My oil light came on yesterday, I added 1 liter of oil. I had an oil change 3000Kms ago, due for anouther this week. I cange the oil and replace the filter every 3500Kms. I decided to find out were all the oil was going this afternoon and first thing I did was pulled the plugs, (replaced 10,000Kms ago) all were good except one. The plug from cylinder #3 was a horrid mess - completly oil fouled. A quik search through the archives on this site confirmed my prognosis; valve guide seals/cylinder wear, that explains the oil loss. While examining the fouled plug I noticed 1/3 of the ceramic surrounding the anode was missing. I have some questions; How do I determine valve problems as opposed to a worn cylinder wall/rings? What happened to the ceramic that broke free from the plug? Is it in my piston chamber or expelled with the exshast gasses? What kind of damage can it cause if it remains in the piston chamber?

1991 300E 165,000Kms

Sleeping uneasy tonight...
Cheers for now
EADG