About 1500 miles ago I fitted a new Turners cylinder head to my 300tdi. This was due to the previous head being skimmed to the maximum. My head gasket had gone and melted the temperature sender so I didn't get a good temp reading - unfortunately the head was fried, so this is why I fitted a new one.
Just the other week, after about 1500 miles, I was in France with the vehicle and after leaving it parked all day I came back to start the vehicle. It just clicked as though I had a flat battery (with ignition on the wipers didnt move too much). I got the vehicle jump started and got the vehicle on the ferry back to Dover. When we arrived at Dover the vehicle wouldn't start and the starter motor seemed to be jammed (hydraulics?). Eventually we managed to jump start it and began travelling home. Then about ten minutes later the vehicles revs went up to about 5 and the temp guage went up. I manged to stop the engine by stalling the vehicle. Lots of smoke (dark/grey) from the exhaust. I think it was running on its own oil at that stage. Upon checking the dipstick there was a a full ammount of oil mixed with oil, so i hope the bottom half of the engine survived. The air filter had a small amount of oil inside, as I assumed the turbo had gone. The oil cap had grey residue on the underside. Has anyone had a similar problem with a 300tdi? Any ideas would be welcome. I suspect piston rings, someone is looking at it now an left some diesel in all four cylinders overnight and two had leaked through by the morning....

Doesn't the turbo going bang, and blowing oil from its oil feed into the inlet explain this on its own without another cause?

Why are you suspecting the piston rings as well? If you put some diesel in all four cylinders, wouldn't you expect it to leak past the rings given time? The rings obviously all have notches in, so why won't the oil simply flow through these, around the next ring, through its' notch etc?

Sorry if I have missed the point!

David

When the vehicle was started after being jumped a couple of times previous a cloud o dark smoke came from the exhaust then ran fine. Would that be an indication that it was the turbo? I'm used to series engines, turbos are quite new to me The piston rings were tested and suspected by the person looking at the vehicle at the moment.

When you cooked the engine that may have damaged the piston rings ( they will loose there spring if they get hot enough) or even the pistons, this can cause the engine to breath heavy and possibly blow oil through the breather into the turbo inlet/air filter. The engine will then quite happily run on its own oil and is probaly why it also in the air filter. You could also have an injector leaking causing the engine to hydrolic after being left for a while this would cause black smoke when eventualy starting, it will also thin the engine oil as it will get past the piston rings.