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98 Metro Guzzling oil
Topic Started: Jan 5 2013, 10:03 PM (1,724 Views)
r12methane
R12METHANE
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Small block 1.0 1 quart in 100 miles...After I changed The Head.(professionally) built,Timing belt,water pump,pcv valve..I also switched to full synthetic oil..Cleaned out egr valve and ports..P0400 check engine light was on..Now it is spitting oil out the exhaust pipe :ermm: WTF I checked compression after about 200 miles and it is damn near 190 across the board..164000 miles..2 different guages dry.The air filter was quite restricted and I just changed it..Could this cause the pcv to suck oil out the valve cover or the crank case? Its not burning the oil because there is no smoke..Its just spitting it out the exhaust pipe...I just swapped the head out at this mileage for maintenence and to turn off the check engine light due to the plugged egr ports.Now I have a real problem :beer Any Ideas? Hope My thery on the air filter fixes it..
Edited by r12methane, Jan 5 2013, 10:24 PM.
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idmetro
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Were you consuming oil before the head swap? Did you by chance remove the oil restictor from the block during the head swap and neglect to put it back? What brand of head gasket did you use?

Your compression numbers are good but I suspect your oil control rings may be clogged, you could pull the plugs and put a couple of tablespoons of Seafoam in each cylinder, allow it to sit overnight, then spin the engine with the plugs out to remove any residual (put a paper towel or rag over each sparkplug hole to catch the spray), install the plugs and fire it up. This may help break loose the oil rings (or it may not).

At 164k miles I would not have done just the head without doing at least a cylinder hone and ring replacement. I also suspect you will see less oil consumption if you switch back to a non-synthetic oil.

Hard to imagine no smoke from oil pouring through the exhaust - coolant level staying up?

Others will chime in soon. Keep us posted on your progress.
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pdqrunner


I had the same problem after I rebuilt the head only on my metro. One quart in 40 miles. No smoke at all in any test condition. Turns out it was "I guess" burning in the combustion process to coat the head with a gold sludge. I would thinks your compression number would be lower but that may be a benefit of the gold sludge. Piston and rings are cheap and I did the job in a weekend. Put in an oil pump while you are at it. Oil can be expensive at that rate.
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Shinrin
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Going with either the oil check valve fell out

or the bottom end cant handle the good top end.

Both well known problems.
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Stiffchezze
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Sir Metrologist

:gp

:+1 on the check valve. It is VERY easily lost when the head is removed. :(

Also
"Professionally" rebuilt around here means "Someone who does not know/understand Metros" ^o)
Edited by Stiffchezze, Jan 6 2013, 10:07 AM.
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Capitan828
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Most likely too much oil in the top end. I rebuild my brothers engine and had it blowing a smokescreen at higher speeds. I could have easily robbed a bank and evaded the cops with that much smoke coming out the tailpipe. I pulled the head and found that the two oil return holes back to the crankcase on the head gasket were way too small. With minimal blowby from normal wear trying to come up and the increasing flow of oil coming down from normal wear on the top, it is too much traffic for those little holes on the head gasket. I just got some whole punches from harbor freight and enlarged them as much as I could with out causing an oil leak. But it back together and car ran great. Only downside is I lost my ability to rob a bank one day, but oh we'll.


These cars are so great. Just have to know their tricks and habits.

I think these engines get rebuild needlessly often due to this problem with the head gasket and we don't realize it until the rebuild is blowing smoke.

This forum is a must for any metro owner.
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Vkhelldog
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I think I fixed all my oil leaks now excepting perhaps oil pan it seems no matter what I do it leaks a tad. Grrr on it
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Vkhelldog
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Yup great forum great cars
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r12methane
R12METHANE
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captin 828 could this be done without pulling the head? I thought I looked at the head gasket before I put it back together but you never know what I may have seen :beer .I got the head gasket from evergreen selling on e/bay..
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Stiffchezze
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Sir Metrologist

Do not enlarge any of the holes in the head gasket. While the gasket does not "match up" to all the holes in the engine block, it is not suppose to.

What Capitan828 has described is a classic sign of a Metro engine missing its oil check valve. The same issue you are probably having. Unless it was some weird, no name, head gasket; it should not have affected oil consumption.

I, myself, would pull the head. It is the only way to make sure it is installed. If it is not, I would have the "professional" :whistle that did the job the first time, pay for you to do it the second time. ^o)

DO NOT USE THE EVERGREEN HEAD GASKET!! Unless you want to do this again in about a month. :banghead
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r12methane
R12METHANE
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Since There is so much talk about the check valve I am 100% sure it was there before I put head back on.I did use the evergreen head gasket but never had an issue in the past..
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taelwind
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I'm curious, is the oil check valve in the head, or in the block. I had my head rebuilt by a machine shop and installed using felpro head gasket set. I took a picture of the head right after I removed, do not see an oil check valve in head. No lip on cylinders or scarring.

Does anybody have a picture of this oil check valve ?

Not blowing a blue smoke screen. I may be running a little rich because my gas mileage is barely 40 mpg. I have black spots the size of pepper (as in salt and pepper) speckled on the rear of my car. I have been running marvel mystery oil in engine to hopefully clean rings. No luck. Picture of check valve would be helpful. Not fouling plugs either. Have 3K on head rebuild. I have a 3/5
Edited by taelwind, Feb 28 2013, 12:15 AM.
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Deleted User
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taelwind
Feb 28 2013, 12:14 AM
Does anybody have a picture of this oil check valve ?
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taelwind
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Thanks for the pictures.

RUT ROH ! I don't recall seeing that. I'm looking at pictures of my head and I see nothing sticking out. I don't have pictures of the engine block after taking the head off. Are these valves still available. I read somewhere that there was a valve married into the block. Brass colored, looks like an oversized spray nozzle. I saw a spray nozzle thing in the block, below the plane of the gasket. But nothing I recall looks like what you show in the picture - sticking out.
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taelwind
Feb 28 2013, 10:33 AM
Thanks for the pictures.

RUT ROH ! I don't recall seeing that. I'm looking at pictures of my head and I see nothing sticking out. I don't have pictures of the engine block after taking the head off. Are these valves still available. I read somewhere that there was a valve married into the block. Brass colored, looks like an oversized spray nozzle. I saw a spray nozzle thing in the block, below the plane of the gasket. But nothing I recall looks like what you show in the picture - sticking out.
The check valve fits into the block. Suzuki Steve is in the process of installing it. There's just a hole in the head. The check valves are still available, maybe. I usually have one in my pocket. Yup. Still there.

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