Help...please...help one last time (Stupid question)

[treed2 at wsu.edu (T. Reed)]

> ok once again I would like to thank all of you. I did take it to my freind
> who is a mechanic and he didnt see any thing wrong with it. As for head

What did he check, if not comperssion?

> gaskets and stuff like that Im sure i would be able to notice it in
> performance and the car seems to be driving fine, The smoke is gone expect

Not necessarily.. IME the performance hit is only 'impossible not to
notice' when the breakage in the gasket is between two cylinders. When it
is between one cylinder and an oil or coolant passage it will not be as
noticable because only cylinder is affected. And if the breakage is more
of a hairline crack than a gaping hole, there may be barely any
difference at all. The only side effect(s) may be disappearing coolant,
white smoke, and a cooling system that pressurizes within 20 seconds of
starting a cold engine (NOT normal!).

> for a little bit and hes gona run a compression check on it tomorrow. But

Good, that's the best way to know for sure.

> while it was there I rememberd the car loses 2 quarts of oil within 4
> months...as in its full one day then about 4 months later the oil light
> comes on i check..and its gone. I have been adding oil and checking on a
> regular basis..but losing that much oil cant be normal. The mechanic said

When I first read that it sounded like you were waiting for the oil light
to come on before adding oil!! But it sounds like you're checking more
often than that so I don't have to give you a lecture ;)

It's normal to burn some oil; obviously less is better. For a long time my
engine burned an undetectably small amount between 3000 mile oil changes.
A little while ago it started to consume oil at an alarming rate (1/2 qt
in 1000 miles or so).

I decided the rings might be sticking and added some "upper cylinder
lubricant" (marvel mystery oil) to the motor oil. Just a capful and it
stopped burning oil completely, and the lifters quieted down. Hey, I'm a
believer now. I add an ounce or two every 1500 miles or so, just to keep
things fresh.

So try some MMO - it's a couple bucks and it might save you from an
unnecessary rebuild.

VW engines are built pretty solid and don't tend to eat rings as quickly
as you'd expect. When I tore apart my 1.8 block it was very tight even
though it had well over 100k on the clock.

> that most likely the car will need and engine overhaul, (but thats not for
> sure yet) he said its an expensive procedure... SO heres the stupid question
>   is it nesecary, or can I keep doing what i have been doing filling it up
> and checking it often? any recomendations

Well, when he does the compression test.. if it doesn't test well then put
a capful of motor oil down the spark plug hole in each cylinder and test
again. If the readings improve, your rings are shot. If not, the head
gasket is leaking or your valve seals are bad (or your valves are bent;
not likely).

Did you check the air filter for oil soakage as others suggested?

-Toby