High oil consumption also

xman

Registered User
I was also going to post my own message about high oil consumption, but I'm new and it took me a bit to register. The car sat parked since last fall with no oil problems, but it has developed a habit of using about a quart a day (I drive 200 miles a day) this year. It has fouled out at least one plug also. I had the head gasket redone last spring and only drove about 2,000 miles for all of last year with no problems. I get a terrible "bucking" when I accelerate and after I have the cruise on for 50 miles, I can fog a city block if I punch it from a dead stop. But then the car will act fine for awhile after that. The oil light comes on intermittenly and I never let it go below a quart low. The oil is real black, even after 100 miles after an oil change. I have tried a PCV valve, but that really didn't make much difference. Am I looking at a valve job too? Thanks for any replies.
 
I suppose the valves are a possibility, although that is a lot of oil. How much power does the engine have when its not bucking? Is it about the same as always, or is it noticeably slower? If the rings are at fault, I'd think you'd feel the compression loss under acceleration. Do or have done a compression check, that will prbly tell you if the rings are bad. One other possibility, when the head gaskets died, was coolant found in the oil? This has been known to cause various engine failures; namely bearings. It is corrosive after all. Maybe it was just a bad head job..
 
When the car is acting alright, the power and boost seem perfect. When she "bucks", there is a noticeable loss of power. The car has 168,000 on it and I have put in about $7,000 in the last 3 years. I recently had a cam sensor replaced. It seemed to help at low acceleration, but I still have the bucking at higher acceleration. I know some of my problem lies with the plugs and I will have them do a compression check when they change the plugs. Any other possibilities? Thanks.
 
Bad news.
Smoke on acceleration in N/A motors is typically a symptom of worn rings. Tests for it include removing the oil fill cap and looking for excessive blowby, and a low compression test that improves when you oil the cylinder. Rarely a ring will stick due to carbon buildup and will be freed by using penetrating oil, ATF or water (while running). In most cases worn rings and blowby are irreversable. Rapidly fouling oil is also a sign of worn rings.

With blown motors (I am most familiar with turbo) smoke on acceleration can be due to boost leaking through the PCV into the crankcase. This forces oil mist up through the cranckcase vent into the intake tract. Check out the PCV.

Steve Best
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I was talking with a mechanic yesterday and he said another possibility may be that the intake gasket may have not been seated properly when I had the head gasket re-done. He didn't want to accuse anyone of a bad job and said it was a remote possibility. Since I had very little oil use prior to the head gasket work, is this a possibility? The PCV filter was changed today....no difference (but I still have the old plugs in it). Is there a breather filter on this car. The Autozone called for one, but I couldn't find it on the car. Thanks.
 
Though not entirely sure, the intake could be a possibly. I think I have also heard a breather valve being in use on these cars. The easiest way to check right now is a compression test. If you have compression, its probably not the rings. However, rings are the most common cause of significant oil burning.
 
"I was talking with a mechanic yesterday and he said another possibility may be that the intake gasket may have not been seated properly when I had the head gasket re-done. He didn't want to accuse anyone of a bad job and said it was a remote possibility. Since I had very little oil use prior to the head gasket work, is this a possibility? "

Sheesh I hate that. Guys that blame the last thing touched on a "remote possibility". Yeah it is possible, but if that mouthpiece was any sort of a mechanic he would have told you how to test for it instead of just throwing dirt on his fellow technician.
Yup, he touched a raw nerve.

The nasty possibility is that the blown headgasket might have allowed coolant into the cylinder at some time the engine was shut off. The engine was cranked to start and hydrolocked the coolant with the momentum of the flywheel behind it. You may have heard it as a light "grunt" as the engine was cranked over. Unfortunately this develops thousands of psi pressure on the piston and gasket and can bend cranks, rods, and pistons. It will often damage rings or ring lands.

This is impossible to test for when the headgasket is being changed. If a lot of coolant spewed down the tailpipe it is to be suspected and confirmed with a later dry/wet compression test or leakdown test. It is a hateful fact of headgasket failures.

Sorry for the sad tale. I hope it doesn't apply.

Oh yes. It was a PCV "VALVE", not a filter that causes the blue smoke.

Steve Best
 
Coolant in the oil turns it gray, not black.

Black would be a sign of combustion gasses.

Yes, a intake gasket failing could allow an oil leak. You should be able to pinpoint the cylinders affected by looking at the plugs.

Pull the intake manifold and look for signs of leakage.
 
I don't know if this will help isolate any problem, but every time I add oil, I have smoke (not real black smoke and no smell of something burnt) just smoke that comes out of the oil fill...even three hours after the car was parked. The car always runs at the very bottom of the temperature gauge, but there is always smoke when you take off the oil fill cap.
 
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