Consumption

[mitsujunker]

My 97 Galant (2.4 I4) has had some engine issues. It has 74K on it now. At 27K, the lifters were replaced because they were ticking like a Japanese Sushi bar. By 32K, I was consuming over a quart per 1000 miles and the tick was back. Needless to say I was a bit peeved, especially after two dealerships told me it was "normal" and that there was nothing wrong with the engine. I asked them if they thought the carbon scoring on the plugs meant anything to them.

After speaking to Mitsubishi HQ, it was decided that they would rip my engine apart. They did a full overhaul and maintained that they found nothing wrong, but the consumption problem was gone.

Well, I am burning again. I thought I would try Auto RX to see if that would help, and then run Amsoil or another synthetic that would be more resistant to burning. Any other/different ideas?
(I need the car to last me another 2 years because I am a broke law student...)

 

[Jay]

What kind of oil did you run in it and for what intervals? You said that the overhaul fixed the consumption problem? For how long?

 

[Spector]

Most manufacturers will not even look at an engine until it consumes a quart per 1000 miles. I cannot determine if this is your case now.

Also, I do not believe changing to a synthetic will in any way reduce consumption. Perhaps a heavier weight to start with and see if that helps.

 

[Frank]

quote:

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Originally posted by mitsujunker:
My 97 Galant (2.4 I4) has had some engine issues. It has 74K on it now. At 27K, the lifters were replaced because they were ticking like a Japanese Sushi bar. By 32K, I was consuming over a quart per 1000 miles and the tick was back. Needless to say I was a bit peeved, especially after two dealerships told me it was "normal" and that there was nothing wrong with the engine. I asked them if they thought the carbon scoring on the plugs meant anything to them.

After speaking to Mitsubishi HQ, it was decided that they would rip my engine apart. They did a full overhaul and maintained that they found nothing wrong, but the consumption problem was gone.

Well, I am burning again. I thought I would try Auto RX to see if that would help, and then run Amsoil or another synthetic that would be more resistant to burning. Any other/different ideas?
(I need the car to last me another 2 years because I am a broke law student...)

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Go to www.auto-rx.com at least you have a guarantee.Sounds like your piston rings don't contract or extract properly not a case for more oil of any type.

 

[mitsujunker]

I used conventional 10w-30 or 10w-40 depending on season. I switched over to synthetic recently and noticed that there is a minor difference, but it still burns a qt. about every 1200 mi. Also, the plugs are again showing carbon rings and the engine runs rougher.

The consumption problem went away for about 30K miles after the overhaul and both with the lifter repair and overhaul, the techs said the engine was "dirty" without explaining further. That's why I bought Auto-Rx this week.

So if this is a function of a "dirty" (I imagine that means a lot of sludge) engine and auto-rx cleans it out, does it make sense to run amsoil or redline or will that not make a difference? I guess I am wondering if any oils would keep the engine from getting so "dirty."

Any comments on this or other ideas are appreciated.

 

[kev99sl]

quote:

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Originally posted by mitsujunker:
So if this is a function of a "dirty" (I imagine that means a lot of sludge) engine and auto-rx cleans it out, does it make sense to run amsoil or redline or will that not make a difference? I guess I am wondering if any oils would keep the engine from getting so "dirty."

Any comments on this or other ideas are appreciated.

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Depends on the engine. In my Saturn, it makes no difference what oil I use: over time, the rings get stuck. I think this is a function of piston ring design. One thing about the Auto-RX: it won't hurt to try it. It seems to have helped my problem, if not completely stop the consumption. You might also want to try -- if you're sure you have a problem with the piston rings sticking -- squirting an ounce or two of Marvel Mystery Oil into each spark plug hole, letting it sit for about 10 hours, turning the engine over a few times with the plugs out and paper towels stuck in the holes, and then putting in new plugs and driving. This has helped some oil-burning Saturns, in conjuction with the Auto-RX. (I would do this BEFORE starting the Auto-RX regimine.)

 

[diesel_fan]

Mitsujunker..Welcome to the world of Mitsubishi and ticking lifters.

The whole topic of Mitsu's ticking tappets is discussed in depth at DSM.COM and other Mitsubishi websites that I peruse. I think the nature of the problem is that the lifter sits on the valve stem and the heat conducted simply cooks the oil inside of the very small high pressure chamber within the lifter.

End result? Dino oils eventually lead to gunk that restricts the tiny orifice which allows it to pressurize with oil. This then traps air inside leading to the dreaded tick.

I just bought an '02 Lancer with the 2.0L (4G94) engine. I did my first oil change at 1k and sure enough it was ticking immediately. However, I bought the factory service manuals - there's a procedure to purge the air that can get trapped in part of the lifter after an oil change or if your oil gets low. Sure enough, no more ticking.

However, you've probably got dirt or other gunk in the lifter if you've used conventional oil for a sustained time after the overhaul. I think a high quality Synthetic would tend to clean these deposits out, but not as fast as Auto-RX. Mobil1 w/SS 10W-30 would probably be a nice replacement oil that's more readily available than Amsoil or Redline, but I like all your brand choices for synth oil.

FWIW, I wouldn't run 10W-40 in our Mitsu's, you're just wasting gas mileage and horsepower on friction. Unless you're autocrossing the car at a track, stick with a high quality 10W-30 weight oil.

In regards to your plugs and carbon problems. What octane rating of gasoline have you / are you using? On evolution.net(a Lancer forum), I've seen pictures of plugs from members that insist on running 93 octane from day one. The plugs pulled at mileages as low as 8k look as if they're covered in a thick black layer of diesel soot with some oil. As someone else posted, it'd probably be a good idea if you cleaned up the combustion chamber before doing the Auto-RX treatment.

I prefer Redline products SI-1 Fuel System Cleaner that you can find at PepBoys. Someone posted on another thread that Redline can be harmful for plastic and/or seals in the fuel system, but since it's recommended by BMW dealers, and heavily diluted in gasoline, it's okay by me.

I used it on three gassers in our family and it has smoothed out the idle and eliminated rough spots on a 106k Volvo850, a 13k 4Runner, and my 2k Lancer.

If you are or have been running high octane gasoline, I would stop this practice once you complete your total clean up procedure. Run the lowest octane rating of gasoline that does not cause constant pinging or knocking, but not below any ratings specified in your owner's manual. For Mitsu's it should be 87, which is what I run.

Please PM me if you need the lifter bleeding procedure. I can copy it out of the shop manual and send it to you.

 

[sprintman]

If 'dirty' you will need a double Auto-Rx clean.
Contact www.auto-rx.com for exact details on cleaning your particular engine.

 

[widman]

Excellent post from Diesel_fan.... I would emphasize the part of getting the combustion chamber clean and using good (that does not mean premium) gas. Since my choices of gas are 80 octane at 40 cents a lt or or 90 octane at 70 cents a lt (available in 2% of the gas stations), I use the 80 and a bottle of Chevron Techron every 5,000 km. gets rid of the carbon in the upper chamber...... Then clean up the oil areas with Auto RX or neutra.

 

[mitsujunker]

Thanks for all your great posts. I'll let you know how it all works out.