Does HT/HS have any correlation with oil burn off?

[garlicbreadman]

Does having a higher HT/HS help with oil burnoff?

My friends car is burning about a quart every 2k and he would like to minimize the consumption. its a 96 civic with about 280k miles.

What oil have you personally tried or witness that showed the best reduction in oil consumption? He's currently on valvoline 5w-30 maxlife.

 

[45ACP]

Im sure it would.. but check the PCV valve first.

 

[qdeezie]

Does he know where the consumption is coming from? With that many miles, worn valve stem seals might need replacing, which might completely stop the consumption in addition to a new PCV.

 

[wiswind]

You will need to look into how the oil is being lost.
Is there a leak that the oil is leaking OUT of the motor through?....like valve cover gaskets or a seal?
Or, is the oil being burned inside the cylinders?...valve guide seals, etc as mentioned.

Of course....as mentioned, make sure that the PCV system is working properly......PCV valve.....defective PCV hose (cracked or collapsing under vaccum) and the crankcase breather hose in good working order.

 

[garlicbreadman]

new pcv

im sure its piston control rings....like almost all hondas that use oil

 

[Gene K]

From what Ive read thicker oil will reduce loss through the valve seals and thinner oil will reduce leakage past the rings. Ive not seen anything that addresses HTHS specifically.

While it seems wrong that thinner oil could reduce consumption Ive seen an example of this in real life via summer to winter variation. I have an engine consumes 1 qt per 3000 miles in the winter (When full operating oil temp is 20F cooler) and 1 qt per 4000 miles in the summer.

 

[jorton]

My Tracer burns off about 8 oz in 5k using any brand 5w or 10w-30, dino or blend.

Your friend should check also for fuel diluted oil. When the engine is cool you can smell it in the oil fill hole. That increases consumption.

He should also stick with one oil. Consumption can increase after switching.

 

[dan3952]

That is normal oil usage in a Honda of that age. I have a Honda 2.3 L with 165k and it's been burning at least twice the amount you state for seven years. I heard Honda likes to use low friction soft ring materials that are more likely to stick or pass oil over a period of time. My local Acura dealer says that VTEC solenoid is hot and will burn some oil every time it engages. If you don't see smoke on startup, the problem is probably not the valve stem seals. I would just leave the engine alone and keep using the same oil and same viscosity. MaxLife has seal conditioning agents and is one of the thicker high mileage oils. As an aside, Shell says it's better to use a thinner oil if the oil control rings pass oil but in my case I have a mechanical problem and don't pay much attention to how thick the oil is anymore.

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: Gene K
From what Ive read thicker oil will reduce loss through the valve seals and thinner oil will reduce leakage past the rings. Ive not seen anything that addresses HTHS specifically.

A good practical way to think of HTHS viscosity is as a measure of how thick an oil is under pressure, at operating temp's in an operating engine. Or simply, how thick or thin an oil is at operating temp's.

The engine in question isn't consuming a lot of oil considering it's mileage. Running a heavier than spec' dino oil may reduce oil consumption in the short term but can be counter-productive in the long run if the oil control rings are partially clogged; it will only get worse.
What I'd do if you've got good oil pressure is run a 20wt synthetic oil or light 30wt syn (anything on sale) for a few OCIs and see if the oil consumption starts to decline. If it daes stick with it. If if doesn't after 15,000-20,000 miles then you could consider running any cheap heavier dino.

 

[silverrat]

I use Rotella 5w40 in my Accord and it helped with consumption.

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: silverrat
I use Rotella 5w40 in my Accord and it helped with consumption.

And that's the problem.
Going from a 3.0cP HTHSV to a 4.0cP oil may reduce you oil consumption but it will definitely reduce you gas mileage by at least 4%. So the real question is, if you have to go with a heavier oil to reduce your oil consumption, with all the negatives associated with runnning a heavier than spec' oil is it worth it? To my way of thinking the answer is no unless you're visibly burning oil.