Engine burning oil. What to do?

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If it were mine i would tell myself that its a $500 car at best. I would buy a case of the cheapest 5w30 i could get my hands on and pour in as needed. *its most likely your valve stem seals what do your plugs look like?



Your bio says you are from California.. how does an oil burner pass emissions? Im not familiar with your tests but always hear how strict CA is on emissions.
 
My brother owned a 94 Tercel, the car had a steady diet of Castrol 20W-50 conventional and it kept that engine alive and clean. My .02
 
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Our 96 Tercel burns a little, I replaced the pcv with an aftermarket one but would try to find a Toyota one if I were to do it again.
 
I've had multiple toyota with bad valve stem seals. Your situation sounds very similar to bad stem seals. You can do the stem seals on the head. The fix is cheap but it all depends on how much you want to do it.
 
I would try a HM 10w-40 and skip the Lucas. Get whatever brand is on sale. M1 is doing their mail-in rebate through May, $12 back on a 5qt jug for a net $13 jug of full syn. Penzoil also has rebates going.
 
First, congrats on keeping an old and reliable car running!

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
You could try a piston soak, and a Kreen treatment. Follow that up with a high mile oil and hope for the best.


Piston soak....yes. I saw a video on YouTube recently about how some Toyota piston rings didn't have sufficient oil drainage which caused them to become blocked and the engine to start using oil. If you can somehow get those rings de-coked it should stop using oil.

If it's not the valve seals (easy and inexpensive) it's likely the rings (less easy and more expensive). Choices as I see them and the order I'd proceed:

Piston soak.

Valve stems.

Decide whether to add oil frequently or do the re-ring.

Lastly, you might want to try a good cleaning synthetic...that might be enough to fix thing, but would likely cause more leakage initially...

edit: as a matter of fact, using conventional oil for your OCIs might have helped cause the issue in the first place.
 
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OK, you are in Cali. Can't get KREEN here. The chemistry is banned
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But, you can get BG109 (EPR)
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So this is what I'd do:

Every time I have an engine consuming oil, I do a few things. And since I buy cars and trucks with at least 100,000 miles (except my last one only had 83K), they often show up with some oil consumption issues...

It's usually related to rings stuck in the grooves. They do not travel the irregularities of the cylinder taper as they should...

So I use my regular oil (usually Delo 400 15W-40LE 'cause I have tractors, but use whatever you like...) and add some Marvel Mystery Oil (MMO). In 5 qt systems and above, I might use a whole qt. In smaller systems, I run proportionally less.

I also add a full can of BG109 (now known as EPR) the last 100 miles before a change. I shorten my change interval to ~4,000 miles and use a good filter. I also use an oversized filter if easily obtainable and it will physically fit ...

In almost all cases, this reduces the oil consumption. Has been doing well at this from the 1990's since I adopted this regimen. It just worked for the "low" mileage Pick-up I got as my new daily driver. Oil was going down at qt per 600 miles. Now down to about a qt per 1,500 and I have not changed the PCV yet (on hand). I'm sure I'll get it down to 1 qt per change interval smile

Flushes, as described by some folks, don't do what I need. I need/want to free rings. Flushes are usually designed to wash off varnish and sludge. Sorry, just not excited about either ... Regular HDEO changes will get that stuff over time smile

Another technique I use is an overnight ring soak. Big shot of Break-Free gun solvent in each cylinder (plugs out). Put plugs back in. Let all sit overnight w/o turning the engine. Fire it up next morning and drive around the block. Change oil and filter.

Do the oil combo described above. Do the BG109 last 100 miles, etc.

Oil consumption will drop significantly in about three changes
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If it does not, change the PCV valve. If that helps, but does not get it, install new valve seals. If the compression is about even, there is no need to do the whole head. There are ways to change valve seals with the head on the engine ...
 
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Thanks for the replies. I clean and replace the PCV valve regularly. I have replaced the PCV valve two or three times in the time I have monitored the oil burning. I think I have noticed more smoke when I start the car at times recently. There are no oil leaks anywhere. I'll try the Maxlife 10W-40 and BrocLuno's suggestions. If they don't work I'll replace the valve stem seals myself.
 
My previous slab (mid 20-something) would consume .5 quart from brand new to retiring it, and a mid 90s v6 would consume with 10w-30s, meanwhile, a brand new 2017 doesn't burn a drop and I use 0 weight oil, NAMELY 0w-20. All run in the same tropical environment. Some oils over-repped? Maybe.
Probably. Engine design and differences in tolerances is my best guess. Refute my theory.
 
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Do I do three oil changes with the Marvel Mystery Oil and BG109 or just one change with MMO and BG109?
 
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