Engine using oil, and dirty plugs – is my turbo oil seal leaking?

[Crasher]

Simply, all of it falls apart if you touch it.

[FrenchAudi]

Thank you, but which bits fall apart - just the thin plastic ones, no.2 and no.5 ?

And what's inside the "Breather assembly", no.1, please? - does this also fall apart?

[FrenchAudi]

Update:

I managed to shift enough stuff out of the way to take a better look at the breather assembly. It all looks in good condition, and is not cracked nor broken.

After running with the breather line running to a catch can, which caught nothing except condensed water, and the pipes to the inlet system blanked off, for about 300 miles, I fitted a new PCV valve and reconnected the original breather system.

While the PCV system was disconnected there was still the same small amount of oil being deposited in the pipe below the intercooler, indicating that it must be coming from the turbo.

I ran with Glaze Bust as recommended: 200 miles with GB, and a further 500 miles with running-in oil, after which I refilled with my usual Shell Helix Ultra 5w40.

1500 miles later I have just added approx. 0.7 litres, giving an average of 1 litre per 2000 miles, exactly the same as before the GB treatment.

[Crasher]

Not ring related then OR not curable by getting the rings to “bite”, that is IF they have not gone too far to the point they are weak and worn so it could be the turbo piston rings (I know, confusing that one) or worn exhaust valve guides or worn piston rings, the real pistons, you know, the up and down ones...

[FrenchAudi]

I have thought of the possibilities you mention, Crasher, but those wear rates are not really consistent with the recorded mileage, especially considering that the car has had 8 recorded oil changes in only 35,000 miles.

There is always the possibility that this is not genuine, but the mileages recorded for oil changes and minor service in the service booklet have the stamps of 4 VAG agents in Switzerland, where the car was bought, and 2 independent small garages in France, up to the 32,000 km (20,000 miles), reached in 2008, and don't look faked.

I bought the car 8 years later, in 2016, with 43,000 km (27,000 miles) on the clock, a further 7,000 miles only, with no more service work recorded. It was still registered to the widow of the original owner, and was sold to me through her nephew.

It is possible that the recorded mileage was altered, but the general appearance, absence of any corrosion at all underneath, and lack of general wear and tear on the car are consistent with the distance shown.

I am not about to tear down the engine at this stage, and will continue to live with the current oil consumption until there is a significant change in this.

I keep a continuous record of petrol and oil consumption, which since I have had the car have been steady, between 30 and 35 mpg and 1/2 litre per 1,000 miles.

[Crasher]

absence of any corrosion at all underneath

Not a modern 8E or 8K then, the rust we see under these is depressing.....

[FrenchAudi]

Not a modern 8E or 8K then, the rust we see under these is depressing.....

Fortunately the car was, and still is, kept in a garage, and they don't cover the roads here with salt in the winter.

[FrenchAudi]

At the end of March, the car had covered about 3,000 miles in the 9 months since my last post on this subject. The oil consumption was decreasing, and seemed to start dropping quite significantly soon after the beginning of this year.

On March 31, in preparation for a trip to S Spain, I did an oil change oil after about 4400 miles instead of the 5000 miles I have decided on. The previous change was after 5800 miles, which included 250 miles on Glaze Bust and 475 miles on mineral oil.

We returned yesterday, having covered 1,514 miles, much on motorway type roads with 75 mph limits and main roads with 50 - 60 mph limits, but many miles on winding mountain roads. We stayed away from urban areas, so there was very little town or city driving.

Average petrol consumption for the trip was 34 mpg. I checked the oil level each time we filled up, and was surprised there was no need to top up.

On checking this morning, the oil level is only 1 mm below the top mark. Must have done something right

[Crasher]

Glaze Bust saves the day yet again!

[FrenchAudi]

After reading tales of woe about blocked oil pickup filters, when I drained the sump I had a look around the inside of it with my endoscope.

There was no way I could get it under the pickup, but otherwise everything looked clean and shiny, with no trace of any sludge.

I'm hoping the current low mileage and number of recorded oil changes from new (6 in the 27,000 miles before I bought it and 3 in the 19,000 since then), and the fact that we don't use the car for short trips, have reduced or eliminated the chance of sludge forming.

For more peace of mind, I'm fitting an oil pressure gauge as soon as I can, though.