marehaven

I just took my '94 Towncar in to my mechanic. In the last month I have added 4 qts of oil to it. I have had the car a year ..... previous owner was a retired school teacher who bought it new and put 75,000 on it.
My mechanic says rings are shot so needs new engine.
I am a woman who knows squat about cars, but am always willing to try to research my options. Since the car runs like a top ....... I am thinking it must have an oil pump or something that we should check first. It is not leaking oil on the driveway and I have not noticed anything out of the tailpipe.

jtmerritt

Probably a combination of rings and valve guides leaking oil into the combustion chamber to be burned. 4 qts of oil a month is a lot assuming you are driving an average number of miles. With the catalytic converter most of the time you won't see the oil burning coming out of the tailpipe so that isn't a good indicator. However, heavy oil burning will eventually ruin the catalytic converter if it hasn't already. 75K miles and needing rings is unusual but depending on how the retried school teacher drove the car and maintained it may have a lot to do with the problem. Get a second opinion and then go from there. An oil pump will not cause high use of oil unless it is leaking and since there is no visible evidence of an oil leak then it must be getting burned.

John

marehaven

John ........
She took immaculate care of this car and had oil changed regularily. I drive it 20 miles per day to and from work and scoot around in it on weekends. It is not driven hard and was not causing any problems prior to this. Would not have known anything was wrong if the light had not come on.
Rings and valves, you say ....... isn't that an engine overhaul?

jtmerritt

Yes rings and valves are pretty much a rebuild of the engine. 75K just doesn't make sense for high oil usage when the car has been treated as well as it has. 4 qts of oil in 1000 miles is very high, basically an oil change. These engines are usually good for at least 150K miles before they show the early indications of any oil usage. Are you absolutely sure you are not seeing any oil on the ground at all? Park the car over some cardboard when you park it for the night and see if you get any oil leaks. Have you had the oil and filter changed since you noticed the high oil usage?

John

jtmerritt

I forgot to ask. How did your mechanic determine that the engine needed a new set of rings?

John

marehaven

Nope ........ he said it need a new engine and transmission. $5000 worth. Is there a "sucker" sign on my forehead? I may be a woman, but I still think the problem is not that severe. I have no problems with power or compression or anything noticeable.

jtmerritt

Have you had the oil and filter changed since you noticed the oil usage problem? Again, based on what did he determine the need for a new engine and transmission? This may sound like a dumb question but do you have reason to trust this guy? Is he your regular mechanic and has he been reliable and fair in the past? Does he have a good reputation?

John

marehaven

I am in a small town and this guy is pretty reliable. He has an oil change shop and does not do this kind of repair. In fact, after putting two quarts of oil in it last night and driving 30 miles ..... the dipstick was dry this morning when he went to change my oil. I went in for an early oil change and to see what his opinion was of the situation. I have an appointment with the guy who normally does auto repair for me next week.
Somebody suggested I take it in to an AutoZone and have them put a computer on it. Does this older car have a computer in it?

Towncar

Yep. It's OBDi compliant... it won't tell you much unless you've seen the CEL (check engine light) lit up on the dash panel.

I'm kinda with the other posters on this one...

The Town Cars are prone to Valve Guide SEALS drying out, cracking and leaking oil into the combustion chambers..

However, sucking two qts in 30 miles.. (did I read that right) you should definately see smoke from the exhaust pipes while accellerating.
Rings at 75k miles? I'm not going along with that one...

__________________
-Steven
1996 Town Car, Cartier

marehaven

Is that a big deal like redoing the engine?

Towncar

Let's wait to see what you get for a 2nd opinion next week.. Basically you have to remove the valve covers, get the cams out of the way, pull each valve spring, replace the seal under the spring, and put it all back together.

Valve Stem Seals are very cheap for a complete set, it's the labor that'll kill you.
Figure about $45/hr for 6 hours. Some shops changes a flat rate for a job.. so they may look at the big chart >> Valve stem seal replace = $500...

Have a look >> here << , you'll get a pretty good idea what they look like and where they fit.

__________________
-Steven
1996 Town Car, Cartier

marehaven

Is it driveable if I keep oil in it??
Again ..... thanks for the info you guys are giving me

marehaven

Steven .....
Thanks for the link ... found it interesting. Would I be smelling hot oil with this problem ... seems like I should ...... but have not noticed it.
Kim

Towncar

You would smell oil if it's leaking onto the engine, then burning off. Otherwise you won't smell a thing.

When you drive, and accellerate hard for a small duration, say 20mph to 60mph with it floored... do you leave a smoke trail behind you?

Yes, you can drive if you keep oil in her... just don't run out

__________________
-Steven
1996 Town Car, Cartier

marehaven

I forgot to add this part ..... the oil light would come on when starting the car and stay on for a minute or so until I drove it. It has never stayed on constantly to indicate low oil. It was like it came on until oil started really moving around inside there.
Just gunned it in the driveway and no black smoke. Will take it for a spiz later and see if it smokes when I accelerate hard.