Help my poor baby!!

iThane · Post by **iThane** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 3:39 am

So the other day (about a week ago) i noticed my engine started knocking *sadface*

i figured it was just the cold weather and i was painfully waiting it out..
well i was doing my regular oil check when i noticed my oil was below the
minimum line!

my dipstick looks like its got burnt oil on it or something. its not leaking,
no spots on the driveway, and last oil change was approx. 3,200 miles ago.

im guessing my engine is burning oil? so i put more oil into it, a quart,
and now the oil level is at a safe amount again, and hey! no more knocking!

not only do i feel horrible for letting my poor baby run dry, but im worried
about why she's burning up that oil

any solutions? what should i look at or check out?

darthroush · Post by **darthroush** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 4:11 am

Have you switched types/weight of oil at all? How many miles are on the engine? Another question...how come you go to a new line every 10 words? Just curious about that last one...

Donkeypuncher · Post by **Donkeypuncher** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 5:02 am

I know our engines burn some oil, but that's quite a bit to lose. I would think there would be a spot in the driveway or some noticeable smoke out the muffler with that much missing.

Might want to try a full synthetic and quality filter for the next oil change, then see if this pattern continues.

Maybe check your coolant and see if that's where the oil has gone. It's a long shot, but worth a look just in case. And yes, that would be a bad thing.

Vipercar93 · Post by **Vipercar93** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 6:00 am

Oil burning itself doesn't mean you need a rebuild if you are burning oil. The engine isn't going to explode. It pretty much just means you have to keep putting oil in and you will be down on power.

'Acceptable' oil consumption is 1qt for every 1k miles. When you start burning more than that it could be time to do an engine rebuild. Many manufacturers use this figure before they consider doing any work under warranty ect.

If you switch to full synth cold turkey you can run into leaking seal problems and actually increase oil consumption, especially on older engines. But this depends on which synthetic you go with. If you switch to an ester synthetic though you shouldn't run into this problem. I think redline is an ester. It's a polysythetic that can dry out seals on older engines.

After you have checked for leaks do a leakdown or compression check. Pull your plugs and check for fowling or burnt oil on them. Like donkeypuncher said check your coolant, chances are no, but it's worth checking since it's easy enough to do.

My guess is your are eating oil.

iThane · Post by **iThane** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:23 pm

Darthroush-
I'm not sure what the last owner had in when i bought the car, but i took
my car to a jiffy lube and they put some penzoil in it. it just hit 70k.
and im not sure why i skip lines? i guess im "enter button happy"

DonkeyPuncher?-
im not exactly sure how fast it burnt up the oil either. i really only
checked it this one time since my last oil change

i would check
out the muffler but its cold enough outside that everyone's muffler
is puffing smoke lol. so i just want to grab the more expensive stuff
next time i get my oil changed?

Vipercar93-
but maybe i want a 2.4 swap

the engine started knocking just before i probably hit 3k after the last
oil change. as soon as i put more oil into the engine it stopped. im
going to keep a close eye on my oil level after my next oil change to see
how rapidly my engine is consuming oil. and i doubt there are any
leaks, the driveway is spotless. i might do my own oil change since i
think the jiffy lube i go to only has penzoil. i'll definitely check my spark
plugs and ask my mechanic to do a compression check while im getting
some other stuff fixed soon. i tried checking my coolant 2 nights ago,
but with nothing but a cell phone light its a bit hard to see whats what.

Vipercar93 · Post by **Vipercar93** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 1:24 pm

Well a 2.4 swap would do the trick

iThane · Post by **iThane** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 2:32 pm

Vipercar93 wrote:Well a 2.4 swap would do the trick

+1

i guess i should pay off the car FIRST...

Vipercar93 · Post by **Vipercar93** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 3:26 pm

iThane wrote:
Vipercar93 wrote:Well a 2.4 swap would do the trick
+1

i guess i should pay off the car FIRST...

LOL That always helps. Lets hope it's nothing serious.

esfan · Post by **esfan** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 5:21 pm

I lost about 1-1.5 quarts of oil during every oil change. I'm not sure about the "oil burning look like dipstick" but I'll just assume a regular oil lose as normal since your last oil change is 3,200 miles ago. Since losing 1 quart of oil brings the oil level lower than the minimum line so I don't think something serious is taking place but better as Donkeypuncher said checking coolant and you can use some synthetic oil like Mobil 1 or PP with oil filter like PureONE or even Mobil/K&N to see if this happened again.

