Oil burning?

[mad frog]

Hi, I have quite a bit of a concern with my '03 oil consumption:
At 58000 miles,It seems to be increasing alarmingly; to the point it looks like a quart is gone in less than 1000 miles.
I did a compression check a few times, and the numbers consistently read the same: 230,230,235 and 230. Besides, when I do a cold check, the reading on the dipstick is much lower than a warm check, by as much as half an "X".
What gives? I am considering performing a leakdown test, but is that necessary, given the healthy compression number? I don't know where else to look. :think:
Thanks for your input.

[s2keepup]

wow that sux!
Have you noticed any oil spots anywhere in the engine bay?
What was its consumption before?

[repiv]

Those compression numbers look pretty good, but that doesn't mean you don't have a problem. If you have good oil film strength, you can still get good compression numbers, but still be subjected to undesirable "blow by".
Also, a difference of 1/2 an "X" from cold to warm check is nothing. You can typically see as much as 2 "X" difference - higher when cold. You are better to check oil when hot, but the best is when cold. When warm, oil is trapped in the upper parts of the engine and doesn't flow back down into the pan very efficiently. The difference you see is of no concern.

How often do you drive in the upper rpm band? Do you VTEC from one stop to the next? Frequent forays into VTEC will generally use a lot of oil. However, having said that, a car of your mileage that consumes 1 qt. in less than 1000 miles is getting to the point of being excessive, especially if you don't VTEC all the time. In such a case, getting a ring job and new liners may be the only alternative.

As a side note, what kind and viscosity of oil do you use?

[mad frog]

I used about 1 qt between oil changes give or take, when I got the car. And yes, I VTEC quite often; on that ,I noticed that the cam transition seemed quite smooth, not as noticeable as before; but I thout it was my imagination.
I use Castrol GTX 10W30; but the dealer put 5W30 at the last oil change.
As far as the reading goes, the oil level reads lower when cold than hot. I noticed it several times.
And there is no visible oil anywhere in the engine bay.
Just in case, do you know, Michele a good s2000 mechanic around? Because I don't trust the Honda dealers at all around here!

[repiv]

I used about 1 qt between oil changes give or take, when I got the car. And yes, I VTEC quite often; on that ,I noticed that the cam transition seemed quite smooth, not as noticeable as before; but I thout it was my imagination.
I use Castrol GTX 10W30; but the dealer put 5W30 at the last oil change.
As far as the reading goes, the oil level reads lower when cold than hot. I noticed it several times.
And there is no visible oil anywhere in the engine bay.
Just in case, do you know, Michele a good s2000 mechanic around? Because I don't trust the Honda dealers at all around here!

Please, some clarification. You seem to have posted some ambiguous information .............
Originally, you said you use 1qt in less than 1000 miles. In this latest post, you now say you use about 1qt between oil changes. This doesn't mean much without knowing what your mile interval is between oil changes.

We tend to "get used to" the VTEC transition the more we drive the car, so this is most likely due to "perception" and not necessarily anything mechanical.

5W30 isn't really the correct oil to put in the car, but this in itself, is not a big issue. Since you say you VTEC a lot, a 5W30 oil will still be quite thin even when the coolant temp will allow you to VTEC. You're probably burning through more oil between the onset of "3 bars" and full operating temp.

I read your statement about oil level difference between cold and warm, incorrectly. Yes, it is odd that you should see lower oil level when cold. It should be the opposite way around. However, even still, a 1/2 "X" difference here is still nothing to take note of. Reading a dipstick is one of the most commonly done things on a car, but has been known to be one of the most incorrectly done things. Always do you dipstick readings in the same parking place so you are not affecting the level due to differences in inclination (level ground) of the car. If you are going to check it cold, then do so first thing in the morning before starting the engine. If you going to check it any other time, do it only after the oil has reached full operating temps. Stop it in the same place you always check the oil, shut off the engine, pull out the dipstick and wipe it, wait 3 to 5 minutes before putting the dipstick back in, pull it out and take a reading. Do it the same way every time.

