This morning, I disconnected the breather from the intake at the
"T" fitting above the valve cover.  I started the beast up, let
it warm a few minutes, and began playing with the pump.  I was
able to get it to hang at higher than normal idle, eliminating
the blow-by question.

While doing this, I noticed that the pump was vibrating to the
point where it looked blurry to me.  The bolts holding the pump
bracket to the block were loose and allowing the entire assembly
to vibrate.  I think that somehow, the frequency of the vibration
at a certain engine RPM caused a fuel delivery problem within the
pump, causing the engine to run at the higher RPM.

The fix (temporary):  I tightened the bolts as best as I could
with a 6mm allen wrench.  Test drive at varying speeds up to 50
MPH showed no incidence of previous problem.  The camper now
accelerates and decelerates smoothly, and runs much quieter to
boot!  I think there should probably be some kind of lock washer
under these bolt heads, but there is not on mine.

In regard to blow-by, I did notice that there is a volume of air
coming though the breather hose at idle, and presumably more when
cruising.  No noticeable oil or fuel was on my palm after holding
in front of the hose end for 15-20 seconds.  I also cut 1/2 inch
off the valve cover breather hose, as it was cracked.  There is a
fair amount of oil making its way into the breather system from
the valve cover.  It sprayed a few droplets on my hand, and there
was a thick film of oil inside the hose.  Certainly this is being
burned in the combustion process, but I don't know how much it
could contribute to powering the engine.  It seemed to be no
worse than most of the Chevrolets and Jeeps I have worked on with
regard to oil traveling through the breather system.  Is this
normal for the 1.6?

In the next week or two, I will have an idea of oil consumption.
I am trying to fix all the leaks this weekend.

Many thanks to all who took the time to help me with this.  Have
a good 4th of July :)

Mike Snow
'82 Westy diesel