hey could anybody help? when i go to change my oil at 3000 miles i usually put my oil back in the bottles that i used to fill it, i put in 4 quarts but i return only about only about 3 quarts sometimes slightly less. i don´t see anything funny coming out my exaust and there isn´t a drop of oil on that engine anywhere. does this sound like a slightly worn valve seal, that maybe i´m burning it up alittle. i haven´t done a compression test on it yet, which would probably let me know what the problem is, and what cylinder. i notice when i take out my number 4 plug it has oil on the threads and its a bit oily looking not bad though but enough to tell. car has 78,ooo miles on it and its a 94 gt. just wandering if it sounds like what i think it is and how bad could it get and is it safe to use an oil additive to fix the bad seal. i have seen products at the auto store that say they stop leaky seals but i used to use them in my old exp and it turned out it clogged up my oil drain holes and caused even more damage. engine has been taken care of as far as oil changes but its been run hard. (you guys know what i mean if you got a honda reving next to you ya gotta give it all its got)lol.
loss of oil at oil change
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It is a bit hard to diagnose over the internet, but there are a few quick things to check. Are you noticing the level dropping on the dipstick, as you check it between changes? Remember, the oil filter will hold a decent amount of oil in it, that won´t make it to your catch pan. Also, any car is designed to use a bit of oil between oil changes, so it it normal to see a bit of oil consumption. As for the oil on the threads, is it fresh oil on the top side of the plug, or is it burned oil on the threads that live in the combustion chamber? I ask this because the valve cover gasket can leak around the spark plug holes and will allow oil to leak down on to the top of the plug. If there is any accumulation when you pull the plug, the oil will run down over the entire base of the the plug, and might cause you to think that it is oil from blow-by (hence, noting whether it is burned, or fresh looking). If you determine it is using more than a bit of oil, you can get a rough determination of the cause by having someone drive behind you as you drive. Generally speaking, if your friend notices blue oil smoke coming from the pipe as you are accelerating, it would indicate oil blowing by the rings. If, however, he notices oil puffs in between shifts, or when decelerating in gear (letting the engine compression slow the car while it is in gear), that would indicate valve seal wear.
The bottom-end of the 1.8 is damn near bullet proof. It is possible that you have wear around the rings, but it is more likely the valve seals, as high-rev driving tends to be hardest on the valve train. A compression test and a leak-down test are the best ways to go, but barring that, you can make a shade tree determination.
Got my fingers crossed for you.
Marcus
The bottom-end of the 1.8 is damn near bullet proof. It is possible that you have wear around the rings, but it is more likely the valve seals, as high-rev driving tends to be hardest on the valve train. A compression test and a leak-down test are the best ways to go, but barring that, you can make a shade tree determination.
Got my fingers crossed for you.
Marcus
If I use 5-30 oil in my 92 lx its like your GT, one quart down in 3000 miles. If I use 10-30 it might use a quarter to half quart. Also remember the filter retains oil that you cant really measure. If your pushing this car hard and using 5-30 I wouldnt worry about this oil consumtion. Oil is cheap. My 86 wagon used oil like my 92 and your GT,so when I went from Pa. to Wyoming and back at 75mph I used Valvoline 20-50 racing oil. The oil level never fell off the full mark.
yeah i just noticed recently that my oil level is low on the dipstick before oil changes. the car is due for another change like soon and i just checked it and it was a quart low. running 10/30 in it. can´t get to the oil change till i get a warmer day, or a day with no snow. as far as the oil on plug threads it is fresh looking oil not burned up, and the electrode looks pretty good, some slight deposits. i was just wandering mostly if i do find that its a valve seal are those oil additives that say they seal that shit up any good. and will it reck anything over time. thanks alot for the info. the engine isn´t too bad it runs good, i just get worried about it being a problem in the future.
If your worried about where the oil is going you might have a compression test done and then a cylinder leak test . The leak test will pinpoint a problem in the combustion chamber only. If these tests check out OK I wouldnt go any further. Valve seals many times cause a puff of smoke at start up. Also have someone drive your car and you follow. Take notes when you see blue smoke out the exaust. Do you think if an old dude drove the car at old dude speeds would it still use oil?
