Ok, who else here has a car that burns about 1 quart every 1500 miles?? Mine has used oil since it had 30k miles on it. Apologies to those of you who have listened to me bitch about my oil consumption for the past year, but my car is weird...

It uses 1 quart of oil in 1500, right after I change it. After that, I add a quart, and it seems to burn oil at twice that rate until I change it again. For instance, I just changed my oil, I had added a quart 700 miles prior, and I barely got a little over 3 quarts out of it afterwards. Why does it consume MORE oil when I add oil to it, halfway into an oil change???

No jokes about misreading a dipstick please

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Jason E

'89 Camaro RS 2.8
Medium Grey Metallic
2.8, A4, T-tops, 90k miles

'97 Z28 w/30th Anniversary package
LT1 (obviously), 6 speed, t-tops
White with orange stripes, killer system, 41k miles

Speed Kills...Wanna live forever? Drive a Ford.
Long Live #3...

 

mine is but i have either a crack or leak somewhere. Its burning it...i can see it, and my oil pressure has dropped. Its at 40 psi all the time now no matter what... (vr1 racing oil gets expensive)

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1989 Firebird
2.8 v6, t5 swapped in

Ram Hi-po clutch, Cold Air, 1.6 rockers (ready to install), Lakewood LCA's, Lakewood Lift bars, Wonder Bar, 3" y-pipe, Random Tech Cat, 3" I-pipe, Flowmasters, MSd 6a, MSD Coil (Fireball in future) Accel 8.8 wires, MSD Ignition Module, 4th Gen Seats (not front yet)

" I'd rather run last in a full out race, than to NOT run at all ".

 

What weight oil do you use??? the preavious owner used 20 50 on my car no leaks til i changed it im sure he used it to cover up half the problmes i found. Also Try Valvoline Max life i use that now 10 30 and i dont burn as much oil as i used to. Speaking of which i should do a oil change i was going to 3 weeks ago but decided not to cuz i was pissed at my car for being gay and then i went to change it and i went to put my happy jack stads under it and when i started to go under huuess what decided t wanted to shift and dtp an inch sared the hell outta me. But ill have my wonder bar tommorw or thursday so when i get that ill do my oil.

 

The car has had 10W30 in it since brand new. I'm not really BURNING it as much as I am blowing it out when I start it up. I can always smell a bit of oil on start up, but I can yank the hell out of it in broad daylight, and never see or smell anything.

Does anyone else use Valvoline Max Life? That was the next idea I had. Does it help the valve seals any?? I think that's all my problem really is. But with oil consumption like this, its hard to say...

Any opinions are appreciated.

 

I wind up dumping a 1/2 quart in, usually every month...


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

 

Any idea how many miles that is Tom? Regardless, you have 214k, I have 90...

 

the maxlife doesnt really work...the sae 50 vr1 valvoline racing oil im working does a little better than the max life.

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1989 Firebird
2.8 v6, t5 swapped in

Ram Hi-po clutch, Cold Air, 1.6 rockers,Lakewood LCA's, Lakewood Lift bars, Wonder Bar, 3" y-pipe, Random Tech Cat, 3" I-pipe, Flowmasters, MSd 6a, MSD Coil (Fireball in future) Accel 8.8 wires, MSD Ignition Module, 4th Gen Seats

--This car is for sale!-- Email me!
" I'd rather run last in a full out race, than to NOT run at all ".

 

well my car has almost 100k on it (like 700 miles away) and burns no oil at all. I use Castrol Syntech 5-50 sience I bought it 2 years ago and have had no problems with pressure or burning. Though I did notice my car ran better and started easier after going to the full synthetic. And I don't have to change it as often either. I think I change it every 6-7k miles. and the oil is still not breaken down very much. I think after 5 months between oil changes it MIGHT use 1/8-1/4 of a quart.

 

20 50, gross, yeah, thats hiding some problems. I would try dumping one of those STP oil treatment for V-6 into it, that might slow it down some.....

 

The thing that baffles me is that I KNOW this motor is tight. 90k miles for one of these motors is nothing, and my mom owned this thing for almost 60 of the 90k. This car is probably the least beat car on this board!!

Do others of you routinely smell oil on start up?? I know my valve seals ain't that good...this thing was stored winters and not started that much. The valve seals are probably real bad from sitting. Could bad valve seals lead to oil consumption like this??

 

Hey, Jason. Did you car start to loose oil faster after you started to use synthetic oil? Ive heard from several sources (auto zone,ect.) that if you have a higher mileage motor that has always used regular oil, that putting synthetic will make all of your seals start to leak. Something to do with the synthetic compounds loosening the regular oil that been stuffing up the seals for all those years.

 

Here's your problem.
I was informed of this when I was rebuilding the heads going on my S-10 Blazer (using my left over 1985 MPFI Firebird heads for a quick R & R).
The valve guides. They go real quick.
That is where your oil is going.
On the heads I'm doing, I'm only having guides knurled.
Maybe one new valve guide.
These are throwaway heads, when I slip another engine under the hood, in about 10,000 or so miles.
You need the heads rebuilt.
Totally.
New guides.
All the oil "stuff" will not stop/easy fix rebuild the worn guides.
You answered this when you said, you smell it on start up.

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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA