(Home) oil consumption

hope someone will come to my aid....recently bought an auto,turbo diesel liteace 1989 with 150,000 kms. i found the website and used the info to order a new rad cap from toyota fitted it ...found the temp gauge wire and fitted it back on the contact at the side of the engine ....its sitting in the e of 'temp' and moves very slightly pulling up a long hill. i changed the air filter, oil and oil filter......the stuff that came out was like runny marmite. i replaced it, as i have always with all my diesels (second hand and high mileage) with a semi-synthetic..used it for a week around town with no probs. took it up to norfolk and kept the speed down ie.80 -100ks. no probs at first apart from a bit of black smoke under fullish load.....(over fuelling). after about 100kms i see the oil light (orange) indicating low level on the d/stick. pulled over, let it cool down a bit and checked the oil; yes it was low but where had it gone? no leaks underneath or from the filter etc etc. put some more oil in and set off again. using that rear mirror focussed on the exhaust. got to my destination only to see the light on again...put some more in and a bottle of stp additive......better on the way home; light only came on the once and that was after 150 kms. since then i've used the van around town with a tiny bit of blue smoke.... not much though but no drop in the oil level. tried it on a run the other day... motorway again but still only 80 - 100ks, again light came on at about 50 ks (distance) but this time i didn't stop, just eased off slightly and watched the temp gauge like a hawk.....also looking for the red oil light (ok i know i'm playing with fire but this was really starting to bug me) anyway drove the remaining 30 miles and the light stayed on but no increase in temp, no mech noise or anything in fact if anything the engine felt better and revved more freely. to cut a long story short i then drove it home about 50 miles and the light was on all the way. still no adverse temp,noise or lights. checked it in the morning and found that the oil was way short of the dipstick. there is still no evidence of the thing burning oil when its full and no sign of it leaking out........could it have the wrong dipstick in it? ie too short which would lead you to overfill it to get the oil up to the 'full' mark and subsequently enable you to run around town with no real ill effects as the engine isn't stressed but as soon as you start running it quickly it would tend to 'dump' the excess. if so does anyone have the correct part no for the dipstick as there is a number on the one thats in there and i'd like to sort this out or get rid of it as there is obviously something amiss. i do have a nice whistle on the 'turbo' by the way but nothing too obtrusive.

- (#1578) mike Copleston, 31 May 05 16:19

anyone out there any ideas...I have read and re read the other oil related probs but none appear the same.........I'd be most grateful for any info. Failing that I'm going to go and visit BBC spares and see if Bob'll let me compare my dipstick to one in an engine he has there. Really like to get to the bottom of this as I really like the old bus but I can't run around with it like it is.

- (#1578) mike , 1 Jun 05 14:30

Well, your dipstick sounds like it agrees with the orange light so you're definitely using oil. If there's no external leaks and the H/G isn't passing oil to coolant, then you need to think rings, pistons, and turbo, methinks.
What grade of oil is it? Nothing *too* thin?

- (#1578) David Miller, 1 Jun 05 14:56

Thanks for the reply David. It was a good quality semi synt oil and it certainly got better when I put the 'thick' additive in it on the way back from Norfolk. I was hoping that it was perhaps 'gummed up oil scraper rings judging by the 'gloop' that I emptied out of it and was hoping that it would free up and start to sort itself. But my problem is that at no time have I ever seen any sign of the litre it used recently in 50kms......I would have thought it would have been like James Bond! I think that I will persevere with the beast and try a flushing agent and also a quick visit ti BBC as I'm only a few mins from there.... just to put my mind at rest about the dipstick....thanks again and I'll let you know how I get on.

- (#1578) mike, 1 Jun 05 17:05

Rings in these buses tend to loose tension, rather than stick, clog, or wear. Probably a function of the high running temps...

You didn't say what viscosity of oil?

- (#1578) David Miller, 2 Jun 05 02:09

To be honest I don't have any of the original left now as it was all used in the first change and subsequent top-ups. I then started on a can? of oil that was in the bus when I got it as I thought 'it was used to it so it should be alright'. Although judging by the 'marmite' that came out of it I've got a feeling that might have been run on 'total loss' system. This is 15/40 and 'suitable for turbo-diesel engines'. Is there a proprietrary brand of oil that others use thats thicker at high temps? I am going to try another complete oil change today and put some flush in it as well 'as per the instructions'. I have a spare filter from BBC just gotta go and get some decent (thick) oil I think. Thanks again I'll keep you informed

- (#1578) mike , 2 Jun 05 02:28

/40 is reasonably "thick". I was just concerned that you might've used on of the whiz-bang 5w30 grades, look like water...

- (#1578) David Miller, 2 Jun 05 06:13

thanks again, just off to my friendly motor factor to pick his brains re 'how thick can you get'. I have decided to relent and topped up the bus and although it had used the amount from 'full' to 'empty' in the above mileage ie 30 - 40 it had only used another 1/2 litre in the last 80 or so miles. Maybe it is beginning to 'bed' in a bit......gonna keep trying.
Just shows the versatility of these though, I've just picked up 30 sq metr of tiles and corresponding adhesive and grout etc and got it home no bother.....steering light but no problems at all.

- (#1578) mike, 2 Jun 05 06:50

just an update re the oil. Happened to find some 20/50 and stuck that in with a new filter...not too sure about the quality but it seemed fine on a run just now, no sign of any blue smoke whatsoever and the temp gauge seems a teeny bit lower although its been warmer today. Need to see how it is on a proper run over the weekend....keep you posted.

- (#1578) mike, 3 Jun 05 12:16