Series 2.25 petrol burning oil - piston rings???

This site contains affiliate links for which LandyZone may be compensated if you make a purchase.

Longstride

Active Member
Posts
120
Location
Hampshire
Hi folks,

After doing the valves the engine is sounding great and starts great. However I’ve noticed she’s using a lot of oil lately, but no blue or white smoke.

On stating from cold I get a bit of judder and splutter sometimes, I’m figuring this could be oil burning, and I’m guessing it may be piston rings letting oil in?

Once warmed up drives fine with lots of power.

Thoughts please? Thanks!
 
Could be your valve stem seals, usually you get a puff of blue smoke on start up if they are worn, basically the oil which has drained down the valves into the cylinder after shut down then burnt off quickly on ignition. I don't think that uses much oil though, unless they are really worn in which case you'd expect to see a lot of blue smoke.
 
Did it use much oil before you did the valves, and how many miles has it done since doing them?

Col
Not really Col, just an occasional top up. It’s only driven about a hundred miles since I did the valves. But oil may have been low before that. I’ll top it right up and monitor the situation. It’s not leaking on drive and really not smoking so maybe it was just lower than I thought and needs a good top up. It’s the judder on initial cold start that concerns me that stems or rings are letting oil into cylinder.
 
You may find it settles down after a few hundred miles when the valves have bedded into the seats. Years ago, I refurbed a head and found the engine needed it's oil topping up more than before. After a while, it settled down and the oil level stayed more or less constant. The Austin Metro suffered this problem when new but by the time the first service was due, oil consumption dropped to a normal level.

Col
 
You may find it settles down after a few hundred miles when the valves have bedded into the seats. Years ago, I refurbed a head and found the engine needed it's oil topping up more than before. After a while, it settled down and the oil level stayed more or less constant. The Austin Metro suffered this problem when new but by the time the first service was due, oil consumption dropped to a normal level.

Col
Excellent!!! Fingers crossed then!
 
For something as old as a series, you're better off setting your (distributer) timing by ear. There's that much wear in all of the components that exact strobe light timing setting is never accurate.

Col
 
Mines converted to electric points, that make a difference? Do I just fiddle til she sounds sweet?
yes but a strobe is a good place to start and a jumping pulley mark under the strobe shows a faulty dizzy, also what sounds sweet stood with the bonnet up isnt necessarily the same under load up the road
 
yes but a strobe is a good place to start and a jumping pulley mark under the strobe shows a faulty dizzy, also what sounds sweet stood with the bonnet up isnt necessarily the same under load up the road
You are right about the faulty dizzy thing James but other than that, I prefer to do it by ear. My first wife bought me an expensive strobe for my 25 th birthday, I have yet to take it out of its box.
Col
 
Back
Top