oil consumption

[notimprezed]

3.5L 135,000mi is burning 1qt oil about every 800mi. current oil mobil 1 10w30. anybody got an idea how to slow this down some? its always burned oil but now its getting excessive. maybe and additive like restore or something would help. anyone have any luck with stuff like that? Im thinking about switching back to conventional to avoid paying $8 a qt every 3 gas fillups. also thinking a heavier weight since I live in socal. thoughts?

[dizzle1]

How do you drive? These Northstar Shortstar engines consume oil if their grannied like the old folks in florida driving cadillac deville's. The cylinder walls get coated with oil and oil probably moves up and burns out the exhuast. So we drive it hard maybe redline it to clean it up I say at least once or twice every 3 days of driving. It should not affect the engine at all the LX5 will beg to be revved. I have 92k and add less than 1 quart every oil change 3,000 miles. But I hit redline almost everyday its like a habit. Does your oil pan leak how about your headgasket and valve covers.

[dtownfb]

These engines burn oil. I lose about quart every 1500 miles. Although this oil change seems to be a quart every 2500 miles. Not sure if the mechanic did anything different but I will be goin back there.

You can try Restore. I did and did not notice much of a difference. Take a look at the PCV (under the cover right in front of the engine) and makes sure it is on tight. I would switch to conventional oil simply because it is cheaper. I use Walmart brand oiil for adding oil in between changes. It's $7.98 for a five quart jug. From what I have read, it is pretty good quality oil.

[phewop118]

My Intrigue usually burns 1/2-1 quart of oil between oil changes, which are usually every 5-6K miles. I did have a few times where it didn't consume enough to trip the low oil light. I use 5w-30 as directed, but I use Mobil 1 extended performance.

[Rolm]

I will suggest to get away from the Mobile 1 oil, switch back to 10-40 or one on the Hi-milage oils that should slow the oil burning.

As a side note I had a car with the rear oil seal leak. If I used any store brand oil the rear seal would leak if I used a name brand oil the leak stoped. It seems they don't add all the aditives in store brand oils. Oh yes don't waste your money on all that crap that promises to stop oil burning and oil leaks. Just accept the fact that your engine is getting old and it will burn and leak oil.

[dtownfb]

And also save a bunch of money.

[Jimmy Olsen]

Don't waste your money on Mobil one on an engine that has 135k miles. Buy the cheapest SM 10-30W oil and use that. Also, take the car up to 6k rpm in 2nd gear and hold it there for a few seconds. Then take your foot off the gas pedal and let the engine go back down to 3k rpm on its own. That will free up any frozen oil control rings.

[Terminator840]

My oil consumption problem is worse than anybody else has posted here. When it was normal I'd have to add a quart of oil somewhere between oil changes. Now over this summer, its gradually gotten worse and now I am up to a quart every week or two. Of course my Intrigue has the 3.5L DOHC "Shortstar" engine, with a little over 100K miles on it. I've been using Quaker State High Mileage Oil 10W/30 I have no oil leaks, and when I step down on the first couple of times there is usually is a lot of black smoke sut that comes out of the exhaust. I like to keep my chrome exhaust tips clean and shiney but it doesn't take long for the lower half of the tips to turn black.

The only thing I haven't checked is the PCV valve.

[Rolm]

Originally Posted by Terminator840

My oil consumption problem is worse than anybody else has posted here. When it was normal I'd have to add a quart of oil somewhere between oil changes. Now over this summer, its gradually gotten worse and now I am up to a quart every week or two. Of course my Intrigue has the 3.5L DOHC "Shortstar" engine, with a little over 100K miles on it. I've been using Quaker State High Mileage Oil 10W/30 I have no oil leaks, and when I step down on the first couple of times there is usually is a lot of black smoke sut that comes out of the exhaust. I like to keep my chrome exhaust tips clean and shiney but it doesn't take long for the lower half of the tips to turn black.

The only thing I haven't checked is the PCV valve.

With that engine you would not pass the clean air test here in Toronto and if a cop felt like doing his job he can pull you over and take the car off the road till it's fixed. It looks like it's time for a new car or an engine swap.

[Jimmy Olsen]

Follow up on my advice for freeing the oil control rings.

[notimprezed]

I changed over to penzoil HM 10w40. Ill try and do the oil control rings thing soon as well. I'm just waiting for the right time since it will run about 80 at redline and freeing up oil control rings will just make the officer laugh.

[maxwedge]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Olsen

Follow up on my advice for freeing the oil control rings.

Explain how this works, never heard of this technique.

[Jimmy Olsen]

Originally Posted by maxwedge

Explain how this works, never heard of this technique.

Supposely, the sudden engine braking at high rpm's causes enough vibration to the oil control rings that they break free from whatever is preventing them from expanding as they are designed to. Don't know if it is true or not but got it from a cadillac northstar forum. I have read that the northstar engines like to be driven hard so there might be some true to it.

The only time my Intrigue didn't use oil was when the oil change place put in about 7.5 quarts. I drove the car at high speed (75 to 80 with some places 85 to 90) from Eastern Oklahoma to San Diego, then up to Las Vegas, and then back to Oklahoma. I checked the oil during the trip and the level never changed. Usually, by the first 800 miles I need to add a quart. During a 3000 mile trip like that it would normally use 2 quarts.

BTW, the oil change place is owned by a guy who races cars and is familar with northstar engines.

[maxwedge]

Extreme engine loads could free up the rings as the high cylinder pressures work into the lands behind the rings and may free them , same issue with " lazy" driven Corvettes, but the decel issue does not apply, only that you will accelerate back up from that manuever.