Advice on oil burning vehicle

[snuffy300]

Hello,

1994 Accord 4cyl with 150k miles. I'm burning oil at a rate of 1 quart every 3k miles. Car is running well, and is well maintained.

I've switched from 5W30 to 10W30 with no noticeable difference in oil burning.

Would the high mileage oil's help? What kind of difference can I expect to see? Keep in mind, I'm in Canada so going to anything heavier weight is not an option.

Thanks,

 

[HTSS_TR]

For a 15-16 years old with 150k miles the consumption rate of 1-qt per 3k miles isn't bad. Switching to High Mileage oils may help, try 5W30 Maxlife Semi-Synthetic it is available in Walmart for $14US 5-quart jugs.

 

[PT1]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Switching to High MIleage oil may help, try 5W30 Maxlife Semi-Synthetic it is available in Walmart for $14US 5-quart jugs.


+1

 

[MrWideTires]

Originally Posted By: PT1
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Switching to High MIleage oil may help, try 5W30 Maxlife Semi-Synthetic it is available in Walmart for $14US 5-quart jugs.


+1


+2

 

[fdcg27]

You do have high consumption, and 150K is nothing for a Honda.
I would suspect stuck rings, and would give AutoRX a try.
If this is unavailing, then something like Maxlife might help.
I am far from an expert, but we have had six Hondas, and none of them ever had anything like that kind of oil consumption.

 

[af0h]

hhhmmmmmmm....

How can we turn this into an MMO thread?

Sorry guys, couldn't help it.

Seriously, in my old Celebrity, switching to Rotella T slowed consumption down a little.

af0h - Rob

 

[Chris142]

1 qt in 3000miles ain't nothin to worry about.

 

[c3po]

Originally Posted By: snuffy300
Hello,

1994 Accord 4cyl with 150k miles. I'm burning oil at a rate of 1 quart every 3k miles. Car is running well, and is well maintained.

I've switched from 5W30 to 10W30 with no noticeable difference in oil burning.

Would the high mileage oil's help? What kind of difference can I expect to see? Keep in mind, I'm in Canada so going to anything heavier weight is not an option.

Thanks,


I am not sure if MMO would help with your oil burning, but Schaeffer's sells a moly additive that is good at stopping oil burning, I have a member on here who just put some in his Toyota today, I will ask him to PM you and keep you posted, he is burning a quart of oil every 1000 miles and arx did not help him out with this situation, he did use MMO in his engine and he reported back that it really cleaned his engine out and the oil that was drained that had MMO in there was very dark.

 

[Nickdfresh]

+3. Try MaxLife or Pennzoil High Mileage. But I don't think a quart in 3K is a big deal. If anything, extend your OCI with the fresh oil in there...

 

[demarpaint]

MMO might help with oil burning if the burning is coming from the rings being dirty and sticking. If the burning is from bad valve seals, worn guides, or other parts that are worn, a thicker oil or a High Mileage oil will slow it down. Schaeffers #132 is also good for engines that use oil.

I would not consider a qt of oil used in 1000 miles a problem, and would not take any action other than using a pint of MMO 1000 miles before changing my oil to clean things up. I'd also have a look at the PCV valve and plumbing to see if that is a problem.

 

[mva]

Change the PCV valve and make sure the attached hose isn't plugged. Get the new PCV from a Honda dealer. It is a $5 part and very accessible on the center of the valve cover. It's not worth fooling around with non-OEM pcv valves.

Over the years with this car I have found the PCV plugged twice.

I have the same car with 230,000 km and it hardly uses any oil. I just checked the oil and it is currently just past half way between the marks on the dipstick with 6,000 km into my current OCI of Pennzoil Platinum 5w30.

Maxlife is also very good oil.

 

[snuffy300]

Great advice here. Will try the high mileage oil first as well as changing the PCV valve.

 

[Papa Bear]

No leaks ??

 

[snuffy300]

Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
No leaks ??


Good question. My oil pan IS leaking. I've been told its about $150 to fix. No oil spots (that I can notice) on my driveway.

 

[roadrunner1]

my son has the 95 version op car & had the same issue, went from aftermarket pcv valve to oem and problem has disappeared, also using hm 5w30 pennzoil 180,000 mi.

 

[chad8]

I had the same problem in a toyota (272000 miles) and lessened it by mixing 2 quarts 10w-40 hm and 2 quarts 5w30 regular. went from a quart every 500-750 to almost triple that so far . also make sure the oil filter is not a cheapie. dirty unfiltered oil will burn easier.
changing the pcv valve is a no brainer.

almost forgot . I wash my engines with either awesome , simple green, or gunk engine brite and a pressure washer at least once a year. I think the buildup of grease ,dirt and oil makes an engine heat up more and burn hotter. not good for oil?

 

[dan3952]

First of all, your oil usage is normal for a vehicle of that age. I use 1 qt every 3000 km and that's the best I've done in years. You could get a compression test to try and narrow down the burning to seals, rings, valve guides, or a combination of the three. I have a car with the Honda 2.3L and it's been burning oil for five years. My suggestion is if it's rings don't listen to all the people who tell you to use additives or heavier oil, that will not help you. Make sure you use only the Honda PCV system and pull the PCV valve while the engine is running. If there's blowby like a hurricane it's probably the rings that are passing oil into the combustion chamber. I just switched to 5w30 PP and to my astonishment oil burning decreased immediately. I suspect my previous 10W30 plus various additives that I had been using for years was actually gumming up the engine and making me burn more oil not less. Also I used to get a cloud of smoke on startup at certain temperatures with the Lucas or STP additives which have now gone away. The lifters make less noise with the additive free oil and with 5W30 instead of 10W30. I will never try different weights again.

Hello,

1994 Accord 4cyl with 150k miles. I'm burning oil at a rate of 1 quart every 3k miles. Car is running well, and is well maintained.

 

[sangyup81]

5w30 and 10w30 are both SAE 30s when the temps are high (100 c) so that's why it made no difference.

Try the German Castrol Syntec 0w-30. It solved my oil burning problem on a 2003 Tribute V6 3.0 L. REMEMBER that 0w only refers to cold temperatures.

The notion that 0w30 is thinner than 5w30 or 10w30 at operating temps (100 c) based on the first part of that rating is a total myth that really needs to be busted.

 

[Merkava_4]

I'm thinking thicker oil doesn't slide by piston rings
and valve guides as easily. Maxlife 10W-40 might
be your ticket.

 

[SLCraig]

I wouldn't think a THING of 1qt/3k.. I add like 2qt/3k because I drive a Saturn S-series. Also runs good with no issues, its just the engine design.

Just top off and drive, IMO