astra 2.0Di oil

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Mon 17 May 2004 23:20
astra 2.0Di oil - mike1
hello
the wife's car now has 250000 km and upto recently has had minimal oil consumption (1/2 litre between oil changes done every 15000 kms). however over the last 7000 kms it has consumed 3/4 litres of oil. there are no leaks and i can't see any obvious blue smoke from the exhaust. taking off the inlet rubber to the turbo shows an oily film with 3 to 4 drops of oil sitting in the turbo inlet. when moved between finger and thumb the turbo shows movement radially but not having a reference i can't say if it's too much. could the bearings/seals in the turbo be letting the oil past? where's the best place to buy a replacement and should it be a recon unit or new? any ideas on the price of the turbo? - i can fit it myself. otherwise the car runs well so if anyone has any other ideas to explain the increase i'd welcome your comments. thanks in advance for any help.
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Wed 19 May 2004 00:14
astra 2.0Di oil - mike1
hello again
well i just took the egr valve off to have a look and there's definitely more accumulation of softish oil deposits on the valve than the last time i looked. some one who knows a lot about diesels suggested that with the highish mileage it could be clogging of the fine mesh on the crankcase breather which is causing the increase in oil consumption. only problem is it seems to be an internal passageway. has anyone had this problem?any feedback gratefully accepted.
regards
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Wed 19 May 2004 10:28
astra 2.0Di oil - Sooty Tailpipes
Have you changed make / type of oil recently?
Try a different oil next time, some seem more prone to this than others, even with the same viscosity. It's normal for a high mileage turbocharger to let a mist of oil past, it's normal wear and tear, its when there is a huge cloud of smoke and an angle grinder sound you need to wory.
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Sat 29 May 2004 23:22
astra 2.0Di oil - mike1
st thanks for your suggestion and apologies for replying so late (been travelling). no i’ve not changed the oil brand – i use the same shell i’ve always used since the guarantee ended and i started to look after the car and i’ve had no problems at all until now. what about the possibility of this breather being clogged ? apparently it’s common on turbo diesels to start to lose oil if it becomes clogged – so i’m told. The only trouble is i can’t find it on the car. the haynes manual mentions it (no photos) and says it’s a no maintenance item. surely if the oil is getting past the turbo, albeit slightly at the moment, it's only a matter of time before they let go big time, usually on the motorway, burn all the oil and scrap the engine (i've seen it happen often on renault 21's diesel. any other higher miles astra owners experienced this ? regards
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