engine braking leading to oil consumption?

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mjf6866

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another question for my 1990 civic dx 1.5ltr, 5 speed with 130k on her:

i brought up oil consumption in a previous thread that i posted the other day and wanted to add this tidbit of info that may help someone diagnose the consumption that happens. it seems to really consume when i do a lot of engine braking. if i lay off the engine braking, it will only consume very little and i will only have to add a little once or twice a week. when i was engine braking more often, it was down almost a quart a week.

does this sound like i'm in need of a pcv replacement or are my rings shot or what? the car never blows smoke and doesnt leave any drips in the driveway.

thanks!
 
Yes some engines will see increased oil consumption but many will not. I use engine breaking all the time and have never had a problem. Itis more of a problem for people that never drive on the HWY ie city driving.......The oil gets fuel loaded and it then is easier for consumption to increase under all conditions.

You are not reguired to use engine braking though it is more a matter of how you learned to drive then anything else. On a positive note manual transmission vechiles almost never suffer from stuck rings due to the effect of engine breaking. WHen it is a significant down shift the rings litterly get pushed or suck up away from where they normaly sit. This combined with normal ring rotation ensures that ring sticking is almost unheard of on manual transmissions.
 
Originally Posted By: daves66nova
it's probably coming from oil getting sucked past your valve stem seals due to the extra vacuum when you decelerate.


That'd be my guess. Your catalyst could be scrubbing it so you don't see it in your exhaust.

My first vehicle was a 1980 Mazda B2000 with bad valve guide seals. Every time I let off the gas, I'd get a puff of blue smoke.
 
As one other BITOG-er put it... As long as you can see out the rear window who cares!
grin2.gif
 
Yes it will add to the oil consumption. I used to have a pick up that wouldn't use hardly any oil during 1 year 6 to 8 thousand mile oil changes .....unless I did some towing.
 
oh, i learned to use a clutch on a dirt bike and i coasted as much as i could. when i got this car, it was my first manual in a car and i did as much coasting as i could, but wanted to see if i could save on the brakes a little so i tried engine braking a little bit. nothin major, just leavin it in gear headind to a stop light and letting off the gas to slow the car down a bit. that kinda thing. i have a habit of not doing it, but will time to time will use the compression as brakes. guess i wont do it as much anymore!

thanks again guys for your help!
 
Originally Posted By: mjf6866
oh, i learned to use a clutch on a dirt bike and i coasted as much as i could. when i got this car, it was my first manual in a car and i did as much coasting as i could, but wanted to see if i could save on the brakes a little so i tried engine braking a little bit. nothin major, just leavin it in gear headind to a stop light and letting off the gas to slow the car down a bit. that kinda thing. i have a habit of not doing it, but will time to time will use the compression as brakes. guess i wont do it as much anymore!

thanks again guys for your help!


Engine braking is fine. You'll produce zero extra wear if all you're doing is keeping it in gear to slow you down. You'll only wear out your clutch if you downshift and let out the clutch at a much lower RPM than needed for the speed you're at. If you really want to engine brake by downshifting, then clutch in and blip the throttle to the RPM consistent with the speed you're at as you clutch in. There's very little wear if the clutch and flywheel engage at just about the same RPM.
 
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Engine braking is fine. I learned to drive on a manual with 4 drum brakes. Engine braking was not optional. I engine brake on public roads and to keep my jeep under control going down hill in low range. Going down long steep downslopes in the mountains I find engine braking to be the safest way to control the vehicle. Save the rakes for actual emergencies, I can control the vehilce for the most part with compression braking and it has never hurt an engine of mine.

As far as oil consumption it has not been an apparent link for me.

If you ask me pulling a clutch and replacing it is easier than doing 4 disc brakes. I can easily do my own clutch. Brakes with 4 corners always end up with at least one corner being a big problem.
 
It's causing additional oil consumption in the Ops car so it's stressing it,not to mention the drivetrain.
 
All the posters here coming out against engine braking.. seriously? You guys think coasting in gear is too hard on the engine? AFAICT that's all that's being talked about here.
 
Originally Posted By: Bryanccfshr

If you ask me pulling a clutch and replacing it is easier than doing 4 disc brakes.



I think that rather depends on the car :)
 
Never heard of engine braking causing engine wear, clutch (if no rev. matching is done) yes, but engine NO. Most automatics will engine brake at highway speed, when the TQ is locked up and you let off the gas pedal.

And like another poster said, you almost never hear about stuck rings on manual cars, automatics, on the other hand, suffer from that phenomenon a lot, especially if they are always driven gently.


I alaways left the car in whichever gear it was in when comming to a red light, I would still apply brakes, I would clutch in at around 1500 rpm. Never had oil consumption problem. I never bothered with downshifting as I was trying to preserve the clutch and I did not have the double clutching and rev. matching technique mastered.
 
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Engine braking when properly done shouldn't be a problem. Now I've seen people clutch brake by not matching engine speed and that will ruin a clutch. People approaching a light while in gear and back off the gas aren't damaging a clutch.

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