My last two cars were direct injection

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Feb 19, 2019
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My last vehicles (2018 Silverado and 2007 Lexus LS460) were both direct injected. Both consumed oil; with the Lexus it took a while...really started consuming oil after 140,000 miles. With the Silverado, it was right away...usually a quart to a quart and a half between 5,000 mile intervals.

When I drained the oil on these babies at 5,000 miles, wow, did that oil look black and sometimes you could just smell that fuel. Had a catch can on the Silverado, nothing on the LS460 because the 460 had port injection as well...but the LS460 would track oil into the intake...you'd see oil just pooling in the runners and even tracking in the air snorkel leading to the the throttle body.

I just recently purchased a 2016 Toyota Avalon with the 3.5 V6 - I had thought it was direct injection - I was wrong, it's port injection. Oh my lord what a difference. Just completed my first 5,000 mile oil change interval; the oil still looked "good", pretty clear really, didn't smell of fuel and most importantly the level was right there...right at the full mark. I couldn't believe it. Didn't have to add a single drop.

I haven't experienced something like this, well, since my last port injection vehicle seven years ago! I had totally forgotten what it was like to not have to add oil or look at the oil when it's being drained and think...oh my god that looks horrible. I can actually open a throttle plate and not see oil sitting in that intake. I feel like an old timer talking about the "old days". How they "don't build them like they used to". Not sure I'm liking that, haha.
 
I haven't noticed any oil consumption with our 2019 Pathfinder that's direct injected, but that may be because I can't bring myself to go much beyond 3k mile oil changes due to the frighteningly black looking oil.
 
It may be the low tension piston rings that are responsible for some of the oil consumption issues you notice. I do find it interesting that Ford's V6 Ecoboost truck engines now use both port and direct injection and do not use low tension piston rings.
 
Both of VWs are direct injection (2017 AllTrack and 2019 Passat). I change the oil at 5000 miles with Castrol of the correct VW approval. In each case, I use no oil at all between changes, the oil is still a transparent dark brown and I do not smell fuel in the oil. Granted, I have not done a UOA but I cannot complain at all.
 
I think that 'Direct Injection' was rushed to market before being perfected due to CAFE...and we are paying the price in many cases.

While DI may improve MPG....it also needs more frequent OCIs*....but I doubt the EPA looked at that when mandating MPG gains.

*My Focus with a GDI Duratech turns the oil black much quicker than my other Duratechs which are not GDI.
 
I do 5K mile OCI's on my daughter's Mazda. On her old Accord it was 8K miles.

I don't feel comfortable doing long oil changes on a DI engine.
 
Originally Posted by Cujet
It may be the low tension piston rings that are responsible for some of the oil consumption issues you notice. I do find it interesting that Ford's V6 Ecoboost truck engines now use both port and direct injection and do not use low tension piston rings.


Combine that with some fuel dilution and that could very well be the cause of the OP's oil consumption. If I had that issue I would consider Mobil 1 ESP 0W40, and see if it helped.
 
I haven't noticed any oil consumption on my Mazda. I do keep my OCI around 5k.

Direct injection has been around for quite some time now.
 
Originally Posted by miden851
my both 2.4l EarthDreams engines consume 1qt oil between 5K mile OCI


I also have two and neither does.
 
Originally Posted by Railrust
My last vehicles (2018 Silverado and 2007 Lexus LS460) were both direct injected. Both consumed oil; with the Lexus it took a while...really started consuming oil after 140,000 miles. With the Silverado, it was right away...usually a quart to a quart and a half between 5,000 mile intervals.

When I drained the oil on these babies at 5,000 miles, wow, did that oil look black and sometimes you could just smell that fuel. Had a catch can on the Silverado, nothing on the LS460 because the 460 had port injection as well...but the LS460 would track oil into the intake...you'd see oil just pooling in the runners and even tracking in the air snorkel leading to the the throttle body.

I just recently purchased a 2016 Toyota Avalon with the 3.5 V6 - I had thought it was direct injection - I was wrong, it's port injection. Oh my lord what a difference. Just completed my first 5,000 mile oil change interval; the oil still looked "good", pretty clear really, didn't smell of fuel and most importantly the level was right there...right at the full mark. I couldn't believe it. Didn't have to add a single drop.

I haven't experienced something like this, well, since my last port injection vehicle seven years ago! I had totally forgotten what it was like to not have to add oil or look at the oil when it's being drained and think...oh my god that looks horrible. I can actually open a throttle plate and not see oil sitting in that intake. I feel like an old timer talking about the "old days". How they "don't build them like they used to". Not sure I'm liking that, haha.


Are you sure your 2007 Lexus was direct-injected? It seems unlikely to me for two reasons: 1) 2007 was early in the DI adoption phase and Toyota is notoriously conservative about such things, 2) I believe when Toyota very recently adopted DI it used a hybrid port/DI system.

Haven't owned one and could be wrong, but still...
 
Originally Posted by Railrust
My last vehicles (2018 Silverado and 2007 Lexus LS460) were both direct injected. Both consumed oil; with the Lexus it took a while...really started consuming oil after 140,000 miles. With the Silverado, it was right away...usually a quart to a quart and a half between 5,000 mile intervals.

