200 TDI rocker cover smoke/leak

[Wayward]

My 1992 Disco 200 with around 180.000 Km was working fine until after doing some km in a freeway and slowing down at a roundabout the idle whent a bit down like trying to stall, I then stopped it a few meters far and when starting it again after half an hour I noticed that the engine/gearbox had a strange vibration, this got worst and then I realised I had smoke/vapour coming out of the oil filler in the rocker cover it also showed oil leaks around the cover gasket, in the oil filler cap and also at the end of the upper intercooler hose.
Then after some few miles like this I also noticed smoke coming out of the exhaust.
So I have rough idling, oil leaks and severe smoke/vapour in the rocker cover, otherwise the car starts fine, doesn't uses water and pulls only slightly lower than it used to.
What can this be?

[Geobloke]

Sounds like something is causing the engine to pressurise. Try cleaning out the breather unit on the rocker cover, they sometimes block the gases from escaping in to the air filter housing.

When you undo the rocker cover cap is there any pressure build up?

[Wayward]

thank you for your post.
When removing the cap it sends out smoke or vapour and i assume it has some pressure since it always has been a very "clean" engine and now I have leaks all around the cover and oil cap.
I have also disconected the hose(vacuum hose, I think?) that connects to the air filter hose with the engine running and it send out a lot of the same smoke.
I am getting ready to get the engine openned:(, but I just don't want to believe that a engine that had no problem whatsoever, now is ruined with piston or ring failure or cracked cylinder head without having been overheaten or anything...
Any help is welcome...thank you

[Geobloke]

thank you for your post.
When removing the cap it sends out smoke or vapour and i assume it has some pressure since it always has been a very "clean" engine and now I have leaks all around the cover and oil cap.
I have also disconected the hose(vacuum hose, I think?) that connects to the air filter hose with the engine running and it send out a lot of the same smoke.
I am getting ready to get the engine openned:(, but I just don't want to believe that a engine that had no problem whatsoever, now is ruined with piston or ring failure or cracked cylinder head without having been overheaten or anything...
Any help is welcome...thank you

Ok that breather unit is crap! It is meant to be replaced every now and again, it costs about £25 IIRC.

Don't panic mate it may be something very simple... the 200tdis are a solid engine.

What colour was the smoke out of the exhaust?
When was the vehicle last serviced?
When were the tappets last checked?
Did the engine overheat on the freeway?
When was the rocker cover gasget and 3 fixing bolts and rubber plugs last replaced?
When was the timing belt last done?
Is the turbo boosting as normal?

[Wayward]

I can't exactly tell the smoke colour since this happened at night, since then I have parked the car and haven't used it, the only time i could try to figure what is happening was also at night, after work, I will try to get to it on the weekend.
I have changed all the fluids and filters last June.
I only have the car for a year now, so i don't know when was it last thorougly checked, but I have removed the valve cover (the rubber plugs and gasket seem good to me) and the tappets all seem to have some clearance when checking by hand.
It hasn't overheat, that I am aware of, never has.
I haven't noticed anything different with the engine/turbo performance until this happened...now i sense a bit lower performance.
Now, the timing belt... I haven't replaced it yet and I don't know when it was last replaced, I was getting around to change it in the near future... nevertlhess I have checked the engine timinig (gearbox, crankshaft position and injector pump) and it seems to be aligned correctly...

[Wayward]

Well, I reckon I can drop my hope of not opening the engine, further testing showed the sump oil comes up the hose that connects to the cyclone breather after only a few seconds of the engine running.
Should be a broken ring and or piston...
Now its a gearbox off job to gain acess to the conrods from underneath the engine and possibly extract the pistons from the engine top...
Lots of hard work for a cold winter.:(
Wish me luck...