Apologies - the so called magic posted 7 April turned out not to be.
Keeping oil level on my 95 3.2 dipstick below max just meant more
delay before registering the gradual consumption or slow leak.
Unwelcome truth. Must have used 3 pints in 5000 miles.–
Ant
Bristol UK, United Kingdom
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from Ant sent Sun 18 Apr 2004:
Ant,
So now for some detective work. Where is the oil going?Which plugs
are oily?
- It is worn rings/bore
- It is the infamous cylinder head oil leak
- A leak from elsewhere on the engine e.g. cracked sump or worn
rear main seal - Worn valve stem oil seals
- Blocked breather system creating excessive pressure in the
crankcase causing oil to be forced past the rings on the induction
stroke
A compression check,leak down test and HC emissions test would be a
good start. If you are looking for small leaks the UV dye systems
are useful.
Hope this gets you going.
Tony 95XJR–
anthony davenport
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from Ant sent Sun 18 Apr 2004:
1 1/2 quarts in 5000 miles is low to average oil consumption for a
car with over 50,000 miles or so. It would be average to high in a
newer car, depending on how new it is. I always thought that if a
car exceeds 1 qt/1000 miles, it should be repaired. Of course, this
does not apply to leaks, they should always be repaired as soon as
possible. An oil leak is a liability in any car with the potential
to cause engine failure if ignored. A simple way to check for
abnormal oil consumption is to look at the plugs, if one or more
has obvious oily deposits on it, there is a serious problem. A car
burning 1 1/2 qts in 5000 miles should not exhibit these deposits,
the plugs should look normal (light gray even deposits on the
center electrode and a non-sooty darker shell).–
Brian Caro
Newport News, VA, United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–