I fear diesel would kill it stone dead. It or me, one or the other...
Joking apart, i take the fuel from a much larger tank, and ive used about 3 of 400ltrs from the tank since it was last topped up, without issue. So its not like its a fresh fill up.
I check the oil levels reasonably frequently. I probably last checked them a week or two before, but we have done a lot of driving in the past fortnight (wedding in north wales, back to devon, visits in essex, back to devon). I checked the oil before the wales trip for sure, but i cant recall if i did before the essex trip. The drop in levels that i mentioned may well be mostly due to the drips that ive been meaning to deal with.
Ill have another check for feel of it. Are you hinting at ring gumming, and leakage round the bore? Ive read (but never had the misfortune) of levels rising with bad spray patterns and ring gumming. My only experience of levels rising was when the lift pump started leaking, but that was at least one oil change back.
We live away from anywhere, and, if the car is started up, it will run for no less than 25 mins. So no short trips. The bio is always full conversion, so similar viscosity to dino. Ive never run veg in it.
Id imagine that a ring issue would have come on more gradually? And also that it would smoke all the time. Ive done another hours driving this morning, and no smoke at all - but i did not go above 2k again.
Im off on a 2hr round trip this evening to pick up a new (used) head and turbo - i figured id drive gently on the way there, and then give it some on the way back (once i knew i had the parts) and see what happens, as, theres no point in changing the turbo until im fairly sure.
One more bio thing -
Incomplete combustion with bio smells a lot more bonfire / bbq. We used to run our central heating boiler here off it, and ive also smelt it with cars before.
Mineral oil smells a lot more 'chemical plant' and its that smell that im getting from the disco. Its very different for me, as, like i say, ive never put diesel in it, so the chance is pretty noticeable.
Anyhow, i dont know what it is... which means it could be fuel related, but id be surprised. Im open to suggestions from anywhere though!
I guess ill know more after tonight.