Burning excessive oil!! Need advice.

[DoubleDingo]

Are these new pistons? Did you install top ring with the bevel up and secondcring with the bevel down.A trick for working outside in the cold throw a tarp over the car and put a forced air kerosene heater behind the car blowing under, you will be in a constant warm draft. I changed a 2 piece rear seal in 10 below weather this way.

Because heat goes to cold

 

[76-77-78]

Are these new pistons? Did you install top ring with the bevel up and secondcring with the bevel down.A trick for working outside in the cold throw a tarp over the car and put a forced air kerosene heater behind the car blowing under, you will be in a constant warm draft. I changed a 2 piece rear seal in 10 below weather this way.

yes they are new pistons as far as the rings go I followed the instructions in the box for the rings. But I could have put some in the wrong way somehow. And the tarp and heater idea is a good one I’ll remember that for next time something breaks and it’s -20 outside.

 

[HotRodPC]

IF it ran 10,000 miles and didn't have this bad of a problem until the head swap, then I'd lean toward valve seals. No chance of defective valve guides in the heads? No special valve type requirment with the heads? If Dart has a support system, I think I'd reach out to them and ask them their opinion too. They may be able to ask about what was installed in the heads and be able to pin point the problem.

 

[Ricko1966]

Okay I guess I misread this I thought it was using oil since day one. 1.Rings installed upside down can cause this 2 ,new rings on worn out ring lands can cause this,3 incorrect rings or ring gap can cause this.But if everything was cool until you changed heads and that's all you changed, than you need to take a real hard look at these heads, just like.
hotrodpc said
,one other thing to consider are you using the correct intake gaskets and manifold for these heads.

 

[DoubleDingo]

.....one other thing to consider are you using the correct intake gaskets and manifold for these heads.

I don't think the intake gaskets would cause oil burning issues. Oil leaking, yes; burning, no.

 

[Ricko1966]

I don't think the intake gaskets would cause oil burning issues. Oil leaking, yes; burning, no.

Absolutely they can if they don't match to the intake and head correctly they can suck oil from the lifter valley.

 

[DoubleDingo]

Absolutely they can if they don't match to the intake and head correctly they can suck oil from the lifter valley.

Touche. I learned something today, now I can go home.

 

[80BrownK10]

I'm not an expert like a lot of these guys but my thoughts are valve seals . I don't really suspect rings because as I understand it didn't burn this bad before the head swap. What happened...you swapped heads. That's the new thing. Look there. Of course there is gaskets that could be bad but to suck that much I think you would have a stumble or lope at idle from the air leak. I would highly suspect that head. I would vote to pull heads apart and replace seals.


Another thought on why the dirty plugs have highest compression is that they clearly have the most oil being introduced into them, so the cylinder probably had more oil either helping to seal the ring just like adding oil to do a wet test. But also there is probably similar carbon in the combustion chamber reducing the volume so increasing the compression. Or also some carbon around the rings could be helping to seal a little more?