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please someone tell me what is up!!!!

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Old 09-25-2003, 08:20 PM
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please someone tell me what is up!!!!

I have posted saying I am loosing about a quart every 600-750 miles. I thought I had a compression problem (valve, ring, something) I could see smoke at night with a car behind me if I reved to WOT, but that is the only time. I did a compression test today. 170PSI across the board. Mechanic said he would drive the car cross country. what is the deal???
car runs fantabulous. should I just add oil and take the money I saved for a new engine and do my suspension?
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Old 09-25-2003, 09:02 PM
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I'm glad to hear that you still have healthy compression. Kinda gives me hope as I have been afraid to check mine since mine started burning.

Most cars smoke slightly under WOT. I used to work for a car rental company... believe me, I have driven behind most makes of vehicles with while they were under WOT. I have not seen yours under WOT of course. But I wouldn't be surprised if it looked just like all of the other cars' exhaust.

So how can a motor that tight lose oil?
Anyone?
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Old 09-25-2003, 09:15 PM
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um...compression test is up in the cylanders. so the oil pan down there could lose oil...bad gasket or even a small crack
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Old 09-25-2003, 09:51 PM
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Originally Posted by SXN
um...compression test is up in the cylanders. so the oil pan down there could lose oil...bad gasket or even a small crack
Neither of us are dropping oil on the ground. Plurco, correct me if I'm wrong.

Wouldn't a quart in that few of miles would leave a huge puddle on the ground and/or coat the underside of the car?
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Old 09-25-2003, 10:01 PM
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not if its burning off and making smoke (like u said it was) what if its an upper gasket on the oil pan, or oil pump... doesnt have to be THE lowest part. also, many parts of the engine get hot enough to burn oil
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Old 09-25-2003, 10:26 PM
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Originally Posted by SXN
not if its burning off and making smoke (like u said it was) what if its an upper gasket on the oil pan, or oil pump... doesnt have to be THE lowest part. also, many parts of the engine get hot enough to burn oil
I agree, but mine does not smoke at all under the hood and there are no external leaks that I know of. Plurco was talking about seeing smoke coming out of the exhaust one time under WOT. Not smoke from the engine bay.

Wouldn't we smell something like that? I think I'm very sensitive to the smell of burning oil (I'm always paranoid about that). I can smell burning oil for a few hours of driving after I change my oil and that's after I wipe things down.
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Old 09-26-2003, 04:33 AM
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If you were burning a Qt ever 600 miles you would definately see constant smoke in your exhaust.

You have a leak somewhere to lose that much oil and not have a bad smoke condition in your exhaust.

The oil pressure sending unit is known to fail and leak, usually only when your engine is running. That could be why you don't have a puddle under your car when it's parked.
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Old 09-26-2003, 05:27 AM
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Oil can get by your valve guides and seals and still not affect compression much. In other words the valve faces can seal with the valve seats (hence the good compression), but oil can leak down the guides and enter the combustion chamber when the valves are open. I'd assume some gets by your piston rings too. Most engines burn more oil as valve guides and rings wear over the life of the car. Also, the more valves per cylinder you have in an engine, the more possible oil entry points into the cylinder.

Sometimes plugged up PCV valves can cause a build up in crankcase pressure and cause oil burning. it's a long shot, but replacing the PCV is cheap.

I agree with the mechanic, as long as it runs good, I wouldn't be afraid to drive it across country. My old Toyota truck burned a quart every 400-500mi. I drove over 5000mi on a road trip from MN to CA and back no problem. Just watch the oil level and top off when it gets low.
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Old 09-26-2003, 04:22 PM
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Originally Posted by njmaxseltd
If you were burning a Qt ever 600 miles you would definately see constant smoke in your exhaust.

You have a leak somewhere to lose that much oil and not have a bad smoke condition in your exhaust.

The oil pressure sending unit is known to fail and leak, usually only when your engine is running. That could be why you don't have a puddle under your car when it's parked.
yes well it was just an idea... could their be a leak somewhere up by the valves? allowing oil to enter the exhaust? would burn off in the exhaust, and higher throttle would produce more oil in the valves, hence more smoke in the exhaust ? just another idea someone confirm me before u do anything drastic
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