Consuming 4 liters oil per 600km!

SD diesels were widely available in the US in the 1981-86 Datsun/Nissan 720 pickups, and in Canada through '87 in the D21 pickup.

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after oil
Posts: 173
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Location: powell river, BC, Cascadia

Consuming 4 liters oil per 600km!

#1

Post by after oil »

uh oh...
this is what distresses me some:
"Securely install rubber rings into water and oil holes."
that from al and my newley aquired FSM. "ring" and "holes" plural,however the diagram shows only one o-ring. thats the one i left out originally.

here is a photo of the o-ring and a list of gaskets...
"... the rare and elusive 1987 D21/SD25, I have come to believe these trucks exist ONLY in the minds of people who own them. " phillip R.I.P.

1987 nissan d21 SD25, canada/2 tank SVO
1993 mitsubishi delica chamonix 4X4 diesel van
glenlloyd
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#2

Post by glenlloyd »

Sorry to hear about your oil problem. I don't know what you received with your head gasket, I would imagine it depends on who made it. The BA head gasket set I have includes the following small bits, one of which is clearly the same as the red seal you identified in your post.

Image

Whether or not you got the others shown here I count eight seals or actually what appears to be two sets of four seals, I cannot say. And again it probably depends on the gasket maker. The Beck Arnley gasket doesn't list a maker but says it's made in Japan.

Steve A
97 Jetta TDI, 90 Passat wagon TDI
05 E320 CDI, 92 300SD

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after oil
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Location: powell river, BC, Cascadia

#3

Post by after oil »

i got those seals too, i think, and they went with the head for the regrind/reseal
"... the rare and elusive 1987 D21/SD25, I have come to believe these trucks exist ONLY in the minds of people who own them. " phillip R.I.P.

1987 nissan d21 SD25, canada/2 tank SVO
1993 mitsubishi delica chamonix 4X4 diesel van
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asavage
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#4

Post by asavage »

4 litres oil consumption in 600km = 4.5 quarts in 375 miles. Would get you a hefty fine here. Stay where you are!

This is smoke? That's really terrible consumption.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
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TooManyIdeas
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#5

Post by TooManyIdeas »

What is the "average" oil consumption for the 22? I'm getting about 1000 miles a quart and there are no leaks. Is this good or bad?
82 Datsun 720 King Cab Diesel - FOR SALE !!!!
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pbknowles
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#6

Post by pbknowles »

My completely fresh one, new liners and pistons and rings doesn't use any in 3k miles (when I change). The old one I pulled out used a quart in 200 miles. 1000 miles/quart probably isn't too bad. IDI diesels always use some once they have a little time on em.
SD22 powered '85 Chevy S-10
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#7

Post by asavage »

My grey Aero, using 5W30 synthetic oil (higher flash point, lower evaporation rate) used a quart/800 miles from 141k when I bought it until 233k when I sold it, very consistent. It never leaked to the extent that oil would drip, visible smoke was fairly faint in the rearview mirror.

Consistent high oil consumption isn't the exclusive province of IDI diesels 8)

Yeah, that's a lot of oil but pouring the oil in was cheaper than the alternatives. It ran very well, still does.

A quart per 1000 mi. would not bother me at all.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
moose60
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#8

Post by moose60 »

I loose/burn about 1.5 quarts per 3,000ish mile oil change.
Byron

82 Datsun 720 KC SD22

MPG Machine
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philip
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#9

Post by philip »

TooManyIdeas wrote:What is the "average" oil consumption for the 22? I'm getting about 1000 miles a quart and there are no leaks. Is this good or bad?
NOW that everything runs "right" (I dare say :wink: ), using the NAPA 15w40 (Valvoline Premium BLUE) has had my engine's oil running 3K-3,200 per oil quart. Engine has 175k now.

Long ago when the engine ran badly (and I couldn't tell in those days), the engine used to burn about 1qt per 1000 miles.

Valvoline Premium BLUE
-Philip
Passed 08May2008
My friend, you are missed . . .

1982 Datsun 720KC SD-22

"Im slow and I'm ahead of you"
after oil
Posts: 173
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Location: powell river, BC, Cascadia

#10

Post by after oil »

i started using the regular napa 15w-40 becuase thats what y'all use.
now i am ready to start to tackle this (as ready as i'll ever be, i guess)

so im burnin a ton of oil, and my truck is smokin' like a BC fatty. it dont seem to be leaking. lots of people have said "rings" but could it be something in the head that maybe wasnt repaired right?
"... the rare and elusive 1987 D21/SD25, I have come to believe these trucks exist ONLY in the minds of people who own them. " phillip R.I.P.

1987 nissan d21 SD25, canada/2 tank SVO
1993 mitsubishi delica chamonix 4X4 diesel van
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asavage
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#11

Post by asavage »

If the oil consumption went way when you changed the head gasket (ie it was not using this much oil before), then yes, it could be something to do with the head. It could also be cylinder damage from getting a piece of crap down in a ring land, when cleaning the piston tops, and it could be a bit of abrasive material if you used an abrasive when cleaning the piston tops.

In the latter two cases, a compression test would probably reveal it. I say "probably" because it is possible to have reasonable compression and high oil consumption. But that doesn't happen overnight, so if a cylinder was damaged during repair, it will probably show up on a compression test.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
after oil
Posts: 173
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Location: powell river, BC, Cascadia

#12

Post by after oil »

after cleaning piston tops, i wiped then shop-vaced before i put the head back on. ill see about getting a compression test
"... the rare and elusive 1987 D21/SD25, I have come to believe these trucks exist ONLY in the minds of people who own them. " phillip R.I.P.

1987 nissan d21 SD25, canada/2 tank SVO
1993 mitsubishi delica chamonix 4X4 diesel van
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philip
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#13

Post by philip »

after oil wrote:after cleaning piston tops, i wiped then shop-vaced before i put the head back on. ill see about getting a compression test
Lets the easy things. When engine crankcase becomes over presured (see Ventilation ) then oil will be pushed pass the intake valve seals and surely the oil pressure jets move more oil past between the pistons / cylinders as the engine RPM rises.

Also, is there oil filling up near the rocker arms instead of falling back down through to the crankcase?
Last edited by philip 18 years ago, edited 2 times in total.
-Philip
Passed 08May2008
My friend, you are missed . . .

1982 Datsun 720KC SD-22

"Im slow and I'm ahead of you"
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asavage
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#14

Post by asavage »

Did crankcase ventilation change by changing the head gasket??
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
after oil
Posts: 173
Joined: 18 years ago
Location: powell river, BC, Cascadia

#15

Post by after oil »

i have been having computer problems too, but i think im back on track.
philip wrote:Lets the easy things. When engine crankcase becomes over presured (see Ventilation ) then oil will be pushed pass the intake valve seals and surely the oil pressure jets move more oil past between the pistons / cylinders as the engine RPM rises.

Also, is there oil filling up near the rocker arms instead of falling back down through to the crankcase?
my oil vapor separator is new. i will take off the valve cover today and maybe photgraph what i see.
asavage wrote:Did crankcase ventilation change by changing the head gasket??
how can i know?
"... the rare and elusive 1987 D21/SD25, I have come to believe these trucks exist ONLY in the minds of people who own them. " phillip R.I.P.

1987 nissan d21 SD25, canada/2 tank SVO
1993 mitsubishi delica chamonix 4X4 diesel van
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