02 Saturn SL2 didnt like Pennz YB

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Ive been changing the oil in my co-workers 2002 Saturn SL2 since her warranty ran up @ 36k miles, she bought the car new. She now has 75k miles on it. Ive always used Mobil 5000 and whatever oil filter I can find (ST, AcDelco, Purolator).

Last time we changed her oil, I was really busy and not able to make it to Walmart for the Mobil 5000, and Pennzoil conventional was on sale at Autozone, so she bought that instead.

Fast forward 1,500 miles later and she complained that this morning she could tell it was low on oil - noisy and running rough. Checked it after it sat a few hours and its 2 quarts low- barely registering on the dipstick.

We've never had this problem before with the Mobil 5000 and we change the oil every 4,000 miles. Up until this point, Its actually never really consumed any oil in between OCI's... maybe 1/4 quart, but never enough to take it off the upper part of the crosshatch on the dipstick.

So what gives? Does the 1.9l DOHC's just not like Pennz? I heard such high remarks here about it I figured it was a great choice for that engine.

 

[The_Jeff]

Try valvoline synthetic 5w30, wierd but it burns less than anything else in the wife's y2k SL1.

 

[SuperDave456]

2 quarts in 1500 miles?

Sounds like a small leak or mechanical problem.

I have switched oils several times over the life of my Taurus with 135,000 miles, and never had any just burn off like that.

I was losing a quart every 1000 miles or so at one point in time, but I replaced the gasket around the drain plug and now I lose a extremely small amount between changes.

 

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Originally Posted By: SuperDave456
2 quarts in 1500 miles?

Sounds like a small leak or mechanical problem.

I have switched oils several times over the life of my Taurus with 135,000 miles, and never had any just burn off like that.

I was losing a quart every 1000 miles or so at one point in time, but I replaced the gasket around the drain plug and now I lose a extremely small amount between changes.


Yeah, but the 1.9l is a known oil burner, usually starting around 60,000 miles.

I checked the undercarriage and there was no oil leakage. The only thing I can see here as being different is the choice of oils.

 

[SrDriver]

Wonder if there is a leak or if the PCV Valve - hoses to it need replacement causing excessive oil consumption?

 

[bepperb]

That large a difference in oil consumption can not be casued by changing brands of oil.

I'd start with the normal, PCV valve, leaks on ground, wet underside...

 

[Gilitar]

Change the PCV valve like mentioned above. If that doesn't help I would try a high mileage oil or a heavier oil like Rotella.

 

[addyguy]

I think YB is a great oil, but I have noticed I got higher consumption with it vs. other conventional oils. Again, I'm not saying YB is a 'bad' oil, but, I've seen it consumed faster in my Cavalier.

Lowest consumption I've ever seen was with Petro-Canada 'Maximum' 5w30; which is a group II/III base oil blend (marketed as a conventional).

 

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Originally Posted By: Gilitar
Change the PCV valve like mentioned above. If that doesn't help I would try a high mileage oil or a heavier oil like Rotella.


I just went out for lunch and took her car to drive it and see if I notice anything amiss... I checked the PCV and although I replaced it around 15,000 miles ago, it is still pretty clean and rattles, its not clogged up at all. The hose looks to be in good shape.

I find it interesting what addyguy says about the YB.. maybe it just gets consumed faster on cars with oil consuming engines... just me surmising.

 

[addyguy]

I should clarify - it wasn't a dramatic increase. My car usually consumes between 1/2 to 3/4 of a quart during a 6-7k mile OCI. I put in a fill of YB, and after about 3-4k miles, it had gone through a whole quart. It did that again about a year later, BUT that was when I was having mechanical/starting problems with the car, so I don't put a lot of faith in that time as an indication of normal consumption.

However, I did notice I used less oil when I ran almost anything else, and that included GTX, Havoline, and Quaker State conventional oils. There is lots to choose from out there, so just try another oil, or go back to what you were using before. OR, stick with the YB, and consumtion may stabilize....

 

[bradepb]

these cars are bad using oil after about 75,000. dont know why it came on so fast in your case,our 99 SL1 used about a quart every 750 miles once we got to 80,000 oddly enough I was using Pennzoil but its not the oil, its these notorious engines, I would try a 5-30 high mileage formula.

 

[cp3]

I have MaxLife in the Saturn right now and it seems to be using a bit more than the normal fill of Castrol. I've never seen that kind of usage though and I know some of mine is leaking. It'll be getting the Valvoline I got on sale next time, see how that goes?

I would think if it was burning that much you'd see it in the exhaust but have you seen any of the plugs in this engine?

 

[HARTZSKY]

Yank the Pennzoil and go back to Mobil or go with Maxlife

 

[Johnny]

Oh man, don't you know the Pennzoil is cleaning out the stuff the Mobil put in there.

 

[cp3]

Or is it all stuck somewhere in the top of the engine in the form of the legendary Pennzoil sludge!

 

[Peter_Pan]

Originally Posted By: SuperDave456
2 quarts in 1500 miles?

Sounds like a small leak or mechanical problem.

I have switched oils several times over the life of my Taurus with 135,000 miles, and never had any just burn off like that.

I was losing a quart every 1000 miles or so at one point in time, but I replaced the gasket around the drain plug and now I lose a extremely small amount between changes.


Aren't you supposed to change the gasket every time you drain the oil.

 

[Johnny]

Originally Posted By: cp3
Or is it all stuck somewhere in the top of the engine in the form of the legendary Pennzoil sludge!

Can't be, it only sludges from the bottom end, besides he just put it in.

 

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Originally Posted By: Johnny
Oh man, don't you know the Pennzoil is cleaning out the stuff the Mobil put in there.

hahahah!!!

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

If a change of oil is the only change, than either the oil or some other mechanical problem is the culprit.

I ran YB 5w-20 (yes 20) 7300 miles w/o any consumption issues on my old '96.

Could it be the rings? Possibly. That's why it's soooooo important to make the effort to keep them clean. Auto-RX is your friend in regards to this. Whether or not it stops consumption isn't the issue. Keeping the rings as clean as possible w/o taking the engine apart *is*.

 

[cp3]

I know Saturns are "burners" but isn't no consumption to 2 quarts in 1500 miles extreme? Wouldn't you notice evidence of that in the exhaust?