Oil consumption

On 14 Jun 2005 06:57:53 -0700, snipped-for-privacy@aol.com scribbled this interesting note:

I can't answer the question about where the oil is going, but unless you want to burn up the engine, you definitely need to worry about where the oil might be going since the issue most likely won't get better...

-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

I am a bug newbie, so take my comment with a bale of salt, but is the compression still ok? Could it be that the rings are not staggered on one of the cylinders or something like that?

I thought about the rings and I haven't done a compression check lately. I did do one just before the first oil change and they were all above 100 but I will say the weakest were the ones on the side I'm getting a little smoke from.

Thanks for the .02 < TC

before you jump to conclusions, *when* are you checking your oil? you should have enough oil in the car to fill the lines and cooler *and* the sump to the proper level....if you check your oil after sitting for some time the oil that was in the lines may have drained back out of the system(it happens) and the mark will be higher than when you have driven recently and the oil is still filling the oil lines/cooler....when you fill your crankcase at your changes you should fill to the full mark, start it up, let it run to fill everything then top it off....

Oh yes, I agree. I check it after it's all had a chance to drain back to the sump. I have a "modified" oil tube off a type III, shortened a little and threaded to accept a cap with a dip stick. And I've made 2 marks on the stick to indicate full hot, with the cooler full, and full cold, everything back in the sump. I usually check it cold and try to keep the level there.

I noticed that after I idle for a bit, say at a stop light. On acceleration is when I usually get the puff of blue smoke.

Keep 'em coming guys, still looking for ideas. < TC

that can be from the rings not being fully seated yet(John, at Aircooled.net has an excellent article on engine breakin that gives a good example of how to break in the rings....i do it differently but his way is probably a bit more gentle than mine...) or from bad/non-existant valve seals....during decelleration and idling the intake system in under the most vacuum....so oil can be drawn into the cylinder through valve seals that are never used on vw's....hehe

I've been good so far about breaking in my motorcycle. I haven't had it over 110 mph yet. :-) (have been consciously trying to vary RPMs and not keep it under heavy load (90+ mph) for more than 2-3 seconds at a time. Got about 200 miles on the odometer now. Man, it's pulling HARD at 110.... Just WANTS to go faster. Must... resist...