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So I removed my engine for the 8th time (HAHAHA! I m not kidding. Stop laughing.). I decided the coolant wasn't leaking from the freeze plugs so I left them alone. I saw a small leak where the head coolant pipe connects to the heater core. I didn't have money for it so I just tightened it a little more and left it alone.

Anyway, for the 4th (5th??) oil pan gasket install (I cleaned ALL of the silicone sealer off and ONLY put it where the manual said, I torqued it to EXACT specs, and guess what-no signs of a leak).

Now, I somehow am missing a quart of oil every 150 miles. No drips or leaks on the engine whatsoever. Mobile 1 full synthetic extra mileage motor oil ($8 a quart) can be pretty expensive like that. I put in also a quart of regular Lucas, and just now a quart of Lucas stop-leak.

I also put in some Barr's Stop-leak in the radiator, because I am not sure if I can even get to that hose, now.

My only clue where the oil would be going is if it is burning (I had the cylinders honed and new rings put in, but I broke the top compression ring and had to use an old ring, and the bores were rusted so there are felt grooves in the cylinders-but the motor doesn't smoke at ALL. Plus, I put new valve seals in.) is the little check valve where the fuel tank, air cleaner, and crankcase (oil pan) breather connect to. I checked it just now and it was hooked up ALL backwards. No connection was right on it. Could this cause my oil to disappear?

If not, I simply do not get how I can loose that much oil that fast with no external leaks and the motor not smoking at all.

FWIW Lucas DOES boost the oil pressure up significantly.

PS! I did the calcs-some steep uphill freeway driving, level freeway driving, and some in town driving=27.8MPG. It'd be 30 MPG if I drove 55 on level ground for 200 miles. I am pretty happy with this mileage on a 4x4 truck that goes anywhere unless it gets high centered (Happens a lot. I carry a military folding shovel, now.).

This may sound like stupid questions but I will ask.

1) Did you stager the ring gaps? Have them where they are not all lined up in a row. ie Staggered?
2) How bad were the scratches? Was the rust in the cylinders gone after you honed them.
3) Did you break the engine on regular oil before switching to synthetic oil?
I am sure I am missing a few things.

If it is not leaking, it has to be going somewhere. It must be burning it. Not quite the same thing, but when GM came out with the 454 cu.in engines in trucks, they would use around a quart of oil ever 150 miles or so(IIRC). GM said that was excitable.
They didn't smoke. It was the valve seals. We cheated and put ford style umbrella type seals on them too, with the GM o-ring type. That fixed it so we didn't have to keep trying to fix it. I think they made the valve guide clearances tighter and that was there fix.

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75 Luv, 350 V8, TH350, Camaro rearend. New 1975 Luv Step side. Stock for now.
Grandmaster of the "Shade Tree" way.. I can't see the yard for all the cars. Come on down and we will sit on the porch and watch the grass grow.

1)Yes, I staggered them as per the manual
2)It was more like pitts, the bad ones I could feel were towards the bottom of the bore, though. The mechanic who honed the motor said they would "Probably" seat, but it really did NEED to be bored out to go past them.
3)Yes I did. I ended up, because of leaks, changing the oil 4 or 5 times in 700 miles. And the filter 2x...

The bores looked like there wasn't a crosshatch, more like the guy just put the hone in and spun it in a stationary position. I confronted him about it and he said he had been doing it for 30 years, and that it was because the bores were so bad... I tend to believe him..

You should be able to get a cross hatch. I still have a super fine set of Sunnen engine hones that I used when I did high performance engines and you still saw a cross hatch.

Depending on how far down the pits were, they might not be in the ring area. I would think he might have been right on boring the block, but I do understanding on being tight on money.

Out of round cylinders will have spots that will not have a cross hatch in some spots. Cross hatch helps the rings seat in. Chrome rings took getting the engine HOT to get them to seat. Something does not sound right. I was a GMC-Pontiac mechanic, then I worked on big rigs(trucks), and finally did engine machine work. I would guess 20+ years doing that stuff.

Even Cheep ball hones give you what you the cross hatch you need.

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75 Luv, 350 V8, TH350, Camaro rearend. New 1975 Luv Step side. Stock for now.
Grandmaster of the "Shade Tree" way.. I can't see the yard for all the cars. Come on down and we will sit on the porch and watch the grass grow.

It's too late. I am rather bored (Infuriated, but it does get good mileage) with this particular motor and will invest all the stop-leak and stop-smoke I need to keep the oil in until I can afford a brand new motor. Know any resources for new G180s?

Switch back to regular oil,because it is cheaper. I have used the high mileage oil before and it has been ok.
Use the Lucas additive or STP and drive it for now. I don't recommend you do much else. We did add something to the oil to help chrome rings seat, but this doesn't sound like the problem. All modern Molly rings don't need to have that done.

Good luck, it will work out, even if it takes a engine. It is a shame that they don't have one of these low mileage import engines, from Japan that will fit.

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75 Luv, 350 V8, TH350, Camaro rearend. New 1975 Luv Step side. Stock for now.
Grandmaster of the "Shade Tree" way.. I can't see the yard for all the cars. Come on down and we will sit on the porch and watch the grass grow.

Tundrawolf, Where do you live? It would be good to know incase somebody has an engine available.

And what year is your truck?

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OK, I'm over it. Where's the beer?

Tundra have you pulled out your spark plugs and see if they have oil on them?
Have you done a compression test?

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1980 Luv 4x4 with a 5 speed tranny.



"When all else fails, follow the directions".

I haven't done a compression test... It is a 1979 4x4, and I am in the High Desert..

I haven't pulled the plugs, however here is something weird..

I put in 1 quart of Lucas stop-leak.. My oil pressure has not gone up at all, and now my dipstick is reading WAY over-full. Before, it was just barely touching the bottom of the dipstick.. Could the oil have been hiding from the dipstick this whole time??

Yes. This is a strange bit about these engines. ctmandu taught me to only believe the dipstick on the 3rd pull. Something about the way the pan is pressurized...

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"If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves" - Thomas Edison

As in Victorville, Palmdale, or Phelan, CA.?

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OK, I'm over it. Where's the beer?

Lucerne Valley-might as well be victorville. I am close to apple valley, that area, too... I know about that weird thing with the dipstick, however I did check it a bunch of times and at different times of the day, it fluctuated a little, but still had very little oil in it-or so it said. Am I also tripping-does my motor take 4.75 quarts or so? Is it the 4x4 oil pan that takes more?