Oil level low when checked, possible cause? Pennzoil Platinum 6,200 miles since

[Danno]

If it was my ride, I would use PYB 10W-30 with Fram oil filter or WIX ata similar cost, change at 5,000 mile intervals, check oil level every second gas fill-up.
The 10W30 is a stout oil, can be bought for a great price and no need for a high cost filter.

 

[Anduril]

Originally Posted by bubbatime
I was reading on a car forum last year, some doofus had a Toyota something that was burning about 1 quart per thousand, if I remember right. He was one of those guys that never checked his oil, and was dismayed to find himself a few quarts low at oil change time.

His car used oil. And his solution? Have the dealership find a used engine, swap it it for about $3500. To replace a perfectly fine running engine that uses 1 quart per 1000 miles.

Yeah thats right, some absolute moron, paid a dealership $3500, to put a unknown maintenance history, used engine, into his car, because it consumed oil.

Genius could have just checked his engine oil every 1000 miles and topped it off. Instead, he probably got another engine that consumes oil.

If the Toyota in question had the 2AZ-FE, those engines are defective from the factory and just adding oil will work for a while but is not a long-term solution at least in places with emissions testing. Mine burned a quart per 1k when I got it (thankfully, free) about a year ago. I proceeded to put 20k miles on it, adding oil when needed, but the consumption ended up getting worse to the point where I was getting visible smoke pretty much every time I stepped on the gas. I replaced the engine with a rebuilt one last week (there are now updated pistons which fix the problem) as I am due for a smog check next month and will not pass with smoke coming out the exhaust.

He was dumb for replacing a known defective engine with another used, known defective engine though. They all have this problem.

 

[D1dad]

I just reduced oil consumption on an 09 altima that was using 3/4 a qt every 1k down to a few ounces every 1k with kreen. I just added it to the fuel and oil and it actually worked. Couldn't believe it.

 

[tiger862]

I would check levels and if dropping a qt after 3k then change it. An oil burner I would use Maxlife.

 

[paoester]

Synthetic oil can take more temperature abuse and last longer. Its pretty much just like any conventional cheaper oil really, to a first approximation.
This oil burning issue is likely 99% due to engine condition, and only 1% due to the oil itself, Pennzoil Platinum is good synthetic oil, and you chose a good weight of it for your conditions, 5w30.
Lots of engines burn oil between almost zero to a quart every thousand miles or so, all not requiring an engine overhaul. Normal stuff.

 

[Greg L]

I regularly use 5w20 Pennzoil Yellow bottle on my 2008 Jeep Compass 2.4 (at 106k miles) with oil changed about every 5k miles. It never loses or burns oil.

There is something wrong if you are losing oil. Do you have issues with your PCV valve or a break on that hose? Also, sometimes the filler cap on top can become loose and 'spew' bits of oil around the filler hole.

And which filter do you regularly use? A snug fit should stop any minor leaks.

 

[CharlieBauer]

Don't get obsessed about whether GTL base oil is the issue here.

As mentioned, it could be due to any number of issues.

As far as oil is concerned, use a high mileage 10w30 oil to condition seals. You smelled some burning so you have some oil leaking. I would consider M1 high mileage 10w30 as it is very thick.

Your vehicle is at a mileage where ensuring it is up to date on manufacturer recommended maintenance is important. The pcv valve is the most obvious maintenance item.

Check your oil every 1000 miles or so on level ground.

 

[PimTac]

This is a good reminder for you or someone you trust to go over the engine carefully. You might have leaking filter as was suggested before. There might be a valve cover leak. Give it the once over. I've seen many cases where the problem was easily fixable.

 

[geeman789]

Originally Posted by TomokiSakurai


2009 Jeep Patriot 2wd 2.4ltr 102k miles



THIS ^^^

10 year old car with 100 k miles, purchased with an unknown maintenance history ... your car is likely starting to burn some oil. If the car uses 1 quart every 3000 miles, that would be about 2 quarts down, so well below the ADD line on most dipsticks. That level of oil consumption is higher than average, but not excessive.

I highly doubt it is the oil causing the problem. The engine is ...

Try a different oil, it won't hurt, but it probably won't change the consumption much. Maybe try a 10w30 conventional, and see how it goes.

But ... CHECK YOUR OIL !!! Once a month at minimum. ALL cars use some oil. Yours uses more than average, so pay attention.

 

[domer10]

Originally Posted by PimTac
Originally Posted by paoester
Car maintenance & engine knowledge is not something we're all born with. There is no "DUH" here as MotoGuzzi rudely adds.




