Burning oil, what to do

[nobananas]

Ok guys, my t5 is using oil now to the extent that I can't ignore it any longer ! I need your help with a final diagnosis.

Symptons:
Starts to smoke after left idling for a few minutes then big puff as you pull away then it's clear. This has slowly got worse over the last 6 months or so with the time reducing at idle till it smokes.

Puff of smoke on start-up when fairly warm. Leave it for 20-30mins and puff 'o' blue when it's re-started, non on first start when cold.

No smoke at all when driven hard or on over-run slowing down through the gears.

What do you think chaps ? Turbo or valve stem oil seals ? All the breathers are clear and I've ruled out rings as there is no smoking on hard acceleration or over-run. Keep convincing myself it's the turbo, then remembering memories of smoking old golfs stuck in traffic with knackered valve stem seals ! Your opinions will be most appreciated, something must be done, ( much money will be spent either way !)

[splatt]

Turbo seal me thinks. :(

[T5ER]

oil getting a bit thin when was it last changed

[mazza]

dont know if this helps, but a mate of mine has a 300zx twin turbo with the same problem,no smoke on start up though but if you leave it to idle for a while you get a proper smoke screen!!!boot it and it goes away.does it on one side only though as its a v6...get to the point......its his turbo thats the problem...been to loads of garages and they all say the same!!!
hope it helps!
good luck matey

[nobananas]

This is all sounding pretty much as I had feared ! Oil changed regularly, last one was about 2500 miles ago but to be honest the amount it's going through topping it up has probably changed it several times over by now !

[siamblue]

dont know if this helps, but a mate of mine has a 300zx twin turbo with the same problem,no smoke on start up though but if you leave it to idle for a while you get a proper smoke screen!!!boot it and it goes away.does it on one side only though as its a v6...get to the point......its his turbo thats the problem...been to loads of garages and they all say the same!!!
hope it helps!
good luck matey


it does it on one side as one of the turbos is worn, they have 2 one on each side of the engine,

[spencem875]

Thats what mine did before seals went.

*mine was pissing out burnt oil smoke long before i needed to top up oil alot*

[mazza]

well you could look on the bright side and go for a 19t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nobananas]

Hmmm, have got a spare 15g that I've stripped to rebuild but am a little concerned over the condition of the turbine wheel. Have been quoted £80 for a rebuild kit and £120 for a turbine wheel and shaft ! (getting close to the price of a recon unit I think !) Would rebuild the one on the motor but I can't have it off the road for more then a weekend !

[MaxVol]

This was the exact problem with mine ('96 T5 with 260k), although my engine managemant light used to come on when it smoked. Being stuck in a traffic jam was an absolute mare, especially for the cars behind!!

I was convinced that it was the valve stem oil seals and it was only until I took it to a Volvo specialist that I was convinced otherwise.
He didn't agree with my diagnosis, so he did a compression test. All of the pots read around the 95% region, but the No1 read about 85%. He basically told me that I needed (at least) a No1 piston and a set of rings. If my bores hadn't gone egg shaped I was going to be pretty lucky! Being faced with a Huge bill, the car came off the road.

For what it's worth, I'd get a compression test done. If nothing else, it could rule out the problem with the No1 piston (I was told that it was fairly common
on high mile T5's). You may have a low mileage car though (sorry, I don't know the mileage), so it may not be the problem at all. I hope it is the seals!

Good luck

Max

[nobananas]

Hmm, worth a look. Mines done 150k so not quite the mileage yours had covered but the previous owner didn't look after it too well ! Will do a compression test this weekend with fingers crossed.

[wright_t5]

Umm, sounds like turbo seals.... if it smokes on the overrun then it's likely... had a 740 turbo do that, man you couldnt see nothing behind when it got real bad, when pushing the car it wasnt noticable, but when you back off the htrottle it started to smoke, then when you put on the gas again it was a mare............... so likely...

M

[spencem875]

I was sitting in traffic covered in smoke thinking who the f*** is that?!?!?! Then i realised it was me.

[t5tart]

ok mine does the same
changed the turbo
for another 15g
new one bought off here never been fitted up
and car still drinks petrol
been diagnosed as either rings or seals

think its the seals rather than rings as its only doing it at startup no blue smoke at boot when moving
all pots are down a bit on compression approx 10 psi none have a major drop all pretty even

gonna rebuild a hrad and drop it in soon as my tappets are ratteling

but gonna get vt to check when it goes for a rica

[nobananas]

So opinions divided then.....bugger ! Valve stem seals the cheaper option but more work. Turbo the dear option but less work !...

[nobananas]

Just had a slightly mad idea. My motor smokes worst when left at idle for a while right ? I would assume that at those low engine rpm's the turbo is barely spinning. What if I disconnected the oil feed to the turbo and blocked it off and for good measure held open the wastegate to make sure that the turbo's doing as little as possible. If the seals in the turbo are knackered it won't smoke (no oil feed, no weeping past the seals right ?) if it's something else then it will continue to smoke as usual. A bit dodgy, but what do you think ?

[spencem875]

I found it quite easy to tell it was turbo. My car turned into a mobile smoke machine on idle. The smell of burning oil was quite obvious.