First up, the following is not to cause any travellers panic, regarding their RV motor. It is to possibly make you aware that the described motor problem can be, hopefully, solved very inexpensively. (Read on.) My T 3500 (218,000 klms) diesel Mazda had started to suffer with, "blow back". This is a result of the motor oil getting past the piston rings, then the oil is blown up through the tappet cover, and out the breather. (In the trade, it is known as "glazing") It can be easily detected by running the (hot) motor on idle, then removing the filler cap, and hold your hand over the filler. If there is a lot of air, and a spray of oil coming out, your motor may have blow back. Do you add oil regularly? Problems that can arise, are that the oil can, and I have seen it, "drift" to the back wheels, and infiltrate the brakes, plus make an awful mess along the chassis. I know that some folks who are not mechanically minded, may go to a "Dodgy Bros" auto workshop, and be told that their motor is "shot", and will have to be replaced. You are looking at $3,000 to $4,000 for the job. I contacted "Cost Effective Maintence" (www.costeffective.com.au) and bought some of their marvellous "Elixer" and carefully following all directions, added it to the Mazda motor. 300 klms later, and the compression is virtually as new. There is no more pressure through the tappet cover, no oil from the breather, and, naturally, a great saving in oil costs. I fully realise that, to some folk, much of the above can be confusing. If you have doubts re. your motor, be sure to speak to people in the industry, that you know, and can trust.
That's a good clue. It seems the mechanics could take advantage of the unwary. Even basic information can be expensive in the motor vehicle. I'm very thankful I have some mechanical clues. My mechanic even shows me the unusual cars and motors he rebuilds or modifies. He only once mentioned installing a turbo in Rosy, but I rationalised him out of it. He installed one in his old Ford Maverick, aka Nissan Patrol. So everyone, if you have a chance to learn even the basics about your machine, it could save you heaps in the long run. Just ask HW.
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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
G'Day Pipes, I had some similar success with a product called XADO. It may not work for all engines but I found it to be great on my Isuzu 4.6 (nominal) four cylider non turbo diesel. It stopped the minor to moderate smoke, smoothed out the rough idle vibration (the mirrors don't shake now) and all but eliminated the 'shudder' when turning the engine off. Takes about 600 to 1500 klms to be effective. I've never had much time for 'snake oils' but some of these newer 'restorative' products are actually appearing to have some effect. For what it's worth.