It's called common sense. If you own something you should take pride and care of that item. A vehicle is usually the second most expensive item people will own.

If one doesn't care or feigns ignorance then they must accept the possible consequences.


Ya, every human such as single mothers, elderly women and just people in general should know about every intricate detail about a vehicle, or scouring internet fourms for signs before they bought a vehicle such as the possibility about knowing or not knowing if a vehicle is going to burn oil 6k into the future.

Give your head a shake with some of your comments.

 

[geeman789]

Originally Posted by domer10
Originally Posted by PimTac
Originally Posted by paoester
Car maintenance & engine knowledge is not something we're all born with. There is no "DUH" here as MotoGuzzi rudely adds.


It's called common sense. If you own something you should take pride and care of that item. A vehicle is usually the second most expensive item people will own.

If one doesn't care or feigns ignorance then they must accept the possible consequences.


Ya, every human such as single mothers, elderly women and just people in general should know about every intricate detail about a vehicle, or scouring internet fourms for signs before they bought a vehicle such as the possibility about knowing or not knowing if a vehicle is going to burn oil 6k into the future.

Give your head a shake with some of your comments.



You can try and defend the ignorant all you want ... but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter WHY you didn't do something. All that matters is that you DIDN'T do it.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted by domer10
Originally Posted by PimTac
Originally Posted by paoester
Car maintenance & engine knowledge is not something we're all born with. There is no "DUH" here as MotoGuzzi rudely adds.




It's called common sense. If you own something you should take pride and care of that item. A vehicle is usually the second most expensive item people will own.

If one doesn't care or feigns ignorance then they must accept the possible consequences.


Ya, every human such as single mothers, elderly women and just people in general should know about every intricate detail about a vehicle, or scouring internet fourms for signs before they bought a vehicle such as the possibility about knowing or not knowing if a vehicle is going to burn oil 6k into the future.

Give your head a shake with some of your comments.


I knew this chick a few years ago that actually didn't know oil was supposed to ever changed

 

[Silver]

I spun a bearing in a truck that abruptly started burning a lot of oil and ended up three quarts low. It had PP nearly all its life. I won't use it anymore. I am well aware it may have happened even sooner with another oil as far as I know, but the coincidence if you want to call it that has scared me away from it.

It is in fact one of the thinner oils for any given grade though, and last I checked their PDS's do not list HTHS.

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted by geeman789



Originally Posted by domer10
Originally Posted by PimTac
Originally Posted by paoester
Car maintenance & engine knowledge is not something we're all born with. There is no "DUH" here as MotoGuzzi rudely adds.


It's called common sense. If you own something you should take pride and care of that item. A vehicle is usually the second most expensive item people will own.

If one doesn't care or feigns ignorance then they must accept the possible consequences.


Ya, every human such as single mothers, elderly women and just people in general should know about every intricate detail about a vehicle, or scouring internet fourms for signs before they bought a vehicle such as the possibility about knowing or not knowing if a vehicle is going to burn oil 6k into the future.

Give your head a shake with some of your comments.



You can try and defend the ignorant all you want ... but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter WHY you didn't do something. All that matters is that you DIDN'T do it.






Yep. I didn't see domer's reply since I have him on ignore. Obviously I hit a nerve.

 

[geeman789]

Originally Posted by Silver


It is in fact one of the thinner oils for any given grade though, and last I checked their PDS's do not list HTHS.



Yep. One of the few 5w30's in the 9's ...

Kinematic Viscosity @ 100C cSt ASTM D445. 9.8

PP Euro L 5w30 is up at 12.1 cSt at 100 * C

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted by TomokiSakurai
Originally Posted by Char Baby
[quote:TomokiSakurai]
Changed my oil 6200 miles ago on January 1st, 2019...

...I got around to checking the oil today and it was about an inch below the min line of the safe zone.
Quote

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You probably have some mild burnoff/blowby which is not unreasonable in the 10 months during your oil change interval(OCI).

You need to learn a vehicle/engine etc when you first buy it and check the fluids more often. I could be wrong and may have missed something in your post. However, even though you put in the correct amount of oil during your OCI, are you saying that you didn't check the oil level otherwise for 10 months?

yes, unfortunately as i was making the post i started to realize i think i just flat out didn't pay attention to the time length and instead focused on the mileage instead. that was too long now that i think about it to not be checking it, i'll get a rotation going.