Danteneon · Post by **Danteneon** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 5:34 pm

I know when it's been 3000 miles since my last oil change when the engine tic gets louder. Call it the built-in audible oil change reminder

I too lose about 1-1.5 qts every 3K. As far as burnt oil on the stick, is it gold/brown color? If so, that's pretty normal.

Paul56 · Post by **Paul56** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 8:22 pm

Tomorrow morning go out and check the level... top it off if necessary. Make a note on the calendar what you did.

Then check the oil daily for a few weeks... it is a simple check to do every morning before heading out for the day. If the oil is going somewhere you will see the level drop.

You need to keep records of what was done when and how much was added to get a good picture of what is happening. Some consumption is normal but it seem to vary widely from engine to engine.

glasswars · Post by **glasswars** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 8:41 pm

The first gen burns oil like it's going out of style. Insane amounts. Just did an oil change and put this stuff in it:
http://www.acehardware.com/product/inde ... =319204646

Much to my surprise, it's working a little bit. It's extremely thick stuff, came out like really old maple syrup.

Post by **occasional demons** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 8:54 pm

Vipercar93 wrote:
If you switch to full synth cold turkey you can run into leaking seal problems and actually increase oil consumption, especially on older engines. But this depends on which synthetic you go with. If you switch to an ester synthetic though you shouldn't run into this problem. I think redline is an ester. It's a polysythetic that can dry out seals on older engines.

Synthetic oil does not dry out seals. The molecules are smaller, so it just finds leaks that already exist. Any synthetic oil will only make oil "consumption" worse. You are literally pouring $ out the tailpipe, or on the ground. Mine used far more oil with synthetic vs conventional when it was leaking. Valve seals will dump quite a bit out the exhaust without smoking. Especially with a cat converter cleaning it up. With a new head, gaskets, and seals, mine has gone from 3 to 4 quarts every 3000 miles to nearly zero. If synthetic dried out seals, why is my oil pump and rear main still dry? I have switched back and forth regularly between both types. Any synthetic made in the last 20 years (or more), is 100% compatible. Only the original synthetic oil wasn't compatible, and caused problems.

UriahRR · Post by **UriahRR** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 9:17 pm

Mobil 1 full synthetic. My engine eats it like a mofo.

With almost 115,000 on the clock, 2.4 here I come.

iThane · Post by **iThane** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 12:34 am

esfan - they ended up putting some other kind of oil in the car that i can't
really even remember. i went to Fabulous Freddie's this time and i got
much better service than when i went to Jiffy Lube. they didn't give me a
choice of oil though.. they just said my car was done.. and i asked them
what they used.. and they said something shell, or shell something? i
couldn't really understand the dude cuz he had pizza in his mouth..

Danteneon - as if my car doesn't have enough "build-in audible reminders"

its more of a brown color.. and it stops about 3/4 up the way. i'll post a pic

Paul - i just got the oil changed today, and i marked it on the calender.
im going to check my oil each and every sunday before i go to work to
record the levels. thanks for the advice and i'll keep it updated!

glasswars - well, if its only $5... and you say it works... if i still have to
add oil because its burning enough to require a refill before 3k, i might
as well just leave it out since a bottle of oil costs me just $5 anyways.

occasional demons - your making my brain hurt.. how come your not
out there inventing new cars? bring the neon back!

Uri - im close behind you

every time i see an srt4, i crack the window so i can hear the bov's. i
swear some of em sound like they're going "pshhhhhhh-I-KNOW-YOU-WANT-ME-hhhhhh"

Vipercar93 · Post by **Vipercar93** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 5:37 am

occasional demons wrote:
Vipercar93 wrote:
If you switch to full synth cold turkey you can run into leaking seal problems and actually increase oil consumption, especially on older engines. But this depends on which synthetic you go with. If you switch to an ester synthetic though you shouldn't run into this problem. I think redline is an ester. It's a polysythetic that can dry out seals on older engines.
Synthetic oil does not dry out seals. The molecules are smaller, so it just finds leaks that already exist. Any synthetic oil will only make oil "consumption" worse. You are literally pouring $ out the tailpipe, or on the ground. Mine used far more oil with synthetic vs conventional when it was leaking Valve seals will dump quite a bit out the exhaust without smoking. Especially with a cat converter cleaning it up. With a new head, gaskets, and seals, mine has gone from 3 to 4 quarts every 3000 miles to nearly zero. If synthetic dried out seals, why is my oil pump and rear main still dry? I have switched back and forth regularly between both types. Any synthetic made in the last 20 years (or more), is 100% compatible. Only the original synthetic oil wasn't compatible, and caused problems.

