WTF is happening to my oil??

[accidentprone86]

K so about 2k miles ago i changed to full synthetic.
I have a rear main seal leak also not to bad.
So after about a month my check oil light comes on so i check it and it needed two quarts!
Now about a month later it comes on agine and needs another quart or two.
What the hell is happening to my oil It cant leak two quartes a month can it?
Also thier is residue on my exhaust tips, like it is getting thrown out the exhaust.

Little help please.

 

[Michael Yount]

Seems you're in big time denial - your car is burning oil at a high rate. Rings, valve guides, seals contribute to this. Sounds like it's in need of a rebuild. I had an old 55 Chevy that burned so much the tail pipes were wet. It had 2 out 6 pistons with broken rings. I'd drive it til the oil light came on, throw 3 qts. in and drive on. Unless you're leaking a lot more than you think you are ..... it's rebuild time. For sure, switch back to regular oil. No since wasting all that money on synthetic.

 

[70lightning]

I have a main seal leak on my truck, id dosen't seem bad, but it will use a quart in three weeks, and I know the engine dosen't use oil any where else.

 

[GT89Mustang]

Yea it could use that much in two weeks, one thing that you could check in the rubber gromet that seals the oil temp sensor. I just found that problem on mine today, probably not the problem because i dont think it could drain that much oil but it worth looking into.

 

[QuickCapri83]

If you're burning 2 quarts per month, you will no doubt SEE evidence of it. That is alot of oil consumption, if you cant afford a rebuild, put Lucas Inc. oil stabilizer in it, its thick, will help prolong it, but if i were u i'd just buy cheap ass oil and run it till it dies, since its gonna need a rebuild anyway. Usually a car that burns that much oil will smoke a bit. My old stang had a rear seal leak, and when i'd go on the highway i'd see smoke, oil burnin off my tranny/exhaust its gets blown all over the place. I put lucas in it, 2 bottles, with cheap 1.15$ per quart penzoil oil(good oil tho no doubt) and ran it an additional 14000 before eventually blowing it up(badly), i split the crank down the middle racing it, had no oil in it

 

[accidentprone86]

i guess you could say i am in denial about it needing a rebuild. but the exhaust is not blue with smoke and it did not use oil when i had conventinal in it; only since i have changed to full synthetic.

 

[QuickCapri83]

I cant say for sure, but i've heard nightmare stories about different kinds of cars having problems switching to synthetic with high mileage. I, myself, switched over to sythetic with my first stang, at 115k, and my present car, the capri, with my old engine, i used synthetic at about 130k, and I now use a blend in my motor, which has about 11k on it. Point is, I personally havent had problems with my fords/mercurys. But I have heard very bad things with other vehicles, esp when you try to switch back from syn.

 

[QuickCapri83]

If what you say is exactly true, i recomend you remove that oil, flush the engine, and run a good conventional oil in it, if you have'nt put alot of mileage on it since putting in the synthetic ie about 5k.

 

[HISSIN50]

yep - it sounds like you answered your own question (like others are saying as well).
some cars do burn synthetic more than conventional (dino) oil. if dino worked, switch back.

good luck.

 

[Aliate X]

why is it bad to go from synthetic to normal?

Im assuming the 15-40 etc. is synthetic?

 

[Labora]

Synthetic has alot of detergents. So it cleans all the old sludge/build up oil out. And bam you get new oil leaks switch back and if your lucky no more problems. (sounds unlikely thou *shrug*)

 

[accidentprone86]

well i plan on switching back and if it fs things up i guess i have an excuss for a built 306, huh?
I would like to know that why it is throwing it out the exhaust. my dad says it is coming up out of the valve guides or something like that.

 

[Michael Yount]

Have someone follow along behind you while you accelerate hard in 2nd or 3rd gear - up to about 5000 rpm or so, and then let completely off the gas while in gear. If it smokes blue on acceleration it's getting past the rings. If it smokes blue on deceleration, it's probably getting past the valve seals/guides.

 

[fox racer]

how about that restore stuff... my car seems to have a little white smoke at idle and when i rev it but no much when im driving it... will the stuff help any? i have brand new heads and the cylinders looked fine when i didt the headswap so i hope its not that. i have drivin it much, only once, maybe im still burning stuff off?

 

[89white50]

Have someone follow along behind you while you accelerate hard in 2nd or 3rd gear - up to about 5000 rpm or so, and then let completely off the gas while in gear. If it smokes blue on acceleration it's getting past the rings. If it smokes blue on deceleration, it's probably getting past the valve seals/guides.QUOTE]


That again Micheal for figuring out my problem. I had been thinking about this. My car burns about a quart every 2k. BUt i never see any smoke out the tail pipes though there is some residue. Last week i accelerated in first then let completely off the gas kept it in first. This is when i saw some blue smoke. Its great to know its not the rings. I put new main and rod bearings in last summer, and every gasket/seal in the motor is new, except for heads. The walls and pistons looked great(only 120k on bottom end b4). To know its mainly the heads and not rings is good, since i am doing an HCI in june/july, which should take care of a large part of this right? You da man

 

[Aliate X]

I was standing behind my car the other day when my friend started it up and he revved it, it hesitated for a sec b/c it was cold then a puff of blue smoke came out, is that oil burning right there? Or just because its cold?

 

[Michael Yount]

Aliate - blue smoke=oil burning; black/gray smoke = rich mixture; heavy condensation or steam (sometimes incorrectly called 'white smoke') = water vapor; could be normal on cold start up, could be coolant leaking into the cylinders (head gasket, cracked component, leaking intake or egr spacer)

 

[Aliate X]

Well I guess my rings are phuxord then lol.

 

[Michael Yount]

How much oil does it consume between changes?

A better test is to have someone follow you - see my post a little further up the thread....

 

[Aliate X]

How much oil does it consume between changes?

A better test is to have someone follow you - see my post a little further up the thread....

Yeah I saw that, Im gonna have to try that out on my next day off. It kills a lot of oil, about 2 quarts every 2-3 weeks. Im not sure if Im using synthetic, is synthetic 10w-40 or w/e it is? Im running that high milage oil, I forget who makes it, I have a case of it in my car, lol.