. You should be able to check the actual leak down number.

 

It seems to me if you’re burning a quart every 500 miles you’d see it. No? I had a 2003 Hyundai Elantra which would burn almost that much once the oil was tired, and you could see a really nice puff of smoke when accelerating with the RPMs up to 6000.

Do your tailpipes have residue?

I thought my Audi burned a lot of oil too and it does smoke out the tailpipe at higher RPMs, but I recently discovered the main issue is the oil filter housing leaking. I’ll be replacing that this week, but I’ve had it a year and a half and didn’t realise that’s where most of the oil was going.

 

While I agree that my leak down data is suspect my other concern is where is a quart of oil every 500 miles going? My feeling is I have more than one thing contributing to this.

I have no doubt that at 140k there are some wear issues. Also I do not have a catch can on the car. I just purchased a Diamond stage 1 can. I understand excessive crank case pressure can contribute to oil consumption but a qt every 500 miles?. The PVC valve only have 17 k on it from when I replaced it. Only other option besides internal engine issues I can think of would be a restrictor bolt but that seems like a bandaid for a larger issue.

At the end of the day I want to keep this car healthy and running and I'm a huge believer in being proactive.

 

Don't use a restrictor bolt

There are some products that you can pour in the top end that can help release sticking rings which other people have used to help address oil consumption and leak down issues. I haven't done it myself so I have no recommendation for a specific product

 

AC Delco top end engine cleaner.



Turn all the cylinders to about halfway in rotation, remove spark plugs, fill cylinders and allow to soak over night. Use a suction tool to remove any excess or a blow gun to blow the cylinders out, drain your oil and replace with fresh oil, then crank the car a few times with the the plugs out. Once you are sure there is no fluid in the cylinders, reinstall the plugs and fire up. It'll smoke a bit

 

Yeah Bunny the whole restrictor bolt idea scares me especially with a journal bearing turbo.

L337, I've seen that and considered it. At this point I know I'm going to need to crack this thing open eventually but if I can buy myself some time it would help. If I do have bigger issues than just oil control rings I'd rather address it before I have some failure that compromises the block.

I appreciate everyones input, obviously start with the easiest solutions.

 

I actually had two cans of that when I was trying to de-carbon the head when I was rebuilding my engine, but I think I threw them out when I was done (they weren’t empty). Can’t believe how much they are on Amazon right now.

Do you think the CRC intake valve cleaner would be similarly effective used in the same manner?

 

Well just ordered a borescope and some top engine cleaner. Hopefully I'll have time this weekend to see what's going on in there and do a piston soak. If anything it should help me further diagnose what direction I'll have to go. I'll post pictures when I get some.

 

Well I found my oil consumption. Cylinder #4 was pretty wet and that would make sense why my leak down numbers on #4 were so much better than 1-3. Also #2 has a nice scratch in the cylinder wall.