2015 Kia Optima LX QT/300 Miles Oil Burned Solved/Fixed

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(Much deleted)

Why not non-PEA fuel injector cleaners?
PEA cleaners were recommend for GDI engines so I used those.

NOTE: The entire process took about 5K miles to complete. There was A LOT of highway driving involved. My wife works 60 miles away one way and it's 60 miles of highway, 5 days a week, though she works from home as well so it's not so bad. That could have contributed to the fix as well. We took the car to other states too for fun, monitoring oil of course, and before the FIX step, it was burning oil. Sometimes redlining was incorporated as well, as well as driving on the highway at a lower gear to keep the RPMs high to possibly help break up carbon, but I did that maybe once or twice, the lower gear driving. Again, not scientific, just forum recommendations. Right now the car has 115K miles and from 108K miles up till now there was/is no oil consumption. Knock on wood, I hope that with maintenance, the addition of PEA based fuel injector cleaners (I recommend Techron Complete and Rislone Hy-per Fuel), good Quaker State "Full Synthetic" oil, and a little BG MOA 110, I will not have to deal with the oil burning creeping its way back. I plan to just change the oil at the next oil change and the filter and see what happens. It's possible that BG MOA 110 was the ultimate fix, all of the DIY steps combined contributed to the fix, or maybe it was the fourth step that fixed it, I cannot scientifically and decisively pin point the fix despite saying that step 4 was the FIX, but judging how B-12 and Kreen stopped making its way past the piston rings and remained in the cylinder chambers for a few days does offer a possible logical explanation that piston rings got free thus preventing the oil getting in the combustion chamber to be burned off. I'm just happy that it's fixed and the car no longer feels like a disappointment.

Also remember to do your own research before attempting DIY fixes. Good luck!

Here are the links to some of the RESEARCH I've bookmarked for reference:

Preventing and Addressing Oil-Burning Problems in a GDI Engine​

https://motoroilbasics.com/preventing-and-addressing-oil-burning-problems-in-a-gdi-engine.php

Keeping GDI and T/GDI Intake Systems Clean​

https://motoroilbasics.com/keeping-gdi-and-tgdi-intake-valves-clean.php

Kreen Update​

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/kreen-update.134990/#post-1940735

Not your normal oil change​

https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/not-your-normal-oil-change.738528/

Berryman's B12 chemtool /fuel system cleaner and piston soak precaution?​

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/t...em-cleaner-and-piston-soak-precaution.340388/

Freeing up dirty, stuck oil control rings?​

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/freeing-up-dirty-stuck-oil-control-rings.248195/page-2

Kreen recommended, why not Chemtool B12?​

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/kreen-recommended-why-not-chemtool-b12.196163/page-2

Piston Soak - Now no compression
http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=230477

I can't believe you left out what kind of beer. :(
 
If Kreen is unavailable for post B-12 soak, then I would have to use MMO and NOT MOA, anything appropriate to lubricate the piston walls for cranking. I made a mistake here with abbreviations.

Also, in addition to the fourth step, add your favorite PEA based cleaner on every fill up.
I do believe in pea cleaners but not every fill up .
 
I do believe in pea cleaners but not every fill up .
I toned it down. I don't do it anymore at every fill up. I use STP Super Concentrated Fuel Injector Cleaner now usually every other fill up. I usually get the value pack. Not a bad deal for $3 per bottle.
 
Question: Will a fuel system cleaner, with PEA, have a meaningful impact on reducing the clogging up and sticking of oil control piston rings?

I have a 2011 GM 2.4 Ecotec with 142k miles in an Equinox that is known to be prone to excessive blow by, none yet, due to sticking rings. I want to be proactive to prevent mine from doing this but I've been thinking in terms of oil brand, additives, flushes etc. not a fuel treatment.

I have used Gumout All in One and a product from Redline with PEA occasionally but for the injector cleaning properties.

I've never exceeded the oil life monitor for changes and used mostly full synthetic oil, except when the dealer changed it. I've decided to ignore the OLM from now on and go with a 3,000 mile change but I'm thinking I should maybe start using something like Rislone oil treatment to help keep things clean. Maybe a fuel system treatment regularly if that would help.

I really can't afford to replace this car or pay for a major repair if I can avoid it.

Thoughts?
 
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Yes, stop using fuel system cleaners to address this. I dunno a thing about the engine, but 3K OCIs are way too short. Any PCMO these days are good for at least 5kmiles. Some will say that interval is also too short.
 
Question: Will a fuel system cleaner, with PEA, have a meaningful impact on reducing the clogging up and sticking of oil control piston rings?

I have a 2011 GM 2.4 Ecotec with 142k miles in an Equinox that is known to be prone to excessive blow by, none yet, due to sticking rings. I want to be proactive to prevent mine from doing this but I've been thinking in terms of oil brand, additives, flushes etc. not a fuel treatment.

I have used Gumout All in One and a product from Redline with PEA occasionally but for the injector cleaning properties.

I've never exceeded the oil life monitor for changes and used mostly full synthetic oil, except when the dealer changed it. I've decided to ignore the OLM from now on and go with a 3,000 mile change but I'm thinking I should maybe start using something like Rislone oil treatment to help keep things clean. Maybe a fuel system treatment regularly if that would help.

I really can't afford to replace this car or pay for a major repair if I can avoid it.

