Originally Posted By: gregk24
That seems like a lot of consumption, even for that mileage. How did you treat the car? And what weight of oil did you use through its life? Syn, dino?
It's not a lot. The life of valve-stem oil seals depends on their age (years) as well as mileage. For a 15-year-old car, more than a quart per one thousand miles is typical. There is a spring at the circumference of the seal to apply pressure but the synthetic rubber (Viton) in all valve-stem oil seals will harden with age and fail to seal against the valve stem, despite the spring pressure.
If cam wear is an issue, use a quality-brand oil. Thicker oil, more ZDDP, more moly, and other smart additives and smart base stocks may help a little. Going too thick may starve the hard to reach parts of oil though.