Burning Oil?

I've noticed that every 100 - 200 miles my maro seems to be about a half quart of oil short! It smokes SLIGHTLY when starting it up, and only for a second or two. I haven't noticed smoke from the exhaust otherwise. There is no antifreeze in the oil, or vice versa.

I check the oil every time before I drive it, and it's dissappearing a little at a time because I haven't noticed it when I check it. It's not leaking from the oil pan, The bottom of the engine is grimy, but I don't think it's totally covered with oil. There is a tube with a metal thing in it that comes out of the passenger side valve cover and goes someplace by the back of the carb / distributor / air cleaner, that occaisonally comes loose and falls out, but it hasn't done it lately so I know that's not the cause either.

Engine is a 454, with god only knows what modifications.... Anyone know if they burn oil???? I remember hearing someplace that SOME oil consumption is normal, but a half quart every couple hundred miles? Seems a little much to me.

Sorry for being off topic, but is that 454 in that camaro in your sig? If it is, thats frickin bad ass!!!

sounds like you need new valve seals, if it smokes a little when you first start it then it's fine after that. they're pretty cheap to have done.

Yep, 454 is in the sig pic. :smokin: I knew it would be expensive to run, but christ man,:headshake Sunoco LOVES me. :bananasmi

i had that problem on another car i had. The oil pan was a little wet with oil too, so i tightened all the oil pan bolts and the problem went away.

Thanks Geno, I planned on going through the entire car tightening up every bolt & fastner I can reach when I get a chance. I didn't think about doing that on the engine stuff though. Only problem is... Do ALL engine bolts, etc need to be torqued or can I just go and crank 'em down? If they need to be torqued, I would have to find out the values for the specific motor I have right? Or are they all the same? :dunno:

i would say torque specs on a car that came stock with a 454 would be ok, might wanna PM rob about it tho. he'd know better than I would.