Oil burning journey 2006 CR-V with 176k mi

[TomYoung]

I dont know what your experience is, but it makes little sense to add small amounts of oil when there is an ADD line and a Full line.
Especially knowing the measuring system itself is not particularly accurate.
Even stuff like settling time and how the vehicle is parked change the view on the dipstick.

We are in agreement, except that I always endeavor to keep that oil level pegged to the FULL line, even if it means a half quart or oil sitting in the trunk.

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

I dont know what your experience is, but it makes little sense to add small amounts of oil when there is an ADD line and a Full line.
Especially knowing the measuring system itself is not particularly accurate.
Even stuff like settling time and how the vehicle is parked change the view on the dipstick.

Dude…

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

With complete respect to the original poster's thoughtful plan, I would probably try something less expensive, like seafoam ahead of an oil change and moving to a good, but not boutique, full synthetic like Castrol GTX, Pennzoil, Quaker State, Mobil 1. I would do a few shorter OCI's. All that said, the original poster's plan worked great, so it's all good.

Prior to this test I tried Seafoam, MMO, Mobil 1, Supertech, and Pennzoil Platinum HM 5w30. Nothing really worked.

 

[TomYoung]

Prior to this test I tried Seafoam, MMO, Mobil 1, Supertech, and Pennzoil Platinum HM 5w30. Nothing really worked.

I have nothing to add. Glad it worked out and hope you get many more miles out of it.

 

[andyd]

Prior to this test I tried Seafoam, MMO, Mobil 1, Supertech, and Pennzoil Platinum HM 5w30. Nothing really worked.

MMO in the crankcase is only useful to thin the viscosity of the oil. I used it to thin the 20W50 dino in my last 528e down to make easier to start in the single numbers F. A pint was all I used, I just poured it in. Car always started. This is a non-issue with the Camrys, MMO has a certain "je ne se quoi" when added to gas however, mostly in old mowers, etc. I would be interested in a follow up. Say 10K miles later TIA

PS, the CRV is of age and miles due for a valve adjustment. AMHIK.

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

MMO in the crankcase is only useful to thin the viscosity of the oil. I used it to thin the 20W50 dino in my last 528e down to make easier to start in the single numbers F. A pint was all I used, I just poured it in. Car always started. This is a non-issue with the Camrys, MMO has a certain "je ne se quoi" when added to gas however, mostly in old mowers, etc. I would be interested in a follow up. Say 10K miles later TIA

PS, the CRV is of age and miles due for a valve adjustment. AMHIK.

Valves were adjusted at like 169k or so. Given how few miles this thing is driven, 10k may take a couple years.

I’m driving it as much as I possibly can right now trying to rack up miles. Just drove 70 mi fully loaded through the mountains, if anything will create burn it’ll be that.

 

[Elkins45]

Do you attribute the reduced oil consumption to the piston soak or the HPL? Or both?

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

Do you attribute the reduced oil consumption to the piston soak or the HPL? Or both?

I haven’t done the piston soak yet, so definitely not that. I attribute the apparent change observed in the last ~900 mi to the Amsoil-HPL combo, although notably I cannot rule out the BG 44k I used in the gas tank.

 

[medunko]

my 2 cents - the engine was running fine and there’s some non intentional mistake made by OP ( the new/fresh oils are hard to read on the dipstick ) and probably variations how to measure hot/cold, the place a little bit hilly etc. the miracle hpl/amsol mixture to free stick rings and to clean varnish…pls

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

my 2 cents - the engine was running fine and there’s some non intentional mistake made by OP ( the new/fresh oils are hard to read on the dipstick ) and probably variations how to measure hot/cold, the place a little bit hilly etc. the miracle hpl/amsol mixture to free stick rings and to clean varnish…pls

I am a scientist by background. I am familiar with empirical data gathering.

All measurements were taken at the exact same spot in the garage. All measurements were taken after letting the car sit at least a half hour. All burn amount determinations were made after adding a minimum of 0.5 qt.

Obviously I can’t control for all measuring variables. Sometimes it’s warmer, sometimes it’s cooler. Sometimes I can only wait 45 min, other times 1.5 hr.

Furthermore, the car was driven 1000 miles in 1 day on two separate occasions, from Colorado to Wisconsin and back. After both trips, it was absolutely without question over 1 qt low. There is no doubt whatsoever it was burning oil.

I am sharing the results of the experiment in real time. It is yet unclear if the burn has stopped. Burn rates vary depending on many factors. The last 900 miles of data is surprising and encouraging, but it does not definitively yet confirm the issue was fixed. I suspect there has been a positive change and will continue updating as more data rolls in.

 

[thastinger]

Assuming you've eliminated a PCV or blow-by issue, I personally wouldn't use an expensive oil. I might get some 5W-40 Syntech or Supertec and see what happens (had a Subaru EJ255 burning a quart every 750 mi and Rotella 15w-40 slowed it considerably). I tore it down @84,000 miles, rings were clean as a whistle. I got some new rings, did some cleaning and a light hone and then performed a high load, low RPM break in with conventional 30W for 100 miles, then switched back to 5w-40 and was down to a quart every 4000 miles. Clearly a case of improper break in.
Rings are THE most important part of break-in and it needs to happen fast..... in the first 50-100 miles and done properly when dealing with low tension rings. Brief, full throttle acceleration at LOW RPM (with a brief cool down cruise in between) is considered a good break in practice. The cylinder pressure forces the rings into the walls to seat them fast without glazing.
Don't forget an intake valve guide or stem seal could be the culprit as well. I've seen engines chug a quart in 750 miles with loose guides and never had any smoke. This will show up on the plugs.
Spark plug deposits might tell an accurate story on your oil consumption....... if you have a particular cylinder causing the issue.
Better yet, get some cheap Champion or NGK copper plugs, put some 0w-20 in there and let it slug a quart or two. It might help you with a diagnosis.
Keep us posted with your results, I'm very interested since it seems more and more of my customers are having oil consumption issues.
Good Luck!

