ACCURATE

I'm noticing above average usage of oil. (Mobil 1) in my 65 327/350 ..L79 engine.. About a quart every 1000 miles.. Its not leaking nor do i see any blue smoke from exhaust.. So im wondering what the average oil consumption everyone else is getting.... Any ideas or advice is always appreciated .. .thanks. Joe ..

MikeM

Modern engines use almost zero oil between change intervals.

Old time engines in what was considered good condition (not new) would use a quart every 2000 miles.

When your engine was built, Ford used to say if oil usage exceeded a quart in 800 miles, they'd do something about. I think that might have been GM's standard as well but not sure.

If your engine is original, rebuilt a long time ago and it doesn't smoke/knock or foul the plugs, I wouldn't worry too much about it unless you have a lot of coin burning a hole in your pocket.

Try running down the road, wide open throttle for a few seconds and see if the smoke is coming out the back while you have your foot in it. Then, let off the gas and coast in gear for a couple seconds and hit the gas again.

If you see smoke at WOT, it's $$$$. If you see smoke after you coast and then hit it, it's relatively cheap to fix the valve seals.

jimh_1962

Modern engines burn oil. Chevrolet and other auto makers state in owners manuals that oil consumption is within their tolerance of one quart every 1000 miles. My 2008 silverado flex fuel burns quite a bit of oil. It went through the dealership oil replenish tests. I was shocked when I was told it was within tolerance. I had to replace spark plugs twice (30K and 70k) on #1. I even pulled out screen from the pvc which was supposed to help. I think it has to do with the rings. At one point I thought of putting in a catch can. The intake constantly gets gummed up with oil deposits.

Some newer vehicles burn way more oil than older cars. Audi has the same problem.

Off topic...

Just check your oil before you drive around. Its not like its your daily driver. PMCS

tuxnharley

How often do you put 1000 miles on it? Unless it's your DD I wouldn't even worry about it, just check the oil like jimh says. If it is a DD, start with the tests MikeM suggests, and check out the valve seals.

How old is the engine work?

MikeM

Maybe I drive the wrong brand. 7-8 thousand miles between changes and the oil is down a little. Everything I've owned in the last 25+ years.

The manf. had to do this for emmisions reasons.

If I had a new Chevy and it used a quart of oil in 1000 miles, I'd think about setting fire to it right in front of the dealership if they wouldn't fix it.

Powershift

Consider changing oil for a test. I had one car (Chrysler) that used no oil until I switched to Mobil 1. Then 1 quart per oil change.........about 5000 miles. Switched back to original oil and oil consumption went back to approx none between oil changes.

Tailpipe was darker (soot) with Mobil 1 as well.

Mobil 1 probably does not have the ZDDP you need for your engine, unless it is rebuilt with roller lifters, etc. Consider this as well.

Larry

Frankie the Fink

My '61 and '63 both go the distance between oil changes with out needing to add any...
That's about 5,000 miles on each car (prob longer because I'm not always religious about it.)

Are you SURE you don't have a leak ? They can be awfully sneaky; especially those down the backside of the valve covers that snake around the bell housing and drip God knows where while driving but stop when the car is parked (after a while)...

Mobil 1 15W-50W is formulated for flat tappet cars with plenty of ZDDP...

warrenmj

I have 3 cars other than my Vette; '98 Honda Accord (200k miles), '04 Grand Cherokee (145k) and '06 Infiniti G35X (75k) and none of them use a drop of oil between oil changes (approx. 7k between changes). I use Mobil 1 in all three with the Jeep and Honda getting the High Mileage version.

I add about a half quart to the Vette between oil changes, usually 2500 miles (annually).

