# VW excessive oil usage?



## old caddy man (Jul 7, 2012)

I have only been driving VW cars a few years. It seems like the water cooled cars have a lot of blow by from the crankcase and a lot of leaks from the oil passages and hoses. I have both gas and diesel models and they both seem to have a lot of blow by oil or high crank case pressure problems. Any thoughts from you good VW mechanics as to why VW has so much oil issues? Thanks Old Caddy Man


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## 161324 (Jul 28, 2004)

I'm not sure about the newest engines but the 12V VR is rock solid, 0 consumption issues.

The 2.0L was a pig, qt/1000 miles.

The way VW designed the valve cover and lack of pcv, the vapors are sent back in to the throttle body to be burned. Many people put a catch can in place or add a PCV.


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## old caddy man (Jul 7, 2012)

Thanks for the reply. I think maybe some added breathers might help the crankcase problems


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## 161324 (Jul 28, 2004)

old caddy man said:


> Thanks for the reply. I think maybe some added breathers might help the crankcase problems




Well, yes. But those vapors venting to the air would then cause pollution. Not that I care, mine is vented. The problem, especially on the VR is that the port is on the side of the case, instead of an inch or two above. This allows additional vapors to vent out. If there was PCV on top, venting in to the Throttle Body, then all would be well.

The kicker is, when left alone, the throttle body will get gummed up with oil and crap, then fails and throws codes, while you can clean and run the adaption 100% of the time, many shops just replace it, the DBW units are like 900.


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## sofsport (Jan 19, 2014)

You didn't say what car you had but for a while certain 2.0s were experiencing high oil consumption from the outset. 

My car had the issue and it is an '03 AVH Golf GL with the engine built in Brazil.

The oil control rings were apparently installed upside down and some of the cars were recalled but if the problem was not severe enough then they simply replaced the catalytic converter if necessary. 

Some of the recalled cars had to be deglazed and had new rings installed. 

A little internet research on your specific model might shed some light on the situation. 

I don't find it a problem because it only uses about a quart in a thousand miles.

Using the latest grade of oil for a gasoline engine may help keep the catalytic converter from needing replacement. It is tempting to buy diesel oil because it can be hard to find the correct 5w40 grade in an SN rated oil in the economical 5 quart jugs. However, the additional zinc and phosphorus in the diesel oil will cause the catalyst to fail sooner.


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## Fogcat (Apr 29, 2015)

I've discovered that they do indeed use oil in ways I did not expect. Oil collects in the diverter valve and eventually seeps out into the wire connector if it is not cleaned periodically! Who knew? Catch can? It doesn't work well in cold weather I understand, rules that out for almost 7 to 8 months of the year for me. Still lime the car though. Been reading up on Euro-jet, maybe replacing the rear pcv hose, I don't know. Anyway, the turbo and pcv system accounts for usage handsomely.


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