burning oil

i got a 1997 saturn sc2 and I just found out that it is losing oil. I just changed the oil and then I drove it for 3 weeks and got around 350 km on it when i found out that that the oil level in the dipstick is almost 1/2". I suspect that it is burning oil since I can see black residue in the exhaust. Is my poor acceleration related to this oil burning problem? How can I correct this?

I just changed the ECTS, spark plugs, air filter, spark plug wires, clean the fuel injectors, flush the coolant and changed the fuel filter. The acceleration improved a bit after all of this but still the car is slow compared to normal

You have low compression due to bad rings, or messed up pistons, and also that's the reason why your car burns oil. So you can get an overhaul, buy a new engine, or get a new car.

I would recommend you do a compression check, to see if all cylinders are normal, or if one is bad, or if they are all uniformly low. If they are all low, its possible your timing has slipped one tooth on the camshaft pulley. When you do the compression check, you can do it with 'dry' pistons - and then do it again with 'wet' pistons. This means squirting 2 or 3 shots of motor oil from a hand operated oiler. If the compression reading is the same, then your rings are probably okay. If the compression reading is higher with the oil in there, its usually a sign of bad piston rings.

thanks denison. i just had a few question. this timing slipping by one tooth that your talking about, is this the main reason why my car is sluggish and burning too much oil? do you have any idea how much will this repair entirely cost in the market as of now? is this problem still worth repairing because I already put too much money in this beater car and I'm trying to make a final decision on it. hope anybody can enlighten me on this one.


I would recommend you do a compression check, to see if all cylinders are normal, or if one is bad, or if they are all uniformly low. If they are all low, its possible your timing has slipped one tooth on the camshaft pulley. When you do the compression check, you can do it with 'dry' pistons - and then do it again with 'wet' pistons. This means squirting 2 or 3 shots of motor oil from a hand operated oiler. If the compression reading is the same, then your rings are probably okay. If the compression reading is higher with the oil in there, its usually a sign of bad piston rings.

-IF- the timing chain had slipped - it would have nothing to do with the car burning oil Thats a well known Saturn issue, just poke around on this forum and you will see its a recurring topic. A slipped timing chain is one reason for low compression, and lack of power, not the only one. But if the chain slipped one tooth, it will soon slip more. And Saturns are inteference engines. As the camshaft stops turning because the chain let go, the pistons come up and bend the valves.
If your Saturn is using a liter of oil each 700km - thats not an uncommon rate of consumption. I would advise using a 10w 30 oil to lower your oil consumption, but only in the summer time. Where you live winters are Real! (In the winter I live in Texas, 8 miles north of Mexico).
And Im the wrong guy to ask about the economics of putting money into older cars. I do all of my own work, my daily driver is 20 years old, my motorcycle is a 1968, my favorite car is a 1932.

You could try doing a Marvel Mystery Oil piston soak. The oil control rings get gummed up and the MMO usually frees them up. Pull the plugs with engine COLD and then put a couple table spoons of MMO down each plug hole and let it sit a good while. Overnight or more. Don't put too much! When you start it up after the soak, it will smoke like crazy for a few minutes. Don't me alarmed. This is a common procedure with Saturns. Hopefully, it will work to lower your oil consumption.

You have low compression due to bad rings, or messed up pistons, and also that's the reason why your car burns oil. So you can get an overhaul, buy a new engine, or get a new car.

Hey I've got a 96 SW1 and I'm having the same exact problem - my car is burning oil and I've already changed the plugs and wires, changed the fuel filter, flushed out radiator, new upper radiator hose, changed the TPS sensor and changed the ECTS sensor. What all do you do for an engine overhaul and how much would something like that cost? I ask this not because I'm in love with my Saturn wagon or anything but I can't afford anything else right now. (I sadly came to the conclusion of that fact)

An engine overhaul is a lot of work to a lot of people. Most people stop half way through an overhaul and realize that it's not worth the labor. An overhaul consists of rebuilding everything that is bad with the engine. Getting new pistons, rings, connecting rods, crankshaft, camshaft, valves, ect... but that's only if those parts are bad. If you are burning oil it's most likely the rings or valves. I can't really give a price on how much an overhaul would cost, but it's definitely not inexpensive. A lot of people say that getting a remanufactured engine is cheaper. Or you can get a compression test and see how bad your car really is. I think the spec is around 185 and my saturn had 95, 97, 113, and 114, and I tested my saturn about 8 months ago, and it still runs, so you never know.

Getting a rebuilt cylinder head costs only 400 or so and that is a good chunk of the overhaul process. An overhaul gasket kit runs at 100 and that replaces every single gasket on the engine. Bearings, rings, crankshaft, and the block is pretty much left after the head, assuming it even needs work. Its the shop labor that really kills people on engine overhaul costs. I paid a grand just to have a new head put on along with the gaskets.

what's the common symptoms of the slipped timing chain? How will I know easily that it is the problem of my car? I just wanna make sure before I sent it to the shop for repairs. Is there a way for me to diagnose the problem? I don't want to commit to spending a lot of cash then again its the wrong diagnosis and still my car is not fixed.

