Diesels have more blowby at idle than at speed.  Rev it up a little and
you'll
see.  It's the time it takes to bleed through the rings that causes this.

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 7/2/99 at 11:48 AM Michael Snow wrote:

>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

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