I am mysteriuosly loosing a 1/2 quart of oil from the carnkcase every 500 miles. There is no indication of a leak in the oilpan or overhead gaskets. No oil puddle in the garage. No blow-by on the plugs. Engine runs great.??? anyone?
This is a great little car. Its almost as fun as the beetle's I've owned.
When the engine gets warm/hot check the exhaust if it has a blue tint to it your burning the oil. Another thing to check when the engine is warm/hot CAREFULLY remove the oil cap if smoke/steam rises in a thick cloud you got blow-by. Please be careful when checking you don't want to get burned. If neither of these are happening notably face it your car is old and its just one of its quirks, just keep topping it off.
When these burn oil the oil usually hardens around the valves.
Most times it will not show up on the spark plugs. It usually comes from bad rings, but can also be caused by valve stem seals. It is now 2-7-06 so I'm sure you have already found the problem. If left alone the oil clumps become hard and break off and will break chunks off the valve. When this happens it will feel like a bad misfire. If more than two are broken the car probably will not start. Hope this helps.
PS. fix the car it's well worth it.
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