So far the symptoms that I got are the car is sluggish, its losing oil with no evident leaks besides the black residue at the end of my exhaust, and everytime i step on the brakes the engine revs having a high rpm.


-IF- the timing chain had slipped - it would have nothing to do with the car burning oil Thats a well known Saturn issue, just poke around on this forum and you will see its a recurring topic. A slipped timing chain is one reason for low compression, and lack of power, not the only one. But if the chain slipped one tooth, it will soon slip more. And Saturns are inteference engines. As the camshaft stops turning because the chain let go, the pistons come up and bend the valves.
If your Saturn is using a liter of oil each 700km - thats not an uncommon rate of consumption. I would advise using a 10w 30 oil to lower your oil consumption, but only in the summer time. Where you live winters are Real! (In the winter I live in Texas, 8 miles north of Mexico).
And Im the wrong guy to ask about the economics of putting money into older cars. I do all of my own work, my daily driver is 20 years old, my motorcycle is a 1968, my favorite car is a 1932.

pandak:
If your engine revs up high when you step on the brake, you might have a leaking brake vacuum booster. Even if your idle air control valve was stuck, putting on the brakes would not increase the rpm more than a couple of hundred rpm, and only for a couple of seconds. You might want to check on the vacuum at the brake booster. If there is a leak in the booster, get that fixed and see if you car is still sluggish.
It would still be burning just as much motor oil though.

I would not even think of a rebuild now. Just keep checking the oil at every fillup, or more often if necessary.
The MMO soak may take a few applications to free up the oil passage rings. A compression test will not show a problem with these rings, just the compression rings. Mine read 190-185, and burns oil like crazy.
Another cause is the valve seals. They are in the head, and not expensive at all.
No power could be a clogged catylitic converter. Temporarily unplug the oxygen sensor at the front of the exhaust manifold & see if it drives any better.
Are you positive that you replaced the correct ECTS? I screwed that one up, and found the correct one was under the radiator hose on the head. Runs like a champ now.

pandak:
If your engine revs up high when you step on the brake, you might have a leaking brake vacuum booster. Even if your idle air control valve was stuck, putting on the brakes would not increase the rpm more than a couple of hundred rpm, and only for a couple of seconds. You might want to check on the vacuum at the brake booster. If there is a leak in the booster, get that fixed and see if you car is still sluggish.
It would still be burning just as much motor oil though.

i had the chance to pull-out the car history from a saturn dealer and it says their "Supplied estimate re-timing set gear, plunger worn and starting to rattle against case." If this refers to a slipped timing chain then denison is right. My mechanic quoted me $900 to fix the slipped timing chain issue. Since you've said that a slipped timing chain will most likely screw up some of the parts of the engine like the valves, is it advisable for me to go on with the repairs or just drive the car until it stops on me? By the way, do you have any idea what that plunger is?

I'm pretty much sure that the lost in power is not caused by the catalytic converter because I had that tested too. Also, 100% sure that I got the right ECTS.

If your Saturn still starts and you can drive it around, then the timing chain hasnt slipped to the extent to damage the head or valves or pistons yet. Since repairs will get a lot more expensive if the chain slips or breaks - it sounds like a good time to the the chain fixed; assuming you plan to keep the car. Unfortunately the engine will still be burning oil like it does now. Any Saturn engine you get from a junkyard is likely to also be burning oil. For a Saturn engine from a junkyard, I would -expect- to need to open it up and replace the worn parts.
I think the 'plunger' mentioned is the timing chain tensioner. It uses engine oil pressure ported into a tiny cylinder, pushing on a round plunger to exert force against the free end of the timing chain guide. The guide (it pivots) is on the side of the chain that is 'slack', and is pushed forward to keep the chain snug. In addition to oil pressure, the plunger has a ratchet so the action of the timing chain wont depress the plunger all the way back-in when the engine is being started and there is no oil pressure to speak of. I had to replace that tensioner/plunger on mine, because it was stuck, and wasnt taking up the slack. It needs to do this because the timing chain will continue to slowly stretch with more miles/kilometers.
If I was getting 400 miles to a quart of oil, I would not bother to rebuild the engine (with new piston rings and maybe a valve job on the head), even though I do my own work and dont have to pay for labor charges. Its still a lot of work. I would just keep adding oil and changing it regularly. I recently did a re-ring job on our 92 Saturn SL2, with new piston rings, new bearings, and a new timing chain tensioner, but not doing anything to the engine head. The parts cost me $548 USD, and it took me a leisurely 3 weeks.