[ajsr]

harvs wrote:

I guess at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter. I'll give it a while, and either it'll clear up or I'll have to rip the engine out and start investigating.

There's no chance of changing valve stem seal in the engine with this casting, and to take the head off you may as well pull the engine out.

do a couple of nice mountain drives a gear higher than normal an see how you go

[skyman]

I agree.

[JrZook]

Still could be possible that your head-job mates have screwed a stem seal etc.

[sogone]

Lol head job.

[TZAR]

Rings in upside-down????

[masterA]

zooky08 wrote:

Doesnt matter if the bores still showed the crosshatching. The bores could still been oval shaped. I assume you checked for oval shaped bores right?

Just had my GTi engine rebuilt and that was the case with my block so had to go 20thou over....new rings/pistons

When re-assembling the engine you really need to WASH the block...especially if you honed it.
There is a special solution you use with hot water and you need to scrub the block with a brush...then clean it with a high pressure water cleaner....then you blow dry it with an air gun and then wipe the bores with oil.
When you oil the block/bores....the colour should be the SAME as the oil. If you have any grey or other colour you need to re-wash the block again to get rid of all the contaminents.

If this isn't done properly you bores will just get cross-hatching and you're back at square one

I know this doesn't help you much now but i would just keep running it and see if the rings 'bed in'....hope it works out for you

[harvs]

Yeah thanks for all the ideas guys, but I looks like I've just got to drive it some more and see how it goes. If there was any easy way to tell what it was with the engine still in place then that would be great. However from all the responses it's pretty much a wait and see.

If I end up having to pull it out again I'd probably over bore it and fit HC pistons anyway. But hopefully it'll just clear up as it is.

Cheers