i have a 1.8 litre 406 petrol that is losing oil but there is no sign of leaks or any patches on the floor where the car has been parked.
I dont know alot about engines and a freind said it may be the oil seals?
can someone please advise me on this problem and where to start looking.
thanks.
agcode:)
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If there are no leaks it must be burning it.
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ok, sorry to sound like a numskull but if its burning it how does this happen and how do i fix it?
agcode:)
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Wel what is the milage, how regularly has it been serviced and what has it ben used for eg. motorways, schol runs
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You need to get a compression test done to see if it's the cylinder head eg valve stem seals or the bottom end like worn pistons/rings.
What is the mileage?
1996 car is it worth spending £400+ repair bills?
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If it's done 500,000 miles... It's not such a good guide really, gone are the days of Cortinas that self-destruct when they get to 100k. Unfortunately the 1.8 is a bit underpowered tbh and most are thrashed. (If you think that's bad they sold the 1.6 here...)
Valve stem oil seals - puffs of smoke on starting and gear changes
Worn piston rings - smokes all the time, worse when flooring it. Will be shown up by the compression test.
(ok, I'm generalizing but it'll do)
The valve stems aren't so bad - belts off, cam(s) off, head off, valves out, change seals, grind valves if the seats look a bit iffy, back together in a couple of days. Almost as expensive as another car but worth it if it's a good motah. Rings is a lot more complicated, not to mention expensive, so unless the rest of the car is absolutely perfect (apart from the handbrake of course) and you can get a decent 2nd-hand lump it's time to say goodbye I'm afraid.
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How many miles and how much oil does it use. What oil do you use and what is your driving pattern. Regards Peter
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valve stem seals are the most common on these as they harden. They can be replaced witout removing the cylinder head if you find a good indy that has the valve tool kit for replaceing seals in situ. About 4-5 hrs to replace in situ & better than disturbing the cylinder head.
They need a good compressor to keep the valves shut with compressed air whilst the valve spring is removed. used to do quite a few taxis like this.
As the car is fitted with a cat you may not notice the oil burning
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I bought the car in june this year and it only had 65k on the clock, which i thought was pretty good for a 96 car. it only had 2 previous owners and the last owner had it since 1999. no history with it though.
I personally use it for commuting to work doing about 40 mile a day on motorway.done a couple of trips away aswell about 250 mile each time.
previous problems have been sticking instrument clocks which i have repaired and i had to replace the cat last week.
agcode:)
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I filled it with oil to the top of the dip stick about 2 weeks ago and now its not even touching it.
not noticed any smoke from exhaust either.
agcode:)
Edited by agcode on 04/09/2009 at 16:58
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It may only drip when the engine is running. Have you tried parking on a clean area and leaving the engine running for a bit?
Example an old car of mine had a drip hole for the fan belt covers, a leak at the overhead cam shaft dripped down through this and onto the road leaving no evidence on the engine, just a smudge of oil at the weep hole.
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So lets try again. How many miles on a litre of oil. In the two weeks you refrred to you could have done a 1000 miles we can not tell. I'm with Injector doc on this, valve stem seals, at 13 yeras olf they are as hard as glass. Regards Peter
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What happened to the cat?
My dad would say "ignore it until it manifests itself in a more apparent manner"...
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Hold on, a 406 that isn't leaking oil from somewhere? Any chance of some pics?
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