When I drained the oil on these babies at 5,000 miles, wow, did that oil look black and sometimes you could just smell that fuel. Had a catch can on the Silverado, nothing on the LS460 because the 460 had port injection as well...but the LS460 would track oil into the intake...you'd see oil just pooling in the runners and even tracking in the air snorkel leading to the the throttle body.

I just recently purchased a 2016 Toyota Avalon with the 3.5 V6 - I had thought it was direct injection - I was wrong, it's port injection. Oh my lord what a difference. Just completed my first 5,000 mile oil change interval; the oil still looked "good", pretty clear really, didn't smell of fuel and most importantly the level was right there...right at the full mark. I couldn't believe it. Didn't have to add a single drop.

I haven't experienced something like this, well, since my last port injection vehicle seven years ago! I had totally forgotten what it was like to not have to add oil or look at the oil when it's being drained and think...oh my god that looks horrible. I can actually open a throttle plate and not see oil sitting in that intake. I feel like an old timer talking about the "old days". How they "don't build them like they used to". Not sure I'm liking that, haha.

Upon my first oil change with my then new GDI 2.4 Hyundai, I knew I had made a mistake-purchase. I will deal with it the best I can...... with BITOGers help.
Then the wife exclaimed she wanted a new Korean vehicle too. She settled on the Kia Soul X-Line 2.0 with multi-port injection. Just like you I was relieved when I drove it - absorbed the quietness of the engine and saw normal used oil when I changed it.

Life is good again. I'm going to change the GDI oil every 3.75k, just like the severe service owners manual requests. Will be using a upper-shelf thick 5w30oil from now-on.... likely SP / GF6. If / when it begins consuming, I'll move to 5w40 SN Plus / SP, whichever is available then. Delo XSP, Rotella Multi-Vehicle, Mobil-1 ESP...... something along those lines. I'm hoping it doesn't come to that.
 
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My Honda K24 is port injected and my wifes VW 1.8 TSI ea888 is direct injected / turbocharged. Neither consume a considerable amount of oil. The VW may need 1/2 quart every 5,000 miles, and I don't ever recall adding oil to the Honda.

Change early and often for long service life. VW calls for 10,000 mile oil change intervals on our 1.8 TSI. That would be murder on the timing components and likely other wear items also, 5K max for our VW.
 
The three TGDI cars I have owned did not consume any oil- and UOAs indicated that the manufacturer's OCIs were-if anything-conservative.
 
Originally Posted by Railrust
My last vehicles (2018 Silverado and 2007 Lexus LS460) were both direct injected. Both consumed oil; with the Lexus it took a while...really started consuming oil after 140,000 miles. With the Silverado, it was right away...usually a quart to a quart and a half between 5,000 mile intervals.

When I drained the oil on these babies at 5,000 miles, wow, did that oil look black and sometimes you could just smell that fuel. Had a catch can on the Silverado, nothing on the LS460 because the 460 had port injection as well...but the LS460 would track oil into the intake...you'd see oil just pooling in the runners and even tracking in the air snorkel leading to the the throttle body.

I just recently purchased a 2016 Toyota Avalon with the 3.5 V6 - I had thought it was direct injection - I was wrong, it's port injection. Oh my lord what a difference. Just completed my first 5,000 mile oil change interval; the oil still looked "good", pretty clear really, didn't smell of fuel and most importantly the level was right there...right at the full mark. I couldn't believe it. Didn't have to add a single drop.

I haven't experienced something like this, well, since my last port injection vehicle seven years ago! I had totally forgotten what it was like to not have to add oil or look at the oil when it's being drained and think...oh my god that looks horrible. I can actually open a throttle plate and not see oil sitting in that intake. I feel like an old timer talking about the "old days". How they "don't build them like they used to". Not sure I'm liking that, haha.

Dont know what to tell you. My 2015 cx5 with 106k miles burned no oil, and at 5k mile oil change intervals, the color of the oil (not important, but...) looked the same as my Sr20, or vq37, or Ls1, or lt1, or 5.7 hemi, or any other engine I've owned. My 2019 cx5 is turbocharged AND direct injection, and the story at 43k miles is the exact same.
 
My mazda is DI , is not using oil. In fact in cold weather, the level goes up due to short trip fuel dilution. I'm doing 3k changes summer 2k changes winter with a grade heavier oil.
 
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Originally Posted by Danh


Are you sure your 2007 Lexus was direct-injected? It seems unlikely to me for two reasons: 1) 2007 was early in the DI adoption phase and Toyota is notoriously conservative about such things, 2) I believe when Toyota very recently adopted DI it used a hybrid port/DI system.


2007 was the first year of DI in the LS.
 
Originally Posted by Burt
Originally Posted by Danh


Are you sure your 2007 Lexus was direct-injected? It seems unlikely to me for two reasons: 1) 2007 was early in the DI adoption phase and Toyota is notoriously conservative about such things, 2) I believe when Toyota very recently adopted DI it used a hybrid port/DI system.


2007 was the first year of DI in the LS.

2006 was the first year of DI and port in the IS350 (but not the 250)
 
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