Polyalphaolefin oils have a tendency to dry out oil seals as a basestock. This is counteracted by additives and a quality poly oil shouldn't leak around seals until the additives start breaking down with already susceptible seals.

Ester based oils will have a natural tendency to expand seals, sometimes too much so if the manufacturer is not careful but can be counteracted by different additives. Another advantage of ester oils is that it is naturally 'polarized' meaning it will stick to metal parts better. There are additives in poly oil that do the same thing, but almost all additives break down over time and I personally like the idea of having this polarization found in the base stock that doesn't break down by much in it's life since at least 75% of engine wear is during startup.

Please read this thread http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ub ... ost1252272
[/url]

There is nothing wrong with compatibility, my point is merely that there might be a better alternative in esters than the standard poly oil most everyone uses now. Oil manufacturers have spent millions on their oils and any quality oil should be good since the manufacturers spend a great deal of time working with their additives to get the properties we need to keep engines running.

UriahRR · Post by **UriahRR** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 9:45 am

I feel like I'm back in college after reading that. Go away smart man!

iThane · Post by **iThane** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 12:40 pm

UriahRR wrote: I feel like I'm back in college after reading that. Go away smart man!

+1

come on, im on my winter break! and for some reason it feels like
we're just hitting fall...

Post by **occasional demons** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 12:51 pm

Piss off! I don't get a "Winter break" and neither shall you!

May technical mumbo jumbo haunt your dreams!

Vipercar93 · Post by **Vipercar93** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 3:30 pm

'woOoohoOo' slip angles... rebound.... bound.... springrate... clamping force... friction coefficient' 'woOoohoOo'

iThane · Post by **iThane** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 3:58 pm

occasional demons wrote:Piss off! I don't get a "Winter break" and neither shall you!

May technical mumbo jumbo haunt your dreams!

i get two whole weeks.

my friend in college gets a month and a half

Danteneon · Post by **Danteneon** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 4:06 pm

Vipercar93 wrote:'woOoohoOo' slip angles... rebound.... bound.... springrate... clamping force... friction coefficient' 'woOoohoOo'

You forgot "The Dave Point"

esfan · Post by **esfan** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 1:24 am

Jiffy Lube's Shell thing I guess is the Pennzoil which is under the name of Shell. They also use the Pennzoil oil filter as I known.

The majority of my oil lost is due to leaking not burning so I guess I'm good ...

LOL I really don't want to see college stuff like chemistry on here man! Me got 3 weeks break and then more chemistry.

Vipercar93 · Post by **Vipercar93** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 4:16 am

Danteneon wrote:
Vipercar93 wrote:'woOoohoOo' slip angles... rebound.... bound.... springrate... clamping force... friction coefficient' 'woOoohoOo'
You forgot "The Dave Point"

I don't blame you guys, my head hurt for weeks after finding that article when I was researching synthetic oils and which one to put in my car....

Midnight_Rider · Post by **Midnight_Rider** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:14 am

iThane wrote:every time i see an srt4, i crack the window so i can hear the bov's. i
swear some of em sound like they're going "pshhhhhhh-I-KNOW-YOU-WANT-ME-hhhhhh"

That's funny- mine just sounds like Sean saying, "pshhhhhhh-you know this is stupid."

Post by **occasional demons** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 1:15 pm

Vipercar93 wrote:[
I don't blame you guys, my head hurt for weeks after finding that article when I was researching synthetic oils and which one to put in my car....

I don't think it really matters. Heat and age are going to have a greater impact on your seals than the oil type. I have run Mobil One in my '99 XJ since break in, and it now sits at 116,000 miles, and not one leak. I think if the base stock was going to damage the seals, it would have done so after almost 12 years. (I took delivery in 2/1999)

furyman67 · Post by **furyman67** » Wed Dec 29, 2010 5:20 pm

I used Mobile 1 last oil change 3,000 miles ago and my oil level has not dropped since, no burning, no leaks.

Tom