tobot

I have not done a compression test yet. I may try that this weekend. Working on this engine is terrible. So little room.

I had checked the oil catch can filter multiple times since I installed it last weekend. Yesterday was the first time I actually saw it exhausting smoke or steam. When I was getting choked out I wasn't sure if it was from the exhausting filter or the oil that had leaked onto the engine after I reinstalled the valve covers. I had kinked a gasket and it leaked. I have fixed that issue. No leaks.

The tailpipe is black. But it is not thick, oily or encrusted. It had snowed here a few weeks ago and I had the truck idling. After 5 minutes there was i decent bit of black splattering in the snow.

I bought a 2001 LE Pathfinder a couple months ago. It consumes 1 liter of oil every 400 kms. Yes, four hundred. The coolant is bright green, the exhaust looks normal. No plumes of blue or brown smoke on start up. I've read people blame the baffles in the valve cover for high oil consumption. I deleted the PCV and installed an oil catch can. From the catch can I have a hose going to where the PCV was and the breather on the other valve cover. The catch can vents to atmosphere through a filter. Now the exhaust is choking me out in the truck, I'm getting moisture in the engine, and the only thing I'm draining out of the oil catch can is water. The oil catch can is baffled but does not have a medium in it yet. This weekend I will put in some steel wool. I use 10W30 Castrol GTX and run 87 octane fuel. I am going to switch to 89 which is recommended. Yet this won't help the oil situation. When I installed the oil can I changed the spark plugs. They were covered in a hard white ash deposit. Worse than most pictures I've seen. The intake manifold was also full of oil and grit. I really like this vehicle and am going to be moving from BC to Manitoba in a few months. I cannot in good conscience sell this vehicle to another person without taking a hit. My question is, do you think I can pull the engine and just change the piston rings and valve seals and have this thing last another year or two until I can rebuild it fully. I do not have the time or money to do a full rebuild now. Let me know anymore info you want. Any thoughts or help will be appreciated. I've read the thread "max" has posted. I'm glad he has had things work out. I will likely get the cylinders honed if I can get away with just that, but grinding the crankshaft might be out of the question.