Don't feel scolded from me or other members. We want you to return and contribute. However I do hope you indeed learn from this as you mentioned that:
: "(this was a slow year for me)".

So, have a look'around the vehicle & under the hood now & again.

 

[D1dad]

Before I kreened my Nissan it used synthetic at a much lesser rate than anything conventional. M1 of any flavor went through that thing like grass through a goose. Shell clean engine was the best at slowing consumption and can always be stocked up from menards @ under $2 a qt. I use PP because I got it cheap and have no opinion on it although the pp5-30 HM I have in my 08 impala 3.9 is consuming at 1/2 qt every 1 k. I did just switch it over to synthetic after it was serviced it's whole life with by a dealer and whatever they had. It's also leaving a few drips every morning which is new.

 

[Ram02]

2009 Jeep Patriot 2wd 2.4ltr 102k miles

Changed my oil 6200 miles ago on January 1st, 2019 and used Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic and a Mobil 1 EP filter, I ran 5w-30 because I live in Texas and am a real estate photographer and drive all day every day with a lot of stops and go. I have no idea what was in this vehicle before as this was my first time doing an oil change because I had just purchased this vehicle "Used" in Nov of 2018 from Autonation. At the time of purchase there were no oil leaks, and neither when I changed the oil. I got around to checking the oil today and it was about an inch below the min line of the safe zone. I have no idea where the oil went. I thought since I was roughly still close to my factory oil change interval I would be ok especially since I used synthetic oil, but then I did some digging and read a review on the Pennzoil website and another person mentioned experiencing this same issue where he assumed it had evaporated and needed to add more oil before his scheduled oil change. My question is, does anybody know if there is any truth to this theory or if this is an ongoing issue with this particular oil? I'll admit I don't know much about oil other than everything that I have learned from this website and youtube videos. I understand that the detergents will dissipate, but will it also cause that much oil loss or could it have just been due to 10 months of driving? (this was a slow year for me). If that's the case it seems like I should switch to an oil that won't have this much loss and require adding oil between changes which equal money wasted. I wanted to try the PP HiMi ($37.88 with M1 filter) this time around but now I'm not so sure. Even the PUP 5qt and M1 filter at Walmart is $39 but not worth it if I'm going to have the same issue. Thanks in advance.

ahh that’s just typical Pennzoil burning away probably cause of the low flash point . Try a different brand next time M1 Castrol Edge or Valvoline

 

[ka9mnx]

Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Originally Posted by TomokiSakurai
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Oil doesn't just magically disappear. It either gets burned in the combustion chamber or leaks out. A small amount can evaporate off but I don't suspect that's the source of your problem given the volume that's missing.

Have to ask, did you add enough oil to begin with when you last changed it? How much went in? Are there any leaks?

If there are no leaks, your engine likely has a drinking problem....

Yes sir I made sure it was at the correct level, I'm lucky Jeep made a easy to read dipstick unlike my Honda. It was a 5qt jug, I can't remember exactly how much went in but i don't think there was any leftover cause I put the old oil immediately in the jug. No sir, no leaks, I've been lucky in that sense. Unlike my Honda that ran dry from a cracked oil pan.

Than oils making it's way past the rings and/or valve stem seals and being burned in the combustion chamber. If that's the case, and by all indications it seems to be, there are some things you could try to mitigate this like doing an engine flush or piston soak to try and free up the rings, or using a HiMi oil to soften up the stem seals if that's the cause (no real way to know unless you do a tear down). Or just keep it topped off checking it daily, with a cheap dino and motor on...

i think you may be right, i'll try to have someone turn it on today for me while i'm at the back by the tailpipe and see if there is a cloud of smoke coming out from the oil that i read can accumulate on top of the piston and get burned up after sitting overnight and show itself during cold start. and i'll go with HiMi this time around too, ty sir.

It can be difficult to check for oil consumption standing behind a running engine.

With the engine cold, Put your finger into the end of the exhaust pipe and run it around the top of the pipe. If your finger comes out dry and sooty you are probably burning a little rich (more fuel than needed). If your finger comes out wet and dark (oily) too much oil is getting past the piston rings or valve guide seals.

 

[circuitsmith]

With the engine cold, Put your finger into the end of the exhaust pipe and run it around the top of the pipe. If your finger comes out dry and sooty you are probably burning a little rich (more fuel than needed). If your finger comes out wet and dark (oily) too much oil is getting past the piston rings or valve guide seals.

I learned this from an old, wise mechanic about 30 years ago; and never bought an oil burning car since.