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My car's eating oil. What's wrong and how do i fix?

JEDI

JEDI

Lifer
i have a 93 sentra. it's eating 4.5 quarts every 3000 miles.

whats wrong, how do i fix, and how much should it cost?

and what happens if i just leave it alone?
 
Need more info, did this just start happening all of a sudden or has it gradually increased over time?
 
Is it leaking out the bottom?

Or is it burnung it?

Could be rings, head, or any number of gaskets.

Many things can cause an engine to burn oil But it sounds like you are burning ALOT. Check the poil every time you fill up and I would go buy the cheap OIL (supoer tech @walmart is only about 90 cewnts a quart)
 
It all depends on where it's going in order to determine how it needs to be dealt with. If it's burning it then you need a ringjob and likely a rebuild of the engine. If it's leaking you might just need a valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket or head gasket. If it's burning that much though either fix it or sell it soon. I'd sell it since it will likely cost you a bunch if it needs a rebuild, unless of course it just needs a gasket replaced, which are generally pretty cheap except for the head gasket which is still much cheaper then a rebuild, especially if you do it yourself. Take it to a mechanic or see if you can determine where it's leaking from and then tell us and we'll see if we can get an idea of what the problem is.
 
4.5 quarts/3000miles? That's a lot of oil to lose in 3000 miles. I'd do the easy checks first. Check the ground where your car is parked for any oil stains. Check where the head and engine block meet for any oil leakage, as well as your valve cover. Check the underside of your engine for any oil residue. Also try revving your engine while warm. If you see blue smoke then you're problebly burning oil due to bad rings or assorted bad valve seals.

But 4.5quarts/3000miles for a little 4 banger is an ungodly amount oil being burned.


 
it's doing both..leaking and burning. i see drops on the floor, plus the section near the tail pipe is all black and dirty. it's been doing it for the past 6 months, but never this severe.

last oil change, it was 3.5 quarts at 3000 miles. this time, at 1000 miles, i noticed that the oils was barely toughing the low mark when i checked the dip stick. i poured in a quart, and now the stick hit the high mark. now 1500 miles after that (2500 total), the oil light on my car flickers when i make sharp turns or sudden stops. that usually means i am close to being low on oil. i estimate at 3000 miles, the oil light will flicker pretty reguarly.

so is changing the gasket the answer? and what happens if i leave it alone?
 
Sounds like you have numberous problems. My suggestion, sell it. If you're getting so much oil it's condensing on the tailpipe, you can pretty much forget about passing smog tests. It sounds like your car has serious problems with the engine.
 
Sounds like your car is not long for this world if you do nothing...goto a midas shop they will give you a free inspection but it sounds serious to me

Ausm
 
BWAHAHAHAHA! I put some oil eating bugs into your engine! They will not stop until your car is DEAD!!!
j/k
Seriously, I have no clue.
 
Valve seals, Rings, Valve cover gasket(s), Rear main seal.

Japanese side saddle four or six,.................................... bend over and grab your ankles.

 
Unless you or a friend are able to fix it yourself, SELL IT! Repairs on foreign cars are very high....

Gaskets are rather easily replaced...Go to a self-serve carwash and degrease the motor. Try not to direct the spray on he distributor, sparl plug area or any electrical components.

Drive it a week and the source of the leaks will be evident.

If the rear seal on the motor is leaking you can try an oil additive that might seal it, but don't expect it to work...

Stopping the leaks might cut that oil usage in half and that would not be too bad..
 
ah..6 months ago i had 10w30 and it was 3.5 quarts every 5000 miles. since it's winter, i'm using 5w30 and it's 4 quarts every 3000 miles.

just thought it was because 6 months have gone by and the condition has gotten worst.

1) if i go back to 10w30, would the chances be good that it'll be back to 3.5quarts every 5k miles?????


>> Valve seals, Rings, Valve cover gasket(s), Rear main seal.

2) how much to replace each?

3) what happens if i dont do anything and just keep adding a quart every 1000 miles or so (if going to 10w30 doesnt slow the leaking)?
 
Put a newspaper down under where you park. If you only see a little oil after parking there for a few days at least you know its not a rear or mail seal leak but most likely an engine leak.
 
20w-50 is what you need. Should slow down your oil consumption quite a bit. I've done it a couple of times now, and it works pretty well. Not a very good idea in the winter though.
 
my suggestion is to see if it a "easy and cheap" fix otherwise, i think you should just donate the car to charity and write of the full blue book value


FYI Salavation Army DOES NOT accept cars that do not run....I had a friend who tried
 
ahhh..the leak is in the front. my garage is splatted w/oil drops near the hood of the car.

20w50? won't that hurt my engine worst than just letting it leek?

and if the problem is Valve seals, Rings, or Valve cover gasket(s), what would happen in each scenario if i left it alone and just added oil every 1000 miles?
 
Okay, you have to first determine where it is leaking from. Until then it's all conjecture as to what you need to do. As far as just changing what oil you use, i'd use 20w50, and no it won't hurt anything, it's just thicker and therefore will not leak or burn as easily.

Once you find exactly what is causing it to leak/burn that much oil you can make decisions as to what to do, and only then will you know for sure. You could just need a gasket, but you could also need a rebuild, you need to take our suggestions before you ask more questions. Clean the motor and find where it's leaking or if it's even leaking at all, since the rings may be bad and it's just burning a ton of oil. Go powerwash that bitch.
 


<< ahhh..the leak is in the front. my garage is splatted w/oil drops near the hood of the car.

20w50? won't that hurt my engine worst than just letting it leek?

and if the problem is Valve seals, Rings, or Valve cover gasket(s), what would happen in each scenario if i left it alone and just added oil every 1000 miles? >>




If its leaking in the front then its probably a main seal leak. Cheak for oil aroud the nut where the oil is drained towards the front.

And avoid the quick lube places that use air powered sockets instead of lossening and tightening by hand. They tend to strip out that nut.
 


<< ahhh..the leak is in the front. my garage is splatted w/oil drops near the hood of the car.

20w50? won't that hurt my engine worst than just letting it leek?

and if the problem is Valve seals, Rings, or Valve cover gasket(s), what would happen in each scenario if i left it alone and just added oil every 1000 miles? >>

If it turns out to be the rings or rear main seal, you can add oil until it dies if that's what you want to do and as long as you know that eventually, like within months most likely, you will be buying a new vehicle. BTW, how much oil does it look like is on your garage floor? Just wondering because if it's not more than a few drops then you could still need a ringjob.
 


<< 20w-50 is what you need. Should slow down your oil consumption quite a bit. I've done it a couple of times now, and it works pretty well. Not a very good idea in the winter though. >>



Dang, 20w50 is for racing, it's not meant for street. Thats doing more harm to your engine than good.
 
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