Where is my oil going?

[Axetamer]

I have been using a lot of oil in my 200tdi. Like a litre per 50-60 miles.... a lot!!

I have checked the breather from the sump is clear by pushing some 13 amp cable through it until it hits bottom ang come out with oil on it and so seems to be clear.

I have changed the cyclone thing which caused it to smoke like Ivor the engine when ticking over, so put the old one back on which stopped it

I have changed the valve stem seals

I have rebuilt the turbo with a genuine garret rebuild kit and checked the oil feed and return pipes are clear.

The wierd thing is it doesn't smoke very heavily when driven normally, but does smoke with a LOT of white smoke from cold for the first 200 yards down the road then clears, with just a puff of black smoke when taking off, but when left to tick over for about 5 mins will smoke with white smoke for about 10 seconds when revved then clears again.

When I compression tested it I used the glow plug holes and no1 glow was very oily, the rest were just sooty, and no1 was about 70psi down compared to the rest.

What do you think cracked piston maybe?

[Ridgeback]

Could just be the head gasket on its way out.

I picked up a 200tdi defender cheap because a "landrover specialist" told the owner that it needed new pistons.
It was just the head gasket.

When I went to the the local landrover parts place to get the parts, they said its common on a 200tdi to blow between the cylinder nearest the bulkhead and the oil way.

If its not then you could be right with the piston. When I did mine I turned the engine over to look down the bores for any marks or scoring, if you do the head gasket and you send the head off to be skimed, ask them to pressure test it. If it comes back OK then its got to be the bottom end.

[Axetamer]

I don't think its the head gasket, as it was using oil in the same way before I stipped the head and done the seals and turbo work. I checked the head using an 18 inch precision straight edge from my previous life as a toolmaker and found the head to be flat within a thou. I obviously put a new gasket on when reassembled. I checked the bores for scoring and were visually OK, but I must admit that I didn't decoke the pistons so may have missed any cracks.

My theory is still a cracked piston, this maybe being shown up by changing the cyclone which definitely has more resistance when blown trough than the old one, this may be causing crankcase pressure to increase forcing oil up through a crack or even past the rings of a dodgy piston...which may account for the Ivor the engine smoking when idling with the new cyclone, but on refitting the old one the crankcase  pressure reduces just enough to allow it to use the oil as fuel at higher rpm...hence no smoking, and at the same time it may be allowing, on tickover, small amounts of oil to sit in the combustion chamber which clear when revved after about 10 secs.....It's the same sort of white smoke that you get when oil quenching parts when hardening..toolroom guys will know what I'm on about.....Like its chucking oil straight into a hot manifold

I think its a motor out jobbie

[bogie]

If you aint leaking ,its gota be burning it. Head off,sump off,pistons out with con rods ,hone the bores by hand,put new rings in,replace pistons if stuffed and shove her together,JOB DONE.

[Axetamer]

Thats what I've said in so many words.

question is:

White box pistons and rings or originals

[Axetamer]

Can the pistons be got out on a 200tdi,without removing the engine, I thought they have a ladder frame so the pistons can't be removed from the bottom?

[extreme90]

take the sump off then remove the ladder/stiffner

[Saffy]

take the sump off then remove the ladder/stiffner

isn't that on a 300tdi? thought the 200tdi had two ladder retaining bolts that came through behind the bell housing (unless previously bodged so can be removed in situ i.e didn't fit those bolts) or am I way off the mark? Maybe a disco 200tdi vs defender 200tdi issue, if it's orginally a disco engine it can be done in situ, if it original defender it can't  :-k

[Axetamer]

Mines a defender engine

[Axetamer]

started pulling the motor apart today, it seems that the ladder frame on a defender engine has a couple of bolts securing it from inside the bellhousing, its all disconected and ready to pull out tommorow, will confirm then

[bogie]

GOOD LAD!

[Axetamer]

Yup 4 caphead bolts fron inside the  flywheel housing, got the parts to rebuild it today goodbye £450

[bogie]

Do it wright and it will last you for ever!

[Axetamer]

Finally got it up and running and have done about 20 miles, no leaks and all seems to be ok. I had to get a 2nd hand injector pump off fleabay, as the original one was leaking  at the drive hub seal, I had to remove the electical thing fron the top, I looks like the one on my 300 tdi disco..non fly by wire.
I might get the old pump reconned...or attempt it myself if I can get hold of the parts, there a plenty of sites with pics and tutorials on how to do it...I seem to have developed a diesel knock with the replacement pump, whose history is unknown, so will try to retard it a bit tommorow....but so far so good...no smoke on startup, but perhaps a little bit of tweaking to up the fueling a bit is req'd, after a few hundred miles have been put on her