Concur, I've only bought new vehicles, although I keep them for forever.
On the way home from the dealership I run high load cycles on the motor immediately, lock them in second gear and make pulls and let the motor coast itself down. I do that about 30 times and change the oil/filter. Change the oil/filter again at 500 miles then go to regular change schedule. Never had any mechanical issues and none have ever used oil, all over 150K, some 200+ and over 25 years old.

 

[medunko]

Yes, but in Toyota manual is written how the measure the oil, after reaching operative temp, shut the engine, wait 5 min and than with clean paper inspect the oil, the second time is giving correct units. Anyway I’m glad that you’re stop the oil to desapear with the mix amsoil/hpl!

 

[medunko]

one more thing I have colleague with k24 and when he’s driving fast on the motorway 90 mph for several hours the engine is eating a quart or less, when he’s driving in the city no oil consumption…..think about it.

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

one more thing I have colleague with k24 and when he’s driving fast on the motorway 90 mph for several hours the engine is eating a quart or less, when he’s driving in the city no oil consumption…..think about it.

I believe this. It is likely that at least part of my observed variable consumption results from an effect of driving conditions. Fast highway driving likely does lead to higher consumption. This is why I mentioned I recently took a 70 mi highway drive in the mountains. I want to see if that had any impact.

I do live in a suburban/rural area, though. The car is always driven on highways and roadways at 50 mph or more. It receives basically no true city driving.

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

Update
183,379 mi

Checked the level, it was a little below the halfway mark, so there seems to have been some burn in the past 377 mi. This doesn’t surprise me after the fully loaded mountain driving I did.

I did not top it off. I’m waiting until it hits the bottom for a more accurate measurement.

It has now been 1,277 mi since the last top-off and there are more miles to go before it’s required.

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

Update
183,525 mi
(Burned 24oz in 1423 mi = 1897 mi/qt)

Because most people probably don’t have time to read the whole thread anymore, I’d like to summarize my high-confidence mi/qt calculations based on adding a minimum of 0.5qt.

Note: the distance from the bottom dot to the top dot on this CR-V is only 24 oz, so basing my calculations off at least 0.5 qt is the best I can do with this vehicle.

I will likely consider the Berryman’s piston soak and change to HPL oil (which I already possess) at some point in the next 500 - 1500 mi.

Here’s the data:

• Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage 5w30: 1120 mi/qt
• ATS CRO/CRF 505 treatment
• Amsoil SS 0w30: 1550 mi/qt
• Added HPL EC30
• Amsoil SS 0w30 + HPL EC30: 1582 mi/qt
• Amsoil SS 0w30 + HPL EC30: 1897 mi/qt

 

[skaughtz]

Update
183,525 mi
(Burned 24oz in 1423 mi = 1897 mi/qt)

Because most people probably don’t have time to read the whole thread anymore, I’d like to summarize my high-confidence mi/qt calculations based on adding a minimum of 0.5qt.

Note: the distance from the bottom dot to the top dot on this CR-V is only 24 oz, so basing my calculations off at least 0.5 qt is the best I can do with this vehicle.

I will likely consider the Berryman’s piston soak and change to HPL oil (which I already possess) at some point in the next 500 - 1500 mi.

Here’s the data:

• Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage 5w30: 1120 mi/qt
• ATS CRO/CRF 505 treatment
• Amsoil SS 0w30: 1550 mi/qt
• Added HPL EC30
• Amsoil SS 0w30 + HPL EC30: 1582 mi/qt
• Amsoil SS 0w30 + HPL EC30: 1897 mi/qt

What OCI's did you use for the HPL EC? Are those data points referring to a top-off of an Amsoil/HPL EC mix or a full change?

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

What OCI's did you use for the HPL EC? Are those data points referring to a top-off of an Amsoil/HPL EC mix or a full change?

The only change was from the Pennzoil to the Amsoil. All the rest are top offs. The Amsoil has been in for about 3,500 mi now.

 

[Fredxt]

You made me try HPL EC30. I am currently using Amsoil SS 0w20+HSS Stiction but I notice the blow by when not using fuel lubricant

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

Update
184,000 mi

• Berryman’s piston soak followed by MMO piston soak, each for about an hour.
• Pistons 2 and 4 were leaking into sump at a faster rate. Piston 2 was dry after the hour.
• The spark plug on piston 1 looked perfect, piston 2’s looked ok (weird because it drained the soak fastest), and 3 and 4 had signs of oil contamination. I suspect valves need to be checked.
• Added 2 qt of the HPL 5w40 and 2.5 qt of the HPL 0w30, along with new Fram Ultra filter.
• Cleaned throttle body.

Car runs fine after it got done burning off the residual MMO. I’m noticing more valve tick with the HPL than with the Amsoil. It’s more like when I ran M1 5w20. Interesting. Maybe has more to do with filter?

Side note, after driving the car for a couple miles I noticed the pipette I used was slightly chipped. I am paranoid that a ~1mm glass chip was left in a cylinder from the pipette. I don’t know if it was like that before I began. I’m planning on replacing coils in a couple days. Maybe I’ll vacuum the cylinders then… not that it likely matters since a particle that small would probably get ejected through the exhaust already. Ugh.