imported_loudsubz

Is there any way to check if the oil is leaking out of the car, or if the engine is burning it? We still are loosing some oil each month. Would spark plugs tell me whats up? or somethign else?

thanks.

the car has 199k on it.

imported_94EG6HB

puddle under the car when stopped....

Put a carpet under the engine when parked see if you find leakage....

Sure your not burning oil , look for bluish smoke outta your exhaust...

imported_loudsubz

Yeah, we looked at the exhaust, and even smelled it, but doens't appear to be burnign oil. And from what we can see its not leaking under the car.

My uncle said to replace the PCV valve as it might be one of the problems, but I dont know.

civic_hb96

check your plugs. if there is some black build up on it, then yes you are burning oil.
if you drive hard, you are going to burn up some amount of oil due to heat. but if you find you are adding oil on a weekly basis during any type of driving then you have some sort of sealing problem, either piston rings or valve seals, etc.
if you are not seeing any type of bluish smoke on normal driving or idle, it shouldnt be too serious, but will eventually need a rebuild. for a quick fix, go to crappy tire and pick up some type of oil additive ie.CD2, etc...
whatever you get it should say on the bottle that it helps to stop oil leaks, or burning of oil caused by worn rings/seals etc.
if you are leaking from the oil pan gasket this wont do anything.
this should help out a bit if you dont have the money for a rebuild right now.

Jugglez

So you'r e losing oil but there's no sign of leak or burning? Maybe you have a crack in the water jacket, and the oil is mixing with the coolant system. get your rad flushed and check it for signs of oil contamination.

imported_v33k

Click here if you want to read your sparkplugs


The plugs will give you a lot of clues.
You can tell if the engine is really burning oil or something else causing the problem.

Buff 'n Stuff

How much oil is it losing and how often? Have you noticed any drops of oil on the ground underneath the engine? Is it a manual or automatic transmission? Where are you checking the oil level, on a driveway, at a gas station, where? What grade of oil do you use? What type of driving do you do the most, city, highway, race?

All of these questions are important. If you can answer them, I may be able to help determine where the oil is going.

Also, examining the spark plugs are indeed a good and easy way of determining whether it is burning oil or not. However, the black that you find on them is carbon deposit, which is the byproduct of fuel. If you do find a large build up of carbon deposit, you should pour a fuel system cleaner into the gas tank, about every 5,000 to 20,000 kms (make sure the gas tank is close to being full). If you're already using fuel injector cleaner, it's not the same. Injector cleaner is designed to specifically clean the injectors by chemical reaction. Fuel system cleaner will gradually clean anywhere that the fuel goes, including the intake manifold, intake valves and combustion chamber. By the way, when you use either fuel injector or fuel system cleaner, you won't notice an immediate improvement in performance since they clean gradually as you drive. Anyways to get back on track, the majority of engines normally will burn a certain amount of oil in between oil changes. If your engine is burning a substantial amount more than normal, some oil or sludge will appear on the end of the spark plug (the end which is inside the engine).

90EFHB

Plugs will tell you alot about how your car is running

imported_loudsubz

About 1.5-2l in a month or over
No drops on ground
Auto Trans.
Checking oil in driveway

Buff 'n Stuff

OK. How many kms do you go between oil changes?
You should check your oil while at a gas station, and only while the car is parked on the level concrete area where you put the gas in. It is very important, because even the slightest sloped driveway or parking lot can effect the reading you get on the dipstick by as much as a litre.

imported_loudsubz

We go the regular km's in betwene oil changes. The guy writes on this sticker in our windhsielf when to come back and we do. I dont know how many km's though.

Buff 'n Stuff

The average engine with 100,000+ kms on it, and never any engine repairs will burn about a litre in 4,000 to 5,000 kms between each oil change. One of the biggest reasons for this is the oil itself. If you use a conventional oil, the additives in the oil will begin to break down by the 4 or 5,000k. Those are mainly cooling, lubricating and cleaning additives. If you drive more than 5,000 kms between changes, the oil will have lost most -if not- all of its' lubricating qualities, and therefore the engine will burn even more oil.

Other reasons for burning oil are using a grade that's too thick or too thin.

The reason I asked whether it was a manual or automatic trans, is because the manuals generally are revved higher which creates more oil consumption.

BB1-4WS

Put a cardboard underneith the car when you park it at night. It'll be easier to spot a leak. If you find anything, pinpoint the location straight above.

Older Honda's with the stamped steel oilpans are known for crappy oilpan gaskets. Even if you try to fix it, there's a possibility it will leak shortly after.
The rear main seal (between engine and transmission) is another known spot for leaks.

Check the plugs for any oil deposits. That would be an indication of a bad sparkplug cover gasket. Also check around the edge of the valve cover.

If your burning excessive amounts of oil (blowby from worn rings), then try using a thicker oil like 15W50 during the warm season. However, it's highly recommended that you properly warm up the car for atleast 1 minute before driving.

Your best bet is to actually bring it to your local mechanic for your next oilchange. They should be more than happy to give your car a quick inspection for leaks.

Buff 'n Stuff

No disrespect, but if worn rings or valve seals is the case, I'd recommend 5W50 (synthetic) oil -but be sure that is the problem before doing so. Using a motor oil that's too thick may cause even more oil consumption, and may also cause leaks due to higher oil pressure. The 5W50 will also be better at start-up when most engine wear occurs. The reason for this is obvious... when the engine is off, the oil sits in the oil pan. You want as thin of an oil as possible, so that the oil will circulate to the top end of the engine quickly at start-up. As the engine and oil heat up, the oil will become thicker, creating a better seal as the engine reaches operating temperature. If worn rings is not the case, I'd only recommend 5W50 oil for more constant high speed driving, such as racing. In my opinion, 15W40, 15W50, 20W50, etc., are too thick at start-up, and I believe that the top-end of the engine will wear much quicker due to lack of lubrication at start-up. Think of the cam/s and valves!