D2 - TD5 - sudden oil consumption increase

Dear Members, I have a 2003 D2 (TD5) based in Malawi SE Africa. 150,000km (94,000 miles); 2 careful owners from new. Since 2010 it has used very little oil between regular changes. On journeys I'm normally driving at max 2,500rpm. On odd occasion driving at 3,000rpm it will use more oil but still not much.
On recent trip to Mozambique vehicle suddenly started using more oil - vaguely around 1l per 1,000 miles.
I'm not a mechanic but my investigations have shown...
1. There is some white/grey smoke under load but not clouds,
2. Removed pipe to intercooler at the turbo and there was a little (not loads) oil (quite clean like the engine oil) - see photo
3. Pipe from top of engine (breather?) has always been oily on the outside. Continues to be so but not sure if this relevant - see photo

Very difficult in Malawi to get any kind of credible diagnosis. I'd be grateful for any suggestions on likely source of problem and for further diagnosing suggestions...

Injector seals. Does the oil smell like diesel?

Thanks for quick response. Checked 2 wks ago & can't remember a smell but will check again. Would I need to remove the cylinder head to replace injector seals?

Malawi_Disco_2 said:

Thanks for quick response. Checked 2 wks ago & can't remember a smell but will check again. Would I need to remove the cylinder head to replace injector seals?

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No need to take the head off for injector o rings and copper washers.
Just the rocker cover and shaft.

Not really a big job to do.

As above, just be meticulously clean

How many miles has the oil in the engine done since last change?

1988smithy said:

Injector seals. Does the oil smell like diesel?

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The OP seems to suggest that the oil level is going down which I would think would be the opposite if the injector seals are leaking.

Given the smoky exhaust and because the oil leak seems to get worse the higher the workload, I am inclined to say it's a turbo seal. But start with the basics first - make sure that the engine has the LR recommended oil and check if the cam bore end cap at the front of the engine is not leaking oil.

NPG said:

The OP seems to suggest that the oil level is going down which I would think would be the opposite if the injector seals are leaking

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Oh shìt arr

Remove the oil filler cap at idle to see if there is excessive crankcase gas or not

Check the oil filter has not loosened
Check the bung at the front of the head

NPG said:

The OP seems to suggest that the oil level is going down which I would think would be the opposite if the injector seals are leaking.

Given the smoky exhaust and because the oil leak seems to get worse the higher the workload, I am inclined to say it's a turbo seal. But start with the basics first - make sure that the engine has the LR recommended oil and check if the cam bore end cap at the front of the engine is not leaking oil.

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Many thanks NPG - comments much appreciated.
Recommended Oil? - I've been using Castrol semi-synthetic 5w30 for years but at the last oil change switched to a 5w30 semi-synthetic Shell oil; have to use what I can get here in Malawi. I had realised that the change of oil coincided with the sudden increase in use but adding 15w40 when caught-out on a recent trip, the high oil consumption continued. I could search for Castrol and if found, change back but could it really make that much difference?
No external oil leaks detected.

MJI said:

Check the oil filter has not loosened
Check the bung at the front of the head

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Many thanks MJI. I've run the engine up to normal operating temperature at home and no external oil leaks detected.

lynall said:

How many miles has the oil in the engine done since last change?

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Less than 2,000 miles... what's left of it!

Malawi_Disco_2 said:

Many thanks NPG - comments much appreciated.
Recommended Oil? - I've been using Castrol semi-synthetic 5w30 for years but at the last oil change switched to a 5w30 semi-synthetic Shell oil; have to use what I can get here in Malawi. I had realised that the change of oil coincided with the sudden increase in use but adding 15w40 when caught-out on a recent trip, the high oil consumption continued. I could search for Castrol and if found, change back but could it really make that much difference?
No external oil leaks detected.

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I personally never encountered this kind of situation and I've used numerous oil brands over the years for the same spec of oil - semi-synth 5W-30 [ACEA A1 & B1] . However there could be some truth in your observations as I did come across reports in other forums where users started experiencing higher oil consumption when they changed the brand of engine oil. Who knows - maybe some chemicals used by oil manufacturers do not react well with certain sealing compounds inside the engine. AFAIK, LR does not specify an oil brand for the TD5 so I think it would make sense to try using Castrol again and see if the problem persists.

BTW, the 15 weight oil is not recommended by LR so try to avoid unless it's a temporary measure in case of an emergency. And a failed turbo seal will not necessarily show as a visible oil leak. If it's leaking on the compressor side, oil will find its way into the intake via the intercooler whereas a leak on the exhaust side will burn and combine with the exhaust fumes, resulting in blue / grey smoke.

sierrafery said:

Remove the oil filler cap at idle to see if there is excessive crankcase gas or not

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Thanks for question. I don't know how it should feel but oil filler cap unscrewed and resting in the hole while engine 'ticking-over;' any upsurge of air insufficient to then dislodge / knock filler cap over - is this normal?

After considering the useful advice offered above - for which, many thanks - I'm going to replace the turbo cartridge. I think most likely I have a turbo seal gone. I've looked on ebay UK and there are various cartridges (see photo) - some from China. Can anyone offer advice on which cartridge to buy? The vehicle is 20yrs old but I don't want to, 'spoil the ship for a ha'pence of tar!'

The first one is not good for Td5

sierrafery said:

The first one is not good for Td5

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Many thanks. My mistake - now changed to correct image. Really just trying to find-out which cartridge to buy and which ones to avoid. No back-up here in Malawi.