Burning Oil, from where? Options

[hurley97]

ok, I'm already working on the issue I just want various opinions to work with in case I run out of ideas.



recently my car has been going through oil like crazy. here are some of the facts so far:
- it doesn't seem to be leaking from any gaskets (at idle speed) checked valve cover, sender, and head gaskets
- never see any puddles of oil on the ground after being parked
- no blue smoke out the back. theres a little white smoke, slightly more than there used to be but not that bad at all and could just be from the cold and wet weather. and it smells normal
- oil light comes on about every 2,000 miles or so now. before about 3 or 4 months ago it had never come on before, I would just change it every 3-5k miles regardless
- extra info: started out using 10w-40 then switched to 5w-30 then 5w-30 synth now 10w-30 synth (over the course of about 3 years)


here's whats happened and when in detail:

[07.15.06] 159,400 mi - oil and filter changed, everything normal

[08.20.06] 162,300 mi - oil and filter changed again, like normal

[09.01.06] 163,165 mi - first time I'd ever seen the oil light come on. was low but still clear, 1qt added

[09.16.06] 164,749 mi - oil and filter changed

[10.14.06] 166,853 mi - oil light on again. very low but still clear, 1qt added

[11.02.06] 168,262 mi - oil light on. switch to Mobil 1 full synth 5W-30, changed oil and filter

[11.26.06] 170,000 mi - oil light on. added 1qt Shell 10W-40 synth blend, its all I could get and I had a long drive home

[11.30.06] 170,748 mi - oil and filter changed. switch to 10W-30, still Mobil1 full synth

[12.18.06] 172,370 mi - oil light on. change oil and filter

[01.04.07] 173,800 mi - oil light on. found oil leaking from drain plug, tightened it and put it 3qt Mobil1. ran car for about an hour, no more leaking from plug

[01.07.07] 173,900 mi - still no leak from drain plug. added engine oil tracer dye, will check it in a few days



thats where I am now. throw out any ideas you might have and I'll either try it or tell you I've already tried.

This post has been edited by hurley97: Mar 15, 2007 - 11:25 PM

[Jeremiah]

For the record, I've got 242,000 miles on my baby, and she burns about a quart every 3000 miles. Faster (1q every 1500mi) if I'm doing 90%+ freeway driving. I'm pretty anal retentive about my servicing, and only use good quality (notice I didn't say high priced or synthetic) oil & filters. I also use 1/2q of ATF to flush my system about 200 miles before every other oil change. I have no idea what my compression is, but for 240k+, my little 1.8L seems to be fairly happy / peppy.

Just go to walmart and buy a 7$ 5qt jug of supertech or something cheap and use it to top off every few weeks.

The oil chemists at BITOG love the SuperTech High Mileage oil (They've done several before / after chemical analysis of the oil). It's $8 for 5 quart bottle at Wal-Mart. Unless you're burning through oil SUPER fast (more than 1q every 1000 miles), get the high mileage stuff. It's only about 20 cents more a quart, and has way more good stuff (detergents, and anti-wear goodies) in it than the regular SuperTech.

SuperTech filters are great too... well suited for 3000-6000 mile change intervals, and Napa Golds (actually made by WIX) are great for Synthetics and their 10,000 - 15,000 mile change intervals.

Is it hard to do valve seals? The kit is like $30 some isnt it??

I've changed the guides in a Civic, and an Isuzu Trooper. It's not hard, but it'll take you all day and it REALLY helps to have a friend around who can lend a hand. Trick for changing the guide seals with the head ON:
1) Make sure the cylinder you're working on is in Top Dead Center (TDC). The instructions for this can be found in a repair manual / online under valve adjustment.
2) Pull spark plug
3) Stuff a small rope / rip cord into the spark plug hole. Important: be sure to fill the whole cylinder area / head, as this rope is what's going to keep your valve from falling into your engine.
4) Use your favorite repair manual's instructions to Remove / Replace valve guide seals for this cylinder. It'll involve a special tool (see below) to compress the valve springs, then remove some kind of retainer (c-clip usually), setting aside spring, then replacing the guide seals.
5) There should be another cylinder under a TDC stroke now too (refer to manual to make sure) - do your rope stuff & Remove / Replace seals on this one too.
6) Remove rope.
7) Turn crank 'till the other two cylinders are in TDC, and do them.
8) Feed friend a coke and some Pizza.

If the valve DOES slip into the engine, you just have to remove the head and retrieve it.... which will add another day to your project. I've changed valve guide seals on two vehicles now, and this method worked really well (combined with a good oil flushing, this reduced oil consumption). Friends have used it with great success too.

Valve compressor (like the one pictured above), rent for free from AutoZone, or these from Harbor Freight:



Each head is built differently, so the compression tools may differ from my jobs... but the three pronged deals worked fine for me.

what does the ATF do for it? and is it really safe to do that?

Adding 1/2 (Or, full quart if you can do it without over-filling) quart of ATF in your engine for a short period of time (100 - 500 miles) is not only safe, but very healthy for your engine. The oil in ATF has the same stuff in it as your regular oil, but a way higher concentration of the cleaning agents (detergents), because it's designed to sit in an automatic transmission for a LONG time. Basically you're giving the inside of your engine a nice chemical bath - and a clean engine is a happy engine.


hurley97:
If you're going to change out your head, consider upgrading to the 4AGE head while you're at it. More power = yum.