89 Accord LXi burning Oil

It sounds to me like you have gotten your money's worth out of the car. I
realize you mentioned you are not ready to buy a new car for a couple years
but you have to draw the line somewhere. If it is burning oil then I am
sure it is more than just some valve guide seals as your inquiry infers when
you mention the top end.

Most likely your rings are shot and that is why your burning oil. If you
are going through that much oil I would be willing to bet your o2 sensors
and cat converter won't be lasting much longer and you can forget about
passing the smog check.

So what your looking at is an engine rebuild and then whatever else pops up
until you buy your new car. So I would base your decision on having to
purchase a rebuilt engine, cat converter and o2 sensor. Now put whatever
the cost of that is in your head and perhaps it might make it easier for you
to make a decision.

You could get a 7 year loan on a new car and lower your monthly payments and
not have to worry about fixing your old car also.

The other factor is that your putting an extra quart of oil into the air
every week causing unnecessary pollution. Some people would be really
annoyed by that.

CaptainKrunch

 

I am in a quandry and I am hoping a voice of reason can point me in the
right direction. I am the proud owner of the above mentioned vehicle that
currently has 195K on the ODO. I am two years away from buying another car
and the Accord is now burning about a quart of oil a week.

The quandry is this:

Bite the bullet and have the top end of the motor done since otherwise the
car is in good shape and will probably pull me at least another 50-100K with
a new top end

or

Just check the oil twice a week and keep feeding the beast oil for the next
two years and oh, yeah, since I live in the "workers paradise" of
Kalifornia, hope I pass the smog test?

any insight and advice will be considered and appreciated.

 

That's a lot of oil.... but you still might want to check your PCV. If the
valve is busted or stuck open it can cause high oil consumption.

 

That is a lot of oil (echo...).

It really doesn't sound correct that the top-end would be at fault ... why
do you think this?
Does it blow oily BLUE smoke out the exhaust at start-up? Even if it did, a
quart a week seems extreme for a worn set of valve guides (typical top-end
wear).

If the bottom-end was shot, (perhaps due to very poor maintenance practices)
and the piston rings were shot, than you could burn that much oil in a
continuous consumption way (sucking oil up past the worn rings) especially
at highway speeds etc...

I have an '86 Integra that has 275,000 miles on it and it uses about a quart
of oil every 3,000 miles. In my case, you just "feed the beast".

Are you certain it isn't leaking?

I also would suspect a stuck PCV valve. This can cause for oil to get sucked
into the combustion process ... especially if your head and the return holes
are gummy and the head is retaining oil up in the vavle cover ... sucked out
through the PCV etc...

At any rate, if the problem is in the top-end and you can fix it yourself
.... do it.
If it is a PCV valve your are incredibly lucky.
If it is a leak - fix it yourself or pay to have it fixed.

If it is anything else (especially bottom-end piston ring/cylinder wear ...
or top-end and you would have to pay to have the work done) continue to feed
it oil till you can find another inexpensive Honda!
Brian

 

It's my guess that the rings are bad--if that is the case--it would be
very expensive to fix that problem. I suggest that you or someone else
that you trust run a compression test on all of the cylinders. This should
help you determine whether or not you need to replace the rings. After you
run the compression test, tell us the results. I also agree with the other
posters related to the PCV valve. I don't believe your vehicle will pass a
pollution test. If your vehicle fails the compression test--you should
consider buying another car.

 

PMS,,
Like Brian says, using lots of oil would more likely rings or
PCV valve. Top end seals leak at idle or startup. Get a
compression check. Worn or stuck rings likely would be
worn or stuck on both the compression AND oil control ring.
I had an 89 lxi, good car. Only got rid of it to get a new
Accord after about 175k.

I had an abused 82 accord given to me. It used too much oil to
keep track of. I ended up, putting new rings in it; it ran well for
several years until it died of rust. Some of the rings were stuck on
the pistons ring grooves. I did not replace rod or main bearings;
they were good. All of the work done wit engine still in the car
by the way.

chuck

 

I second (third?) the PCV valve suggestions. Also, look for seepage past
the valve cover gaskets. One other thing you can try before an expensive
repair job is running an Auto-RX treatment:
www.auto-rx.com
I have not used it, but I hear it works wonders. It can even free up stuck
piston rings. You have to follow the directions exactly. Tech support of
the product is good and questions are answered quickly. No affiliation,
just heard it was a good product.

 

Another thing to note.... if an engine is needed you can pick up a used one
for around $100 bucks plus shipping.

www.car-part.com