Cheers Pete,
Out of “diagnostic interest” I’ll see what it’s like after a valve decoke (either DIY if I can find a decent guide, or garage). It’s a shame as all other aspects of the car are fine…
Will hunt online for a sensible guide to removing the head…..

DrP

Put thicker oil in it or check the grade in there isn’t too thin.

To use that much it is probably burning it, as you’ve not said there is a lake of oil on your path or “mayo” in the coolant system

Not a mechanic but guess the only way that happens is through the pistons rings.

Then sell it.

To be fair, I put oil in a car years ago that was too thin. It p155ed through it. I put thicker oil in and it was fine for years.

Mail me with where you are?

Pete, what you say about cylinder explosions moving crud is correct for most engines. However the fsi engines have “dry” intake meaning that fuel is added post compression, rather than on the induction cycle of the cylinder.
This means the intake valves never get washed with fuel. So add cheap 95 ron fuel that these are not designed for, and lots of short trips and you get problems.
Mitsubishi GDI engines have a similar problem….they need good fuel and long trips regularly to keep em sweet.

Mail sent, Boobs….
I’m hunting the web high and low for Info on getting to the valves, but am struggling!
Anyone with a PDF on engine servicing at all?
Will also post on briskoda.

DrP

This means the intake valves never get washed with fuel

Right, OK. Understood. In that case, if it’s the intake valves coking up, then additive is definately a waste of time then!

I have a 4.2 V8 Audi engine which is a known drinker of oil – Audi themselves say 1L per 1000km is within tolerance. It says this in the handbook. Is there anything in there for your engine? Have you called Audi?

GB

Will hunt online for a sensible guide to removing the head…..

I’ve had the head off an 8 valve VW, which was a piece of piss, just a few bolts. On 16v heads, IIRC, the cams sit over the head bolts, so it’s cams out first, and it’s trickier lining the camshaft pulleys up to refit the cambelt. Obviously the intake and exhaust manifolds have to come off/be loose enough to remove the head. Having not seen your engine I obviously can’t be any more specific, but it’s usually just nuts and bolts….. (He says, trying to sound positive…!)

When you’ve got the head off, lay it down with the valves pointing up and test each cylinder’s valves by pouring a fine oil (I used WD40) into the upturned closed valves. Any that leak can be spotted as the oil leaks through into the inlet….. Then you need to get the valve out. Not sure how this works on a modern engine, but that was a case of compressing the valve spring and removing the collets on my VW heads. Once the valve is out, you should be able to see coking/damage on the valves and their respecive seats. You need some grinding paste and a LOT of time. I dunno how it’s done these days but I have a thing with a rubber sucker on each end that attaches to the valve and you spin it with your hands, (valve with paste on and back in the head) until the valve seals properly. I ended up attaching it to a cordless drill though due to blisters….

Not a job that’s going to be quick. I doubt an ameture machanic would do it in a day. You’ll need new head bolts as they stretch when torqued down, a new head gasket a good torque wrench, and a new cambelt becasue you might as well do it whilst it’s off! You also need to know the torque seetings and sequence for retightening

Like I said, I’ve had heads off 2 vehicles (Both VWs as it happens) and to be honest it’s not a job I want to do again.

REALLY BAD valve on the left, good one on the right

Pete – the additive comes in 2 parts:
[*]One gets put in the fuel (debatable if this will benefit the FSI engine)[/*]
[*]The other gets sprayed into the ‘carb’ (its like a foam) and does run over the valves.[/*]

It ‘should’ work, but I suppose depends on how chuffed up they are!

Interestingly, there was an engine fault light on last night – I plugged the ODB2 tool in, and cylinder 3 is not working. I drove it in today, and although it was gutless, I was getting cracking fuel economy! Took a time to get there, but cruised at 70 no probs – why can’t we switch off cylinders when we’re up to speed?!

DrP

Funny you should say that DrP, some big V8 trucks in the US have this feature, they turn off one bank of cylinders when cruising.

Some of them also turn into v4s when not using power molgrips

Jeep do one that does.

Seriously – stop driving it. If its burning/losing all its oil in 700 miles then something pretty major is amiss. If its down on one cylinder on its own it wouldn’t be a major concern (coil pack related probably). But the fact its using oil like it is and is only running on three would suggest to me its ****.

If it’s using all its oil (is it, or is it just a litre/off the dipstick) in 700 miles (approx 4 litres) its pretty terminal. Are you not getting any blue smoke? It has to be escaping somewhere, either through being burnt or via a leak in the system somewhere (cracked sump, cracked filter or something). Under load, are you getting any blue smoke at all? Any when you start it from cold in the morning?

It’s not using all it’s oil, just from top -> bottom of dipstick. Takes about 1l to top up.
There’s NO smoke from anywhere. I wonder if the oil is a red herring?
I’m in cahoots with the garage to get it reviewed again!

DrP

It’s not using all it’s oil, just from top -> bottom of dipstick. Takes about 1l to top up.

If you didn’t top it up, it WOULD use it all though, wouldn’t it? 🙂

There’s NO smoke from anywhere.

Doesn’t mean it’s not burning oil. Plenty of cars and motorbikes burn oil at a steady rate with no visible smoke at all. BMW and Yamaha bikes spring to mind, BMW GSs are reknown for it. Virtually every diesel I’ve ever driven (work and private) has had an oil addiction too.

I wonder if the oil is a red herring?

Has it always used oil, or has the poor running and oil usage come on together, or within a couple of months?
I’m inclined to think they are one and the same problem, but I’d seriously love to be wrong about this.

If that was my car it’s be PXd pretty sharpish. (I couldn’t privately sell a car I thought had such a fault)

Silly question but your sure the bottom of the dipstick hasn’t broken off and your then over filling the oil, making the engine run rough as it try’s to get rid of the exces oil

Pete, come to think of it I had complained (internally!) that the car regularly needed topping up of oil since we got it, and it ran fine at that time! In fact, I even had the oil gasgets looked at shortly after purchase (on warranty).

The cylinder 3 fault, I expect from the fault code, is a coil pack…..

I take on board what you say about PXing the car, and if the garage has a look at it on Monday and ‘writes it off’ then so be it, but….. It’ whether this turns out to be a fatal case of Occam’s razor or a more benign case of Hickum’s dictum!!!!!

DrP

Slightly OT, but I used to own a Rover 220 GSi that could leave the dipstick dry after one spirited drive up the road and back!

Didn’t smell of oil, visibly burn oil, or leave oil stains! Owned the car a good few years and never did get to the bottom of it (it ran fine so I put up with it)!

Looking back, I can only guess a failed rear crank oil seal, and the clutch bell housing was filling up with oil!

Pete, come to think of it I had complained (internally!) that the car regularly needed topping up of oil since we got it

Hmmmm. OK. Bizzarre. I’m thinking all sorts of things now, but I’ll keep them to myself! 🙂
I don’t like cars that use oil. Don’t trust ’em. (Yeah, silly…) But most do to some extent. Any more than a litre between oil changes is taking the piss IMO

I’m surprised you are not leaving a smoke screen of blue smoke behind you with oil consumption that bad.

We had a MK3 Golf with 150k on it, when we removed the plugs and with an endoscope we could still see the original cross hatching on the bores. My old Saab 900 was the same at 180k and the oil was syrup clean too.

A head gasket failure would surely have some associated coolant over heating symptoms.

I’m surprised you are not leaving a smoke screen of blue smoke behind you with oil consumption that bad.

I’m not. 🙂