When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
after years of wanting one I finally got a cossie, 4x4, 69k miles ans very good condition
just working through some issues, I fully serviced it today, I drove it back to Plymouth from Hull and some short trips and have done 400 miles, it’s never missed a beat but when I checked the dipstick after the 400 miles barely over a tank of fuel the dipstick barely showed any oil. It was toppers when I left hull!
i drained the oil out and only had 1800ml in the sump and filter!
All 3 forward plugs are brown but dry the rear one is slightly wet but nothing compared to my Norton commando!
it doesn’t smoke oil but does spit soot out of the exhaust, I got a napkin and held it up to the exhaust for 10 seconds and it had spatterings all over it though it’s soot not oil.
it does chuff loads of misty oil out of the uprated oil breather which then gets sucked back into the cabin! But other than that can’t see any issues
i read they drink oil and that ford say a pint every 600 miles somewhere on a forum but 2+ litres in 400 miles???? That’s excessive!
As I say plugs are dry bar one and doesn’t have oily exhaust could it just be breathing out of the breather?
also worth noting no great amount of oil underneath the engine and none on garage floor.
will do a compression test this weekend
russ
This is all that came out after 400 miles Noticed this after revving it a bit it’s all soot powder no oil Again just soot that wipes off
Forgot to say it’s got a T4 turbo, remapped, and bigger cams plus charge cooler that’s water cooled with separate system that’s the main mods have print outs of 348bhp but haven’t gone through enough of the history to show proof of what’s been done but has been modded
so did a compression test all pistons 125psi but the rear piston with slight wet plug was 136psi which would make sense as oil giving a better seal but still nothing to worry about
so I’m fresh out of ideas maybe cossies just drink!
Front 3 125psi rear 136psi From left to right is front to back after 3 miles drive when warm on new plugs
I’m slowly going through it but will check all that when I can
if the guides were leaking I would expect to see oil on plugs or in exhaust.
my commando is always wet on one pipe cause the guides are gone and haven’t got round to fixing it
ive put in 10w 50 now see if that makes a difference, it’s running green injectors but like you say maybe it’s not set up, has loads of history but like all history 50 pages of print outs from ford for wipers and bulbs means f@ck all!
Have to to go through the history properly! Have to say it’s most powerful car I’ve ever driven closest was 170bhp bmw but whilst it is quick it doesn’t blow your mind, I used to drive Volvo T5’s and they gilt comparable so maybe it does need setting up?
I am wondering if its something to do with the oil breather system not working properly and oil is getting blown out of it and not going back into the sump. For it to use that much oil in 400 miles is not normal If it is not blowing out blue smoke on start up or when coming on boost and there is no signs of any major oil leaks that cuts out the usual things that you would think are causing it to have such a high oil consumption.I just did 370 miles in my 2wd Saff to Santa Pod in hot weather and some fast driving and when I checked the oil it needed less than half a pint to top it up again and my rebuilt engine has done about the same miles as yours.
Didn't the guy from msd set up a place in Devon somewhere?
Definitely sounds like it needs setting up.
It needs setting up properly as the black soot points to an over rich mixture but I cant see that has anything to do with it losing so much oil in such a short journey.
Mine fired most of its oil out the dipstick until I sorted a proper breather system - its well worth making sure everything is clear and functional (maybe a hose has collapsed for some reason or something simple?). Can you see any sign's of oil on the engine/ anywhere?
The injectors are definitely green but as for the turbo I can only go on what I was told, don’t know enough about turbo identification to id the turbo but looking online looks standard
And breather system it has a big allow tank and filter that catches condensation and a swirl pot to return the oil, it does catch condensation but as said before sometimes you can see oil mist blowing out the nonentity vent and it dribbles down the inside of the wing
i have printouts with no dates or registration that shows numerous runs as low as 280 to 348 bhp
not sure what it’s actislly running but think it needs setting up as too rich
This is where the exhaust sits in the garage I’m starting an exhaust art business!!!!
Buying a Cossy is not like buying most normal cars and accurate history is very important. I am suprised that who ever you bought it from did not give you a detailed breakdown of what has been done to it. If you take it for a rolling road set-up whoever does it will need to know exactly how the engine has been built up or what modifications have been done. My advice would be to find a Cosworth specialist who can help you sort out the obvious problems and once that is done you will be able to enjoy driving it without having to worry about it running out of oil etc.
I read through receipts and it has a t34 cams though reading receipt doesn’t say uprated albeit was done by a tuning company and a lot of money spent with that firm
was dyno’d a few times but last time was over 10 years ago so think I will have it set up again
There old cars now and most have been abused and fooked about with. If that’s the car you like and want then none of that really matters. The car will end up as good as your prepared to spend on it. Best thing you can do as already said is take to to a cosworth specialist who has the equipment to check the fuelling / set up be that on the rolling road or on the road.
I read through receipts and it has a t34 cams though reading receipt doesn’t say uprated albeit was done by a tuning company and a lot of money spent with that firm
was dyno’d a few times but last time was over 10 years ago so think I will have it set up again
thanks
russ
I think T34 is the turbo, most up-rated cams start with a BD prefix. Popular upgrades are BD 10,12,14 and 16. See if any receipts are for those. Study the receipts and try to get an accurate assessment of what has been done to the engine as who ever sets it up will need this information. Good luck and I hope you get to the bottom of the high oil consumption.
Last edited by cossynut2; Jun 16, 2018 at 08:56 AM.
so did a compression test all pistons 125psi but the rear piston with slight wet plug was 136psi which would make sense as oil giving a better seal but still nothing to worry about
so I’m fresh out of ideas maybe cossies just drink!
Front 3 125psi rear 136psi From left to right is front to back after 3 miles drive when warm on new plugs
Do a leak down test this will tell you much more than a compression test.
Do a leak down test this will tell you much more than a compression test.
Mark
had a look in eBay appreciate they are cheap but can’t find one that goes over 100psi my pistons are 125psi so could bugger the gauge before even started
had a look in eBay appreciate they are cheap but can’t find one that goes over 100psi my pistons are 125psi so could bugger the gauge before even started
cranking compression has nothing to do with leak down.
Not sure I understand how it works then, one assumes you would crank it to get your pressure then the other gauge shows the loss over time?
or am I misunderstanding it’s design?
Apologies never heard of a leak down test before today
The tester measures how much leakage through the valves or pistons and you listen to where the air goes and this will give you a much better guide. If all the air is going past the rings this will tell you that it’s why it’s using oil.
Any good garage should have a leak down tester.
Sierra cosworth oil consumption