[Goku]

1000miles to 1qt is still in the safe zone. Especaly if your vtecing a lot. I have a 02 that would burn that much all the time till I switched to synthic. May I recomend Mobil 1 full synth 10-30. Dont read to far in to this kinda oil loss it is with in the safe zone.

Also you are causing your own drama with your oil reading habits. ALWAYS check your oil at the same time. Weather its hot or cold. Dont do both then wonder why the readings are different. Also keep in mind that this dip stick runs down the head and into the pan. Oil will drain down that hole as well when the car has been running and give you a incosenstant reading.

[Goku]

:thumbup: repiv beat me to it. Always always always check your oil at the same time place and car temps to know the correct lv of your oil.

[mad frog]

Please, some clarification. You seem to have posted some ambiguous information .............
Originally, you said you use 1qt in less than 1000 miles. In this latest post, you now say you use about 1qt between oil changes. This doesn't mean much without knowing what your mile interval is between oil changes.


Sorry, I should have specified that the 1qt between oil changes -Which I am doing at about 3500 Miles- was when I purchased the car, at 39000Mi, until pretty recently. I started noticing consumption increase at about 50 K.
I always followed Xviper..eerr Repiv procedures: Usually checking the oil about 5 min. after shutting down the engine for the warm, And in the morning before starting for the cold check. And I always do it in my garage.
God I feel awfully anal for writing all this :rolleyes: !
Anyways, Thank you guys for responding so quick, and maybe I am overreacting; but I definitely noticed an increase. So I am not sure what I should do next: Leakdown test, open the engine-up or screw it and live with it?

[Goku]

you dont need to do anything IMHO. If you see no oil spewing out of the back of the car then dont worry about it. Its only high RPM blow by which is fine for a 9k reving engine. Atleast you know the engine is well oiled...

If you really dont like the oil loss stop using Vtec :D

[repiv]

but I definitely noticed an increase. So I am not sure what I should do next: Leakdown test, open the engine-up or screw it and live with it?

For the time being, you should perhaps consider running the car the way it is. At your present rate of consumption, it is difficult to say if it is a problem with the engine or fairly normal and within the normal range for some AP1 cars or if it was due to the change to 5W30 oil or if it's a combination of the oil and your driving style.
There is no point in doing a leakdown test and there is certainly no need to do anything invasive with the engine till the situation gets more excessive. You say the car runs great and there are no big leaks. Adding a qt. of oil every 1000 miles is not unusual and is by far, much, MUCH cheaper than "opening up the engine".

Next, I would suggest you go back to 10W30 oil that you were using before this time and continue to monitor. Perhaps even consider trying a synthetic. As Goku testified to, some people use less oil when going to synthetic, however, be advised that I have seen it go the other way. Some people have reported going to synthetic and their oil consumption has increased. Should this be the case, don't be alarmed. Again, this is not unheard of.
Where do you operate the car? Do you run it when it's really cold? If not, you might consider finding and using a synthetic 10W40. I would NOT recommend a non-synthetic in this viscosity simply because it would make for a bit too high an oil pressure until the engine is fully warmed up. And since you like to VTEC a lot, this high oil pressure would be a risk for seal breakage. Synthetic has better flow and doesn't quite exert the same sort of pumping resistance. A 10W40 "might" improve your oil consumption immensely, but don't use it if the car is run in the colder seasons.

I also think you should have all of this documented by your Honda dealer. A friend of mine went through a similar situation with his '02 S2000. He continually went to the dealer to say he was unhappy with the oil consumption and provided records of the usage. When his consumption got to about 1qt. every 500 miles, they gave him an engine rebuild under warranty. His car now runs with no oil use whatsoever. His mileage is about like yours. Other than the oil consumption, his car always ran fine and it never smoked, but there is a point where it just becomes too much.

[mad frog]

Thanks for all the advice.
I will probably keep monitoring the oil for the time being; what's even more bizarre, is that since I started this thread, I checked the oil again, and the readings are pretty inconsistent! It The levels read higher:think: .
But for sure, the levels are always lower, when doing the cold check; go figure!
Oh well, as Repiv suggest, I will report the problem to the dealer at the next oil change.
And fuggetabout sopping using Vtec!!
Sorry for acting like a :freak2: .