engine and drivetrain Compression Numbers Good, but Still Blows Oil

[Guest Anonymous]

Ok....I need some engine rebuild advice.

I bought a wreck of a 76 pastelblau at auction.

It literally has the most pristine dash I have ever seen. Not only ZERO cracks but still the vinyl is

still soft and supple.

Not much rust though, so it is saveable and I

think, too good to be a parts car.

The good:

Compression numbers came back good....all between

130-140. The car actually has nice torque and pull.

No tranny nor differential whine.

The bad:

She's a "smoker". Pull out the dip stick and watch the bluish wisps fly by. I sense a quart every 500 miles. Ugh!

The question:

Can I nurse an engine like this along just by keeping the oil topped off? That is, this car is destined for me anyway, to be a driver. An in-town driver while I restore my 71 roundie which is my true love. Am I risking a catastrophic engine failure by not rebuilding it. What are your opinons?

Jerry

[Guest Anonymous]

put a few drops of oil onto the pistons through the spark plug holes and do a compression test. if the numbers stay the same then it's the head. if they get better, it's the rings. leak down test will give you more acurate results.

steve

[Guest Anonymous]

my old motor had 130 compression across the board, and used lots of oil... maybe 1 quart every 300 miles. Turned out that a single intake valve seal was leaking profusely (this on a head that had been rebuilt <25K miles earlier).

Chris B.

'73 ex-Malaga

[Guest Anonymous]

if it's been sitting for a while, the oil consumption may actually get better,a s the seals soften with use, adn the rings reseat.

But probably not.

1 qt every 500 is the low end for acceptable- as long as you keep the level up, you'll be fine.

I use half a qt in 100 mi on the track- and in 1500 miles on the street. It's only excessive if you get behind me in a corner....t

t

[Guest Anonymous]

(nt)