Hey Bruce,
hmmm.. .things dont sound that great. I haven´t really ever checked if Im burning up oil or not. But I usually run 10w30 or 15-50. I can tell you the Marcus is right on. That prob with the plug is more then likely valve cover gasket (15 dollar replacement). He´s right about the bottom end too...However, even at high revs I doubt its your rings yet. Its probably up top. I tend to run WAY too hot on the EGT´s and I´m thinking the probs I have are valve related too.
If it helps you and you want to do a compression test yourself. All my cylinders are between 165 and 175.
You know it sounds stupid but you could have a leak that´s only opening when there´s oil pressure. Right above the oil filter on the 1.8 is a oil cooler, that could be leaking a little.
G´luck to ya.
hmmm.. .things dont sound that great. I haven´t really ever checked if Im burning up oil or not. But I usually run 10w30 or 15-50. I can tell you the Marcus is right on. That prob with the plug is more then likely valve cover gasket (15 dollar replacement). He´s right about the bottom end too...However, even at high revs I doubt its your rings yet. Its probably up top. I tend to run WAY too hot on the EGT´s and I´m thinking the probs I have are valve related too.
If it helps you and you want to do a compression test yourself. All my cylinders are between 165 and 175.
You know it sounds stupid but you could have a leak that´s only opening when there´s oil pressure. Right above the oil filter on the 1.8 is a oil cooler, that could be leaking a little.
G´luck to ya.
Joined
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365 Posts
Hey Bruce,
If you´re thinking of having some tests professionally done, then consider taking your scort to the AAA Diagnostic Clinic for an analysis of the whole car. They do like 100 tests on it and I´m sure would locate your problem easily, especially if you mention about losing oil and the wet plug.
I had my 91 tested after I bought it, before I really started driving it, and they found a bunch of things it needed, including valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, and trans pan gasket. Now, with 106k miles on it, my engine doesn´t leak or consume a noticeable amount of oil between changes.
This service is great because they don´t do repairs, so they have no incentive to try to find problems that don´t exist. If you´re paying for testing anyway, might as well have the whole car gone over so you can find any potential problems beforehand. I paid about $90 to have my car tested, which I think is a good value. Yes, they are open to non-members, but I think they charge a little more. They´re in Broomall, PA which is like 75 minutes from where you are. Not so convenient but do-able.
Let me know if you need their number or anything else.
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Hope this helps!
If you´re thinking of having some tests professionally done, then consider taking your scort to the AAA Diagnostic Clinic for an analysis of the whole car. They do like 100 tests on it and I´m sure would locate your problem easily, especially if you mention about losing oil and the wet plug.
I had my 91 tested after I bought it, before I really started driving it, and they found a bunch of things it needed, including valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, and trans pan gasket. Now, with 106k miles on it, my engine doesn´t leak or consume a noticeable amount of oil between changes.
This service is great because they don´t do repairs, so they have no incentive to try to find problems that don´t exist. If you´re paying for testing anyway, might as well have the whole car gone over so you can find any potential problems beforehand. I paid about $90 to have my car tested, which I think is a good value. Yes, they are open to non-members, but I think they charge a little more. They´re in Broomall, PA which is like 75 minutes from where you are. Not so convenient but do-able.
Let me know if you need their number or anything else.
Hope this helps!
thanks for the info, i´m still waiting for a day that isn´t friggin freezing, or raining. seems my days off of work are miserable. i think i´m gonna do a compression check soon as the weather gets a bit better, which could be a while. i´m not gonna worry too much about it yet. i got alot of other problems right now like my parking break keeps freezing and now it doesn´t work at all,powersteering belt is slipping once in a while and iam still do for an oil change but i like doing it myself cause i get to check out the underneath myself. parking brake thing is starting to piss me off though cause its hard to warm up your car when it wants to roll away. i´ll let everybody know how it goes as i get working on it, thanks guys
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