AP1 burns oil, but how much is acceptable?
12-27-2010, 11:48 PM
#11
sounds like your engine need to be rebuilt
My ap1 run perfect and has perfect compression in all 4 cylinders.
it use to burn 1 quart ever 1,000 miles of normal driving.
i installed krankvents and now it burns about 1 quart ever 3000 miles
My ap1 run perfect and has perfect compression in all 4 cylinders.
it use to burn 1 quart ever 1,000 miles of normal driving.
i installed krankvents and now it burns about 1 quart ever 3000 miles
12-28-2010, 08:57 AM
#14
the first amount used seemed excessive, but dropping 2 x marks in 800 miles is totally acceptable. Perhaps the first oil change wasn't filled properly, hence the rapid drop. Two X marks would be about 1/3 quart estimated, so you are well within limits IMO. Adding the 20 w oil didn't help things either, it would make the issue worse IMO.
You are lucky the engine wasnt' damaged in the first interval, you now know to check your oil on a more frequent basis.
If we knew the miles on the engine it might help , like mentioned above by Capo.
Make sure the pcv has been changed within the last 2years, if you are unsure on it's age put a new one in there, it's cheap maintenance. I would also try a different oil, one with a thicker viscosity but still within the recommended range. Some oils do burn less than others. If you have quite a few miles on the car try a high mileage oil for a few oil change intervals, they can help clean things up and work well with seals. Low cost and low effort approach to the issue.
You are lucky the engine wasnt' damaged in the first interval, you now know to check your oil on a more frequent basis.
If we knew the miles on the engine it might help , like mentioned above by Capo.
Make sure the pcv has been changed within the last 2years, if you are unsure on it's age put a new one in there, it's cheap maintenance. I would also try a different oil, one with a thicker viscosity but still within the recommended range. Some oils do burn less than others. If you have quite a few miles on the car try a high mileage oil for a few oil change intervals, they can help clean things up and work well with seals. Low cost and low effort approach to the issue.
12-28-2010, 12:37 PM
#15
I would take some more data points. Make sure engine oil level is max or close to it and then go driving while sampling oil level every 100-200 miles (max is at gas fill-up). I recently switched to Amsoil synthetic and have been tracking it's performance. No problems so far. I had a horrible burn rate using Mobil 1 on my 4G63 Galant VR4 before, but that had 160K.
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12-28-2010, 05:42 PM
#17
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Thanks for all the suggestion. My car has 60K miles. I think the first intervals was using Mobile1 synthetic 5W30 which is lower than the spec 10W30 as I found out later. I haven't checked oil at all during first interval as I don't know s2000 maintenance. Now I am sure checking it like every gas fillup. I would look up the pcv suggestion too.
For those that suggest to rebuild the engine, is the engine going to get worse if I don't rebuild it? It's too expensive for me to rebuild the engine and I would rather let go of this fun car.
For those that suggest to rebuild the engine, is the engine going to get worse if I don't rebuild it? It's too expensive for me to rebuild the engine and I would rather let go of this fun car.
12-28-2010, 05:48 PM
#19
ummm burning oil s common in these cars but only at a certain extent. I would get an oil change with something other than mobil 1 and see if it burns any then before you sell the car.
if the motor is running ok than i would imagine that everything is fine it just burns a little more than others.
Driving two quarts low is not good but I don't think any damage was done to your motor. its still has enough to keep the motor lubricated and cooled just dont let it happen again haha
I had a 5gen prelude with an h22 and it burned oil like crazy even though i took care of it.
if the motor is running ok than i would imagine that everything is fine it just burns a little more than others.
Driving two quarts low is not good but I don't think any damage was done to your motor. its still has enough to keep the motor lubricated and cooled just dont let it happen again haha
I had a 5gen prelude with an h22 and it burned oil like crazy even though i took care of it.
12-28-2010, 06:35 PM
#20
I'm not so sure you are burning excessive oil, so don't panic just yet. What part of the country do you live in ?, it would be good to know the climate you drive in mostly.
If it was my car I'd run a couple short runs of a high mileage 10w30 oil, something like Valvoline, Castrol, Penzoil, they all have a high mileage oil in their lineup. I would run a couple of short runs for 2000 miles each, you could probably get away without changing the oil filter between the runs to reduce costs. The high mileage oil will clean up the engine, as you don't know how it was treated in the past, and it helps to treat the engine seals, which can help to reduce oil seepage. Also check or replace the pcv valve. After the two cleaning runs, if you can afford to run Amsoil try their 10w30 weight and see how it goes. You might also consider Castrol 0w30 German made Syntec, or any good quality conventional oil such as Penzoil, Havoline, Castrol to name a few in 10w30 weights.
Start measuring the oil consumption regularly and track the miles as accurately as you can. If you use up to 1 quart per 1000 miles you will be in the acceptable range, and nothing is really wrong with your engine. If you approach 1.5 - 2 quarts per 1000 miles you might be in the poor consumption range and you'll have to make a decision at that time. It doesn't mean your consumption will continue to get worse and it doesn't mean your engine will suffer due to it. You could drive it like that for many years without issues. I don't think you will get that bad though based on your last measurement.
* Note: Please keep in mind that there is a built in error reading on all S2K oil dipsticks. One side of the dipstick will always read lower than the other side, by about 2x or more. Always go by the lower reading on the dipstick, always check both sides for the reading and go by the lower reading as it will be the more accurate level every time. The dipstick error may explain some of your earlier issues if you weren't reading it correctly.
good luck.
If it was my car I'd run a couple short runs of a high mileage 10w30 oil, something like Valvoline, Castrol, Penzoil, they all have a high mileage oil in their lineup. I would run a couple of short runs for 2000 miles each, you could probably get away without changing the oil filter between the runs to reduce costs. The high mileage oil will clean up the engine, as you don't know how it was treated in the past, and it helps to treat the engine seals, which can help to reduce oil seepage. Also check or replace the pcv valve. After the two cleaning runs, if you can afford to run Amsoil try their 10w30 weight and see how it goes. You might also consider Castrol 0w30 German made Syntec, or any good quality conventional oil such as Penzoil, Havoline, Castrol to name a few in 10w30 weights.
Start measuring the oil consumption regularly and track the miles as accurately as you can. If you use up to 1 quart per 1000 miles you will be in the acceptable range, and nothing is really wrong with your engine. If you approach 1.5 - 2 quarts per 1000 miles you might be in the poor consumption range and you'll have to make a decision at that time. It doesn't mean your consumption will continue to get worse and it doesn't mean your engine will suffer due to it. You could drive it like that for many years without issues. I don't think you will get that bad though based on your last measurement.
* Note: Please keep in mind that there is a built in error reading on all S2K oil dipsticks. One side of the dipstick will always read lower than the other side, by about 2x or more. Always go by the lower reading on the dipstick, always check both sides for the reading and go by the lower reading as it will be the more accurate level every time. The dipstick error may explain some of your earlier issues if you weren't reading it correctly.
good luck.