Thoughts?
If you're truly trying to be proactive - just use this. Change oil filter every 1000 miles while you run this. More information and verifiable results are available here. And if you still have questions or concerns, you can message @High Performance Lubricants directly and get an understandable human reply, instead of robotic lawyer language with other companies.
 
Great write-up!

We have a 2014 Tuscon 4-Cyl 2.4L DI. It may have the same engine as yours and that's what attracted me to this thread. It doesn't burn any oil but I'm marking this thread for future reference.

Can you please summarize what the problem was (stuck rings?) what you think caused the problem (e.g. long oci?) and what resolved the issues and what's your overall recommendation moving forward and for new owners.
Thanks!
 
If you're truly trying to be proactive - just use this. Change oil filter every 1000 miles while you run this. More information and verifiable results are available here. And if you still have questions or concerns, you can message @High Performance Lubricants directly and get an understandable human reply, instead of robotic lawyer language with other companies.
I read enough of the thread to convince me so I just ordered 2 quarts. I'm going to do a LiquiMoly flush at my next oil change and follow that up with a quart of HPL Engine Cleaner in the fresh oil. I'll change the filter at one and two thousand miles as you suggest. It'll be interesting to see what if anything accumulates in the filter.

Thanks!
 
Great write-up!

We have a 2014 Tuscon 4-Cyl 2.4L DI. It may have the same engine as yours and that's what attracted me to this thread. It doesn't burn any oil but I'm marking this thread for future reference.

Can you please summarize what the problem was (stuck rings?) what you think caused the problem (e.g. long oci?) and what resolved the issues and what's your overall recommendation moving forward and for new owners.
Thanks!
Reviving the thread from the dead... haha. I bought the car used and noticed that it burned oil at a rate that is not acceptable. It burned a qt of oil every 300 miles. That was not normal. I started doing research and found out that the Theta II GDI engines suffer from oil burning issues and the main reason from the research I've gathered was stuck piston rings, so I decided to do more research and then do the soak.

The reason I bought the car at the time is because the price was good and the condition of the car was really good and a CARFAX report indicated that it had been maintained and oil had been changed regularly at the dealer. I had no prior knowledge regarding the issues with GDI engines so it was a nice learning experience, even though it was a little stressful.

There is also a Technical Service Bulletin 222 that pretty much confirmed my findings: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2022/MC-10209438-0001.pdf

I still have the car and it runs great, it now burns around a qt every 3K miles. I bought it with 103K miles, now it has 123K miles. All is good.

If it ever gets to a level where it burns oil excessively, I'd probably repeat the process because it's easy and cheap, but so far so good.

I still use PEA cleaners from time to time. I know they do nothing for the valves, but they do help a little, hopefully, in keeping the combustion chamber relatively clean. I use Sea Foam SS14 to control the carbon build up on the valves and I still use BG MOA at oil changes.
 
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girlfriend has an 18 optima 2.4 bought with 8 thou on it in 19, runs great with good mpgs + lots of room! i do 5 thou oil + filter with Quaker state full fake synthetic + OE filter + oil is very BLACK at changes + guessing thats the DI, a good reason to NOT extend changes IMO, so far so good with NO consumption between 6 month usually under 5 thou changes!!
 
UPDATE: Still have the car, with a recent oil change the car has gone 3000 miles without burning a single drop of oil. Oil + MOA was filled to the F mark. After 3000 miles the oil level is still at the F mark. Only change is that I am using Quaker State® High Mileage Full Synthetic 5w-30 instead of the Full Synthetic one. Still using PEA cleaners and have settled on STP Super Concentrated Fuel Injector Cleaner from Walmart because it's inexpensive.

The car is reaching 130K miles and runs well.
 
I found this thread searching for why my wife's 2015 KIA Optima started burning 1 qt of oil every 2 weeks, running rough and a loss of power after turning a little over 100k miles. The mechanic's answer was a rebuild. I thought that was ridiculous for such low miles. I was prepared to do the soak suggested here, then I came across this VIDEO. I figured it was worth a shot trying the 505CRO flush. To my amazement it worked!

It has been 5 weeks since the flush and it has not used a drop of oil. The wife says it runs like new, no hesitation. She is happy with her car again. I hope this helps others looking for answers and a simple fix and it works for them.
 
I found this thread searching for why my wife's 2015 KIA Optima started burning 1 qt of oil every 2 weeks, running rough and a loss of power after turning a little over 100k miles. The mechanic's answer was a rebuild. I thought that was ridiculous for such low miles. I was prepared to do the soak suggested here, then I came across this VIDEO. I figured it was worth a shot trying the 505CRO flush. To my amazement it worked!

It has been 5 weeks since the flush and it has not used a drop of oil. The wife says it runs like new, no hesitation. She is happy with her car again. I hope this helps others looking for answers and a simple fix and it works for them.
Have also seen that product around.
But, again, just another product I can't get hold of. Living in the *ss end of Africa really isn't working out for me. :p :D
 
Hopefully your catalytic converter(s) survive the oil and chemical attack(s). Heck of a write up!
I've reduced the STP Super Concentrated Fuel Injector Cleaner to the recommended usage frequency which is pretty much with every oil change before the oil change. Oil + MOA remains the same. I've recently done the 10K Seafoam SS14 valve cleaning maintenance.

Currently, the car does not burn any oil and I'm at 133K miles.

The cat gets about 2 hours of continuous 60-80 mph driving a week because the wife still commutes to work once a week. If it does fail, then it's still cheaper to replace than an engine. :D
 
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