GTOguy

The owner's manual for my '65 GTO says a quart of oil per 750 miles is normal. The rebuilt-by-me 389 doesn't use any oil between changes....non-synthetic oil. My 94 4Runner used a quart every 1000 miles with 115k on the clock, and it had decreased to a quart every 1500 miles by the time I sold it at 210k miles. My '83 Toyota 4x4 pickup now uses a quart of oil every 4k miles: it leaks a little, now that it has 275k miles on it. I see new cars that use oil, and old ones that don't. A quart of oil every 1k miles is totally acceptable. A switch to heavier viscosity or dino-based oil would probably cut down consumption somewhat. Synthetic, being a freer flowing oil, will burn off or leak out easier than mineral-based oil.

ACCURATE

So ,, non-synthetic 5w-30 ? Would be a better choice than the mobil 1 Im using now. I'll give it a go.. Thanks ..Joe

MikeM

This thread here reminded me of something I need to check.

I bought this 2005 Ford Ranger late last summer. It had a salvage title as it had been rolled (according to that outfit that tracks this stuff) when it was near new in North Carolina. Went through about 4-5 auction houses and finally wound up south west of Nashville where I found it on Craig's List.

It had a lube sticker on the windshield, said next change due at 71K so the last change was probably around 68K. It now 83K miles on it. I've never opened the hood since I've had it. Let alone change or even check the oil. I just opened the hood. The dipstick was stuck but I finally got it out. Showed a quart low in about 15K miles. Thanks for the reminder that I should change the oil soon!

Musta' got a good one here!

Frankie the Fink

I had a '96 Mazda B-3000; a rebadged Ranger basically. Even said "RANGER" on the exhaust manifolds (ha!) I sold it with 168,000 mile and it still used NO oil. It was a V-6 and bulletproof (I abused it badly)...

oldgold49er

I am sure someone will set me right here, but my understanding is that, Synthetic oil is just that. It is man made. The molecules are smaller thus allowing the oil to go places standard oil can not. An engine that does not consume standard oil, might leak synthetic. If it already leaks, it will leak more if changed to synthetic.

Powershift

What viscosity oil are you using now?? Suggest 10W-30 or 15W-40 Shell Rotella for a test. The 15W-40 (easier to get) should be okay in Connecticut with summer approaching. That is what I use in my own 1967 327/350 HP car.

Larry

Powershift

Synthetic oil today is different than the original synthetic oil(s). Even Mobil 1 changed over the years to make a cheaper "synthetic oil" and to be cost comparable to other brands.

The early synthetic oil increased usage were probably leaks due to gaskets and elastomers that were not compatible with the new synthetic oil. All of this has changed: oil formulation as well as gaskets and elastomers. Now there should not be incompatibility

I can't explain the oil consumption in my 2002 Chrysler when running regular oil and running Mobil 1.

Larry

tuxnharley

I thought you took better care of your cars than that - especially Fords!

Powershift

These old mid-western "farmers" never change oil in their work equipment. They just run it

Larry

427435

Modern engines don't use oil unless there is a problem. Hyundia had a problem with their early 2012 5.0 V8's due to rings with too little tension (reduced friction). They got to replace a bunch of engines. Yes, they tried to claim that a quart in 800 miles was normal, but persistent people got engines replaced. My 2013 doesn't use any-----------nor does my 2003 Vette or 2003 Explorer.

Besides rings, poor valve guides or seals can cause the problem.

MikeM

Let's put it this way. The cars are always due for replacement before the engine gives up. Now do you think I am doing the right thing?

I usually go about 7500 miles between changes on the wife's car. I started going 12-15K miles on my stuff way back in the early '70's.

It always worked out the vehicle was due for replacement and the engine wasn't.

Tell me where I am wrong?



PS. I'd love to have all the oil some of you guys drain out of your engines that's barely tainted and be able to store it somewhere for future use but I'm afraid I'd be overwhelmed with the volume in short order.

vettepoor

Last newer car I owned that used oil was am Infiniti FX45 - the 8 cylinder version. Car ran like a scalded dog but used about 1/2 quart between changes. Dealer told me it was normal. My 57 never uses oil, and I only check it to see how dirty it gets. Daughter's Honda CRV doesn't use a drop after 176k miles. Go figure.