52mm intake manifold on 1.8 16V?

[lch1]

commpression check should be done from cold any way as you have to reve plug from bore me thinks garage is full of waffle sorry to be a pain
regards
lch1

[MackyM]

They didn't do a compression test - just detached something in the engine bay which allows the emissions to bypass the exhaust system ( sorry, I'm crap at this stuff) and observed there was no smoke of any kind.

Just to clarify - am I right in saying (cat or no cat) that oil in the exhaust cannot burn away if the system is cold, and hence the puff of blue cannot possibly be that - or is it possible they are right??

[16v Matt]

Sounds like b o l l o c k s to me mate. You're right a cold zaust ain't burning anything.  The only part that gets hot really quickly is the manifold.  If you zaust had oil in it, you be burning it all the time for about half an hour, then it'd be gone.   

Just disconnecting the crank case breather is hardly a definitive test of bore wear   Get yourself a compression tester.

BTW, you ain't got a cat.

[Veedubgt18v]

definately sounds like oil is leaking into your cylinders a bit. what weight oil u using? cod it can sneak in either round piston rings or stem seals as we know and as u start the car the oil is burnt in the cylinder giving u a puff of blue smoke.  not being funny but the garage sound like they are chatting thru their arses

[MackyM]

The head was rebuilt by a very well respected machinist here in Colchester, so I'm convinced it's not the head in any way. Rings it is then I guess - looks like I may have to get that bottom end rebuild with the 1.9 pistons  I wonder if , after the head work, they refilled the engine with 5W oil or something - that would be more likely to leak into the pistons and might account for the sudden (small) oil traces I've started seeing on the drive. Suddenly it all begins to fit - the new oil is certainly very pale compared to the stuff I used before. I'll stick some 15W in there and maybe the symptoms will stop. Thanks for all the answers guys.