My 1500 truck uses about a qt every 3 to 4 K miles under normal driving here in NC triad area where it is mostly flat. When i go to PA for vacation and drive in a very mountainous terrain, it will burn about a qt by the time i am there for a week and then drive home which may be a total of 1200 miles at the most. The oil consumption also goes up more when im towing things. It may just be the change in terrain. Not to mention the previous oil which was probably bulk 5w30 may have sheered down to a 20 weight along with the addition of MMO you may have had something pretty thin in there which would burn more when the hilly terrain was added to the mix. Im guessing that once you go back to straight 5w or 10w30 the consumption will slow down. You could also go to a High Mileage oil as the viscosity is usually about 15% or 20% higher than standard 5w30. Many have had great luck with the maxlife and similar oils.
Sudden Oil Consumption
- Thread starter The Critic
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Originally Posted By: mechtech2
MMO is thin, and should be compensated for by using a thicker oil - maybe a qt or two . This surely has a part n it.
Hilly terrain would decrease gas mileage and increase engine loads. This would result in more oil used, primarily from blowby and burning past the rings/lands.
When conventional oil gets a lot of miles, it will start to use more. Some engines more, some less. I had a BMW 3201
that did not use appreciable oil until about 2,000 miles on the OCI. Then it was like a switch was turned on, and it started to use oil .
Plus, your car is a Saturn - a known oil eater.
+1
MMO is thin, and should be compensated for by using a thicker oil - maybe a qt or two . This surely has a part n it.
Hilly terrain would decrease gas mileage and increase engine loads. This would result in more oil used, primarily from blowby and burning past the rings/lands.
When conventional oil gets a lot of miles, it will start to use more. Some engines more, some less. I had a BMW 3201
that did not use appreciable oil until about 2,000 miles on the OCI. Then it was like a switch was turned on, and it started to use oil .
Plus, your car is a Saturn - a known oil eater.
+1
I've seen this many times. In each case, I had accumulated several thousand miles of city or suburban driving and then made a long trip or a trip through the Appalachians. My interpretation has always been that fuel accumulates in the oil and changes the volatility. The heat of the trip blows off the fuel and some the oil through co-evaporation.
In other words, I don't know for sure, but I've seen it too. It's probably not worth worrying about.
In other words, I don't know for sure, but I've seen it too. It's probably not worth worrying about.
I was using 3/4 quart in my 99 SL2 per 3,000 miles in city driving. Then started doing more trips to my parents. That is 150 miles round trip with a lot of hills. I used 1/4 to 1/2 quart per trip. When I have a heavy foot, WOT it would be closer to 1/2 quart per trip. I always wondered what effect doing long OCI's on conventional oil would do to the oil control rings. With over 160,000 miles I average 1 quart per 800 miles. Car runs great. Just used someone’s 2001 RX300 on a trip to my parents yesterday. I find my Saturn more comfortable and better for my needs. Who cares if it uses oil. I am more concerned about how it performs. I am getting 35 mpg on the highway. Unless you want to replace rings /drill drain holes in your pistons, I would just check oil more often. I use MMO, but do add something to boost viscosity when using it. I had some EP Moly I needed to use, but I was thinking 15w40 with MMO may be a great combo to clean those pesky oil control rings. I do have a catch can between PCV and intake manifold that looks like the one Bill posted a link to. I will use quarts of oil and only catch ounces in the catch can. Car runs like new which is what matters most.
I wouldn't worry too much about it. Saturn 1.9 engines just need TLC. Frequent oil changes (3,000 OCIs) and it's probably best to replace the PCV with a good OEM replacement. It's probably gummed up. I'd probably look into the heaviest weight oil that GM recommends for it too if you're not in a very cold climate.
If it were me I might drop in a quart of MMO sometime. I've read from other Saturn owners that it helps with consumption; however, nothing is going to stop consumption forever. Saturns just burn oil. So did the last airplane I flew. It's just the nature of the beast for some engines. Just keep an eye on it.
If it were me I might drop in a quart of MMO sometime. I've read from other Saturn owners that it helps with consumption; however, nothing is going to stop consumption forever. Saturns just burn oil. So did the last airplane I flew. It's just the nature of the beast for some engines. Just keep an eye on it.
Well, I checked the oil yesterday and noticed that the Sears tech must have overfilled it significantly, as the oil level is about 1/2" above the full mark.
The good thing though, is that the oil is still very clean even after 200 miles of driving. That's unusual for this car. The engine flush must have done something.
The good thing though, is that the oil is still very clean even after 200 miles of driving. That's unusual for this car. The engine flush must have done something.
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: PandaBear
add oil and see if you see puddle from loose bolt or filter / double gasket leak, etc.
If it didn't drop anymore then it is not filled up right and measured wrong, that happen once in a while. My friend once put in 2.5 qt in a 4.5 qt sump and though he filled it up to full.
I already got the oil changed at the local Sears. So everything is OK for now.
A catch can that lets go
You have a link to pictures of this? Thanks
I don't have a picture of a Gary Allan catch can that lets go. I do have a picture of a 440_Magnum catch can that lets go (its not actually on a 440 Magnum, they don't snort oil through their PCV system, its on a Chrysler 2.4L in a PT Cruiser
):
This one is made from one of those little fuel filters with a replaceable element. Its modified by drilling out (enlarging) the holes in the center shaft, and I've since removed the filter screen entirely. Oil spray that gets sucked into the PCV system (not vapor, liquid oil mist that shouldn't get in there) accumulates in the bottom while the engine is running, then drains back when you shut down. It works like a CHARM- the PT's highway oil consumption used to be 1 quart/1500 miles or so. This last change, I haven't added a quart in over 4000 miles, and its only 1/2 quart down from full. If I had a larger one of these or 2 in parallel, I bet the consumption would be below measurable.
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: PandaBear
add oil and see if you see puddle from loose bolt or filter / double gasket leak, etc.
If it didn't drop anymore then it is not filled up right and measured wrong, that happen once in a while. My friend once put in 2.5 qt in a 4.5 qt sump and though he filled it up to full.
I already got the oil changed at the local Sears. So everything is OK for now.
A catch can that lets go
You have a link to pictures of this? Thanks
I don't have a picture of a Gary Allan catch can that lets go. I do have a picture of a 440_Magnum catch can that lets go (its not actually on a 440 Magnum, they don't snort oil through their PCV system, its on a Chrysler 2.4L in a PT Cruiser
This one is made from one of those little fuel filters with a replaceable element. Its modified by drilling out (enlarging) the holes in the center shaft, and I've since removed the filter screen entirely. Oil spray that gets sucked into the PCV system (not vapor, liquid oil mist that shouldn't get in there) accumulates in the bottom while the engine is running, then drains back when you shut down. It works like a CHARM- the PT's highway oil consumption used to be 1 quart/1500 miles or so. This last change, I haven't added a quart in over 4000 miles, and its only 1/2 quart down from full. If I had a larger one of these or 2 in parallel, I bet the consumption would be below measurable.
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