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Maintenance & Repair Engine's burning oil - how much longer will it last?
64 messages, Last post on Sep 04, 2007 at 7:35 AM
You are in the Maintenance & Repair Forum. Your Host is mr_shiftright
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Replying to: lemko (Jul 06, 2005 6:38 am) The reason snake oil isn't sound scientifically is pretty simple---IF the engine is burning oil because there is cylinder bore wear or piston ring wear, and that wear is so great as to allow oil to pass through or combustion gasses to pass through, well now really, what liquid goop in a can is going to cure that? All you end up doing is making the oil thick for a little while and gum things up until the engine reaches operating temperature and breaks it all down again. If someone is counting on some goo in a can is going to stop 120 psi compression driven by exploding gasoline, well good luck to them. If the problem is measurable engine wear, then all that stuff is a complete waste of money. But if the piston rings are just stuck or the engine is severly sludged up, then maybe maybe some strong addtives/cleaners and frequent oil changes can help, sure... But after 100K++ miles, it's not likely to be sticking rings---a rather uncommon occurrence on modern engines. Anything you can do with "engine magic" in a can I can do with 50 weight oil, because it is the same principle...the heavier and gooey-er it is, the slower it will work into the combustion chamber. But sooner or later it'll burn just the same. And I've busted down engines that were doped with STP---it's not a pretty sight. |
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Any valve stem seal replacement requires removal of camshaft (if ohc), rocker arms (if not) to get access and remove the keepers and valve springs. Removal of spark plugs to put compressed air in the cylinders to hold the valves in place. Then ya gotta slip the valve spring compression tool in place to release the "keepers". Remove valve springs. Replace O ring. Reassemble...................... LOTS of work......Equals $$$$ There were several posts in the GM threads about high oil consumption. GM issued a TSB to replace the PVC valve with one with a smaller orifice............... Must of worked..............No further complaints seen............ Bott...........Hopefully you will get lucky and a PVC valve will do the trick! If you have power brakes...Did you check the Vaccuum line to the booster for oil residue ? Lemko is also correct...........The old heavy straight weight oil will cut oil consumption down. With that many miles it prob. won't make a difference in the winter..............
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Replying to: geo9 (Jul 06, 2005 6:56 am) Nah, popping off a camshaft on a Tercel isn't hard, especially considering the alternatives, which might be engine overhaul or the local government taking your car off the road. Couple hours shop time and that's it. Price it out let us know. 50 weight oil in winter is like jello---not recommended unless you use an engine heater. |
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I know very little about STP or other "snake oils", but when I think of STP, I remember the seeing Andy Granatelli on TV with the failed bearing from the trans of his turbine car the first year he ran it at Indy: It looked like lubrication failure to me. The next year the rules were changed so a turbine car could not win. Harry |
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The principle behind my use of Auto RX isn't to try to apply a band-aid to worn engine parts, but rather to clean the engine internally and recondition seals. What you said is true about worn engines and using addititves on them is nothing more than prolonging the inevitable. However, the way my engine has been using oil doesn't necessarily point to worn engine parts, but rather some type of a sealing problem. If that's the case, Auto RX could very well cure the problem. At any rate, it isn't like it's a huge investment which makes it well worth giving it a try. I will let you know how it works.
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Replying to: bottgers (Jul 07, 2005 4:13 am) My point which might have been muddy is that without a cylinder leakdown test we really don't know if your problem is engine wear or not, and so if I were in your shoes (I wear an 11) I would test first then try the remedy most likely to work. Also I'm pretty adamant on the idea that reconditioning seals never works--now THAT part is voodoo. The engine cleaning part as a benefit I could buy that in some cases, certainly, but once a seal has lost its vibrancy, swelling it up like a raisin through chemicals is a short-term solution at best. Once you soften it, it loses its ability to remain resilient under all conditions. |
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| I can tell you it wasn't the PCV valve causing the problem. I just changed my oil today and added the Auto RX. Hopefully, this stuff will do something to help. | |
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What weight oil did ya use............. Straight 40 or 50? Just nurse it along or spend big $$ to repair................... |
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| I use 10-30. I have noticed a substantial reduction in the puff of smoke the engine lets out during cold starts since adding the Auto RX. Maybe this stuff will help. There are quite a few people in the bobistheoilguy.com forum who said this stuff worked for them. I am still scepticle as I've never had any success using oil additives in the past. | |
| .....so far it appears that either Auto RX is nothing but snake oil or my engine's suffering from some type of mechanical wear that this stuff can't cure because I'm about 300 miles from dumping my first ARX application and the engine's still using just as much oil as it was before I started the treatment. I'm sure if this stuff was going to make a difference, I would've seen a change by now. | |
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