Boyfriend has a 16 Kia Optima with a 2.4 we’ve been together five years and I’ve changed the oil ever since we’ve been together. Last two oil changes were about 5 to 6000 miles each and was using Pennzoil platinum full synthetic 5w30. Has no leaks but last oil change was 2 quarts low. And the oil change before that was 1 quart low inspected and found no leaks. Has 77 or 78,000 miles. Switched to Pennzoil full synthetic high mileage 5w20 because they had no 5w30 hope to slow down the oil consumption, but the oil came out did not look good. He has 9 months left till it’s paid off and don’t wanna buy a car because we want to buy a house. I don’t think it started burning oil till the last two oil changes that I can remember.
16 Kia Optima eating oil
- Thread starter gabriel9766
- Start date
Propflux01
$100 Site Donor 2026
Take it to the dealer for a consumption test. They will change the oil, then have you drive it. At various times they will want you to stop by and let them check the oil. If it exceeds consumption limits, they will replace the engine. You are still under warranty.
Triple_Se7en
$50 Site Donor 2024
You should have been obeying the Severe Service recommendation and changed that oil every 3.75k. Then most importantly, lifted the hood of the engine and checked the dipstick oil level every 500 miles. These engines labor and die a slow death when the oil gets really gunky-looking and especially labors when it's two quarts low of oil.
Poor maintenance got you here to BITOG. It's a shame people don't read the Owners Manual and don't do basic maintenance that's needed.
Tbh this car was severely short tripped for three years (1-3 miles a day with 10 min remote start) doing 5-6K and did not consume oil until he started driving further
No, a poorly designed and/or manufactured engine is causing oil consumption.
Known issue with these engines, my old man has the same vintage Optima and it drinks oil like a drunken sailor. Wasn't anything to do with short tripping, sounds like it got all the maintenance it should have, I don't think 5-6k on quality synthetic is unreasonable.
Did he buy it new? If so, it should still be under the 10/100 powertrain warranty.
Did he buy it new? If so, it should still be under the 10/100 powertrain warranty.
BINGO!!!!
A piston soak slowed ours down quite a bit. It’s slowly been consuming more oil lately though. I’m going to run another piston soak at the next OCI.
You are gaslighting. Hyundai and Kia build sludgy, oil-burning engines that are replaced on a frequent basis. There’s no maintenance story discernible in the op.
Short 4k miles OCIs with good oil and checking oil level at every gas fill up work for me, rolled over 100k miles, engine burns about .5 quart after 3k miles driven at most, didn't burn any till about 10k miles ago. Level still on the dot after last oil change and driving 2k km. I do use Gumout Regane Complete on last tank before oil change and CRC IVD or similar every 3 OCIs before oil change.
Letting oil level go down by 2 quarts before doing anything about it is inexcusable where total volume is 5 quarts.
Letting oil level go down by 2 quarts before doing anything about it is inexcusable where total volume is 5 quarts.
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You could pour a combination of HPL and Chuck Norris sweat into that engine for 1,000 mile intervals and that thing would still find itself on the floor of a Hyundai dealership with blown out bearings and oil consumption. Just piled up in corners on crates with nowhere to go. This may be the only engine I’ve ever seen where it is not just an internet sensation effecting a few people, this one actually hits people I know that own them.
I’ve taken a few of these apart recently…you would not believe the carnage inside these things.
I’ve taken a few of these apart recently…you would not believe the carnage inside these things.
Triple_Se7en
$50 Site Donor 2024
It wasn't showing on the dipstick read then. It was probably loading up with fuel and of-setting the oil loss with fuel.
Placing that dipstick near your nose would have awakened you to a smell of fuel.
My opinion anyways....
Triple_Se7en
$50 Site Donor 2024
I never said I have a cure to the Hyunkia engine problems. I simply stated that the best oils that are changed before 4k will lengthen my engine lifetime. I've witnessed enough ownership accounts to back this up.
A vast majority of the dealership failures are long OCIs and letting the oil run low........ sludge city.
Mainly it's the TGDIs that go earliest.
Triple_Se7en
$50 Site Donor 2024
Quit living in a cave Tom. There's plenty of evidence to suggest the top oil brands make the slipperyest childrens playground slides.....lol.
