Oil consumption(?)

[John K]

My engine has used oil since new, and needs a quart added about every 1000 miles. My question is, what is the most likely cause? Valve seals, rings, etc?? I have tried various oils, including Mobil1 15W-50, and no matter what oil I use, I have to add a quart every 1000 miles. It may vary a little bit, sometimes less, sometimes more, but averaging a pretty reliable 1000 miles. The dealer says it is normal. The car is a 2001 PT Cruiser, and it now has about 42,000 miles on it.

 

[MONKEYMAN]

Not familiar with your car, but my for my Saturn 1 quart every 2,000 is considered normal or acceptable. If an oil test confirms use of over 1 quart per 2,000 miles, I believe some people have had rings replaced under warranty. The main culprit on Saturns is rings. Oil control rings become dirty and loose their effectiveness. If it were my car, and if you still have a warranty, I would challenge the dealership that said 1 quart every 1,000 miles is normal. Something that may help is to find any TSB's that describe or address this problem. For my Saturn, the acceptable oil consumption is addressed in a TSB, so is the test for verification oil consumption. For me, it was worth the initial cost of a subscription to Alldata online. Besides TSB's, it has a lot of good repair information. Others with more experience may know the cause of oil consumption on your car. Maybe going to a forum for your particular car would help. You may find other owners with the same problem and solutions they have utilized. Hope it works out for you.

 

[MONKEYMAN]

I just did a search PT Cruiser Oil Consumption. The first hit seems to have helpful info:

http://www.ptcruiserproblems.com/pt_cruiser_pcv_valve_cover_tsb.htm

 

[MONKEYMAN]

Somone here is getting it fixed under warranty:

http://www.ptenthusiasts.org/PTForu...f0f31bbd9ea2bf149117b132be99e77&threadid=5404

 

[John K]

Thanks Monkeyman - I had done a search on this a long time ago and didn't think to try again. Some good info. I still wonder about what is the most likely cause for this problem in general, i.e., not for a specific engine.

I will pursue the info you pointed me to out, thanks again.

 

[Ugly3]

In my experience the most likely causes of oil consumption are (given you are not sitting in a pool of oil):

Piston ring seal with the cylinders
Valve guide seals
Head Gasket
PCV (but the engine generally runs poorly)

Cauaes beyond there are generally the "muffler bearing" or a case of "white flash".

I agree that using a quart of oil in 1000 miles is way beyond normal (it is not 1952 any more) and the dealer should stand up and fix it for you.

On the bright side - if you change oil filters every 5000 miles you would never have to change the oil, you are adding enough to keep it fresh all the time.