how to tell if car is burning oil

hey guys I am back with another question. How can I tell if my car is
burning oil? I am very narotic about my car lol. its the only car we have
that works and i cant afford for anymore repairs.

 

You could put some cardboard or newspaper under the car when you park
it in your driveway and see if it drips. If it doesn't drip, yet you
are losing oil, you are burining it.

If it is indeed burning oil, it could be your PVC valve and that is a
very inexpensive replacement and easily replaced part, if you do it
yourself.

If it is leaking, it could be a seal somwhere and those can be trickier
to find because oil tends to travel.

I'd consider how much oil is lost. If you have to add some once it a
while, it can be lived with and is not a big deal. Just make sure you
never let it run low.

Remco

 

PCV valve, that is.(slip of the finger)

 

thanks alot, i am sitting here thinking i havent seen any on the ground i
just got the oil changed when i had the other work done,the guy who
changed my oil got it everywhere,its on the fan and the fan casing, i
yelled at him. ichecked my dipstick and it was above the second dot.also
is it normal to have condensation in the muffler, we have a after market
exhaust on i dont know what kind it is. and also do honda engines have a
tendancy to be noisy???? sorry for all the questions

 

After you replace the PCV valve--do this about once a day or once a week
to see if your car is burning or leaking oil.

When the engine is cold and the vehicle is on level ground--check the oil.
Write down on a sheet of paper the results.

After about a month--you should be able to determine how much oil your
Honda is burning or leaking. Also--check under the car before or after you
check the oil to determine if you see a pool of oil. If you do--use a
flashlite to attempt to determine where it is learking from.

Report to us after a month and tell us the results.

 

Should I see if I am burning oil before I change the PVC? I think I am
fine.

 

What model and year car is this (perhaps I missed that info in a prior
post)? If the PVC valve is easily accessible, then I would remove it and
shake it. If it rattles then it's probably ok but, even so, if you haven't
replaced it in a while (the service interval is 60K miles) then go ahead and
replace it. If it doesn't rattle and you don't want to get a new one just
yet, then you can usually clean them out with some carburetor cleaner spray.

Eric

 

it is a 1994 civic dx,we bought it used from someone we know,i dont know if
the pvc has beem changed,did you read my other questions too

 

it is a 1994 civic dx,we bought it used from someone we know,i dont know if
the pvc has beem changed,did you read my other questions too

 

You check the oil. Is the level getting lower as you drive the car?

If so, then you check for leaks. Do you see any signs of oil leaks
underneath?

If so, you probably have a leak. If not, you should check the exhaust.
Do you see blue smoke, especially at startup?

 

i dont see nay leaks or blue smoke,i am just being paranoid

 

Check oil every fill up of gas. The cardboard idea is good to see if it
leaks instead of burning it. If no leaks and you need to refill the oil,
it's got to go somewhere.....(also look under the hood for crud buildup,
especially around the valve cover gaskets).

 

Check the service interval for the PCV valve.

Based on your question, I was under the impression you were burning
oil. If you check oil and there's no indication of you losing any,
don't be overly paranoid with how to tell if your car is burning oil. A
good check regiment is every other gas up.

 

ok we just got back from seeing family and i looked under the hood there
was some oil on a piece of black plastic under the fan, and the piece of
metal where the dipstick goes in whatever that is was steaming like there
was oil on it. what is that piece of metal,i checked my oil and it is fine
before we left to see family and when we came home. it is only a half hour
trip up and half hour back... thanks for all your help,it is a 94 civic dx
if you need to know so you can tell me what that piece is...

 

That piece of metal is most likely a heatshield or engine tin. That
you see oil on something near the radiator is probably because of
sloppyness of whomever changed your oil.
If your oil level is not dropping while you have been driving it, it is
just left over from that service. It is all over part of the engine and
it gets hot so it burns when hot. It will take a while before that
burning disappears. It looks bad, but it doesn't hurt anything. Just go
elsewhere for oil changes.

Check your oil frequently and if you don't lose any, sleep well and
don't worry about it.

 

Thanks so much

 

its all rusty can i buy a new one somewhere

 

You could, but it won't be worth it because a new one will rust as well
because this shield gets quite hot. One could paint it with a special
paint to protect it, but that really is not needed -- there are many
civics/integras on the road with rust on the engine tins and their
performance is not affected.
That smoke you see must be from that sloppy oil change and will
eventually burn off.

Just make sure your car runs cool and your oil is at the proper level
-- check it frequently. Change the oil every 3-4K miles, don't "dog"
the car and your car's engine should last a long time.
One thing with civics: be sure to change the timing belt when it needs
to be changed (at 90K miles, I think), because a breaking belt can
wreck the engine and it will not give you any fair warning.

Perhaps see if your local high school or tech college offers classes on
basic car maintenance and basic repairs -- I think this is a must for
anyone that owns an older car or intends to hold onto a car.
Besides properly maintaining a car, it will also teach you what can go
wrong with a car and also help you not get ripped off when you go to a
mechanic.

Remco

 

If the valve stem seals are worn out or just old: sometimes blue smoke on
startup, but the best test is under hard acceleration. If you get blue /
black smoke, its the seals.

If the oil rings are worn out (about 180,000+ km), the engine will smoke
after a about 5 minutes of idle. Good test is what happens idling in peak
hour traffic. If theres a cloud od blue smoke when you finally get moving,
its the rings.

If the engine has done 200,000+ you likely need both.

Stewart DIBBS

 

How many miles are on this car? Did you get a copy of the service records
when you purchased it? If not, then since you purchased the car from
someone you know they might be able to give these to you so you'll know
what's been done to it over the years.

By the way, here's a link to a diagram that shows the general location of
the PCV valve on a '94 Civic, http://tinyurl.com/5bqve, the PCV valve is
item #6 in the diagram. If you're interested, you can get a copy of the
factory service manual from http://www.helminc.com. These manuals are a
highly detailed source of information for your car.

Eric