When was the last time you saw NASCAR on TV proudly bear the Supertech name logo?
Wait..... do you have an electrical outlet in your man cave?..... lol Pt 2.
I wouldn't own my two vehicles in my driveway currently, had I thought what I'm doing is wrong. We are expected to live another 5-10 years (national average). Neither one of our vehicles will have reached 100k by then.
I am expecting both vehicles will not have engine failure service, prior to the next 10 year. (83 years old), running today's AMSOIL Signature Series and HPL (of any label).
Here are a few options to slow oil burning:
1. Change pcv valve
2. Do a engine oil flush with BG EPR
3. Do a combustion chamber cleaning with BG 44k
4. Run a quality syn oil for shorter oci's
5. Best option is a piston soak procedure using Berryman's B12 Chemtool.
These GDI engines are hard on oil. Keep an eye on oil levels regularly and keep topped up.
1. Change pcv valve
2. Do a engine oil flush with BG EPR
3. Do a combustion chamber cleaning with BG 44k
4. Run a quality syn oil for shorter oci's
5. Best option is a piston soak procedure using Berryman's B12 Chemtool.
These GDI engines are hard on oil. Keep an eye on oil levels regularly and keep topped up.
Triple_Se7en
$50 Site Donor 2024
Cause is open for debate. But there's admittance already here that lack of maintenance occurs.
I wish you the best of luck in life and with these cars.
My most recent motor cleanings have been with BG EPR, HPL Engine Cleaner 30, and now using a qt of HPL PCMO in place of a regular qt. The EC30 and PCMO seem to be making the most visible difference from my reference through oil fill in my daughters 235k '08 CRV.
I had an '07 4cyl Sonata that was on 7500 OCI with Mobil 1 or Pennzoil Platinum 5W-20 from new. It would go 4-5k every OCI before needing to add oil. That started around 120k iirc. My motor went to 220k before something happened to I think balance shaft chain/tensioner and motor started vibrating then oil started pumping out from somewhere around the timing chain cover area.
As above recommendations, I would document with dealer the concerns. Do the oil consumption test even though they will say up to 1qt every 1k is "normal".
With all my cars I check the oil almost every time I buy gas. I fill up every time, I pop hood remove dipstick so oil can settle out, fill up then check. If it gets close to 1/2 qt low, I top off with 1/2 qt. Mine have never gone below that as I won't let it. My daughters car I think I wipe off more than it burns.
My Accord with 106k burns a little but is driven harder. I do the same as above.
If you want to try to reduce the burning you could try the piston soak then do the HPL Engine Cleaner 30, or just use a qt of EC30 at next OCI per directions. I did mine for a full OCI but did the filter swaps at 2k to confirm no issues but I was pretty sure no sludge issues. I did get a lot of small carbon bits out and the oil does stay cleaner longer.
For the newer Hyundai/Kia motors as many threads list, there might not be much to prevent the inevitable but possibly hold it off longer.
I had an '07 4cyl Sonata that was on 7500 OCI with Mobil 1 or Pennzoil Platinum 5W-20 from new. It would go 4-5k every OCI before needing to add oil. That started around 120k iirc. My motor went to 220k before something happened to I think balance shaft chain/tensioner and motor started vibrating then oil started pumping out from somewhere around the timing chain cover area.
As above recommendations, I would document with dealer the concerns. Do the oil consumption test even though they will say up to 1qt every 1k is "normal".
With all my cars I check the oil almost every time I buy gas. I fill up every time, I pop hood remove dipstick so oil can settle out, fill up then check. If it gets close to 1/2 qt low, I top off with 1/2 qt. Mine have never gone below that as I won't let it. My daughters car I think I wipe off more than it burns.
My Accord with 106k burns a little but is driven harder. I do the same as above.
If you want to try to reduce the burning you could try the piston soak then do the HPL Engine Cleaner 30, or just use a qt of EC30 at next OCI per directions. I did mine for a full OCI but did the filter swaps at 2k to confirm no issues but I was pretty sure no sludge issues. I did get a lot of small carbon bits out and the oil does stay cleaner longer.
For the newer Hyundai/Kia motors as many threads list, there might not be much to prevent the inevitable but possibly hold it off longer.
You do maintenance and keep records primarily to protect the warranty, not the engine.
