Oil consumption No smoke

[gabill]

1991 accord. Short drives = no oil level change. longer drives = oil level low. had a small leak on oil pan gasket, had the gasket replaced. No visible smoking at all. It was suggested that oil might be bypassing via the PCV valve and was told to try a genuine honda pcv valve. Seemed to help, but after a while, oil level down. Had seals under spark plugs replaced a few months ago when oil was leaking into the spark plug tubes. Recently had to replace the distributor and O2 sensor. Engine starts quickly, good pick up and power. Looking for any suggestions on what could be the issue. Thanks

[illinois_erik]

1991 accord. Short drives = no oil level change. longer drives = oil level low. had a small leak on oil pan gasket, had the gasket replaced. No visible smoking at all. It was suggested that oil might be bypassing via the PCV valve and was told to try a genuine honda pcv valve. Seemed to help, but after a while, oil level down. Had seals under spark plugs replaced a few months ago when oil was leaking into the spark plug tubes. Recently had to replace the distributor and O2 sensor. Engine starts quickly, good pick up and power. Looking for any suggestions on what could be the issue. Thanks

wild guess the oil pressure sender is weeping, put some cardboard under it or park over a clean spot and let it run for a while to find any drips.. or clean the block real well, then come back after a trip and look for signs of wear its leaking at. Theres a bunch of places these motors can leak from..front main seal..rear main seal..etc..how much are you losing?

[gabill]

several hundred miles = 1/4 qt or so

hasn't been consistant, but appears to show itself during longer trips. The oil pan leak was small, but I thought it was it. Haven't seen any signs of leaks since the oil pan gasket replacement, but I need to rule out any leaks. I will try the cardboard "test" tomorrow evening to check for any drips/ leaks. Thanks for the reply

[gabill]

State Pride

Also, Illinois Eric, apparently we both display State Pride!

[illinois_erik]

Also, Illinois Eric, apparently we both display State Pride!

HAha..

That was the bumper sticker I ran forever on my recently departed cb




.25qt for that mileage isnt too bad, that could be stuck rings too..

[greenquark]

How can you measure that? 1/4 qt ? using the dipstick ?

Sometimes I read the dipstick and it is at upper mark, I try later at the gas station (car off, level ground, minutes after engine off) and it is below the upper mark. To this day , I am quite confused about reading the dipstick.

I had an oil leak at the distributor, and I knew i was leaking oil, but the dipstick was giving me an ok reading , I couldn;t follow the lack of oil, by reading the dipstick

If anyone knows a foolproof way to measure the oil level, please I will really appreciate it

[sonikaccord]

Do you wipe off the dipstick before reading it?

[greenquark]

yes, of course, I measure it three times , like an average reading to be sure.

[sonikaccord]

well I'm all out of ideas. I wonder if the newer style dipsticks fit our chassis...

[illinois_erik]

How can you measure that? 1/4 qt ? using the dipstick ?

Sometimes I read the dipstick and it is at upper mark, I try later at the gas station (car off, level ground, minutes after engine off) and it is below the upper mark. To this day , I am quite confused about reading the dipstick.

I had an oil leak at the distributor, and I knew i was leaking oil, but the dipstick was giving me an ok reading , I couldn;t follow the lack of oil, by reading the dipstick

If anyone knows a foolproof way to measure the oil level, please I will really appreciate it

between dots is 1 quart. so if it drops a quarter then you have your quarter quart

[johnl]

1991 accord. Short drives = no oil level change. longer drives = oil level low. had a small leak on oil pan gasket, had the gasket replaced. No visible smoking at all.

Short drives= oil isn't hot. Long drives = oil is hot. Cold oil is thicker, hot oil is thinner. Thinner oil will leak past the piston rings and valve seals more readily, colder oil less so.

My bet (FWIW) is that you are losing oil when the oil gets hot due to internal engine wear (and or a clogged PCV system causing high crankcase pressure that is forcing oil past the rings into the cylinders). On a long drive you may not see the thin smoke haze behind the car. When you stop there may be not enough smoke to be obvious. On short drives the oil may not be thin enough for the problem to occur (significantly).

Assuming this is your problem (and I'm not guaranteeing that it is), then in the short term a thicker oil may alleviate (but not cure) the problem.

[wildBill83]

Have a look at your timing belt.

CAM seals can leak for a while before showing the leak.

[oyajicool]

If you are seeing 1/4 quart of oil less at the end of drive and if it was leaking, you would see a stream of oil on the sides of engine. Look for drops of oil under the engine at the end of drive.

If it's not leaking, then, it must be burning. Pull plugs and look for oil fouling.