My Corolla has always used oil (about a quart a month). Lately though it's started to get worse. It always burned a little as it started up, but in early fall I noticed the first couple minutes it was on, you would see a little cloud of smoke and faintly smell it outside the car. The amount of carbon around the tip of the exhaust has slowly increased as well, but lately it's gotten much worse. It's using about quart every couple tanks of fuel (3-4 weeks or aprox 500 - 600 miles), and now smells inside the car when it starts. Smoking can't accurately be gauged due to the steam from condensation evaporating int he winter.
I'm leaning towards worn valve guide seals. It's worse the longer the car sits, and only happens when the car is cold. Once warmed up it won't do it again until it sits over night and is fired up the next day (sits around 18 - 20 hours between drivings). Head gasket doesn't seem likely as the oil and coolant are mixing; had a false alarm with this a couple years back but I think it was caused just by the very dirty factory coolant and Toyota Orange being mixed with a Prestone type, turning it brown. I am considering pulling the plugs out to see if it is a specific cylinder that is worse than the others. The motor itself runs fine and still gets pretty good fuel mileage so I'm not leaning towards failing rings.
Basically, I am not putting major money into this to fix it. What I need to know is if there are any simple tests I can do to try and figure out how long I have. I need to make this car to last a year and a half or so (around 15,000 miles) so I don't need to buy another vehicle. Currently it's filled with 5w-30 for winter, but I plan on going to 10w-30 in hopes of maybe slowing down the leakage slightly. I was tempted to try some STP Smoke Treatment but for obvious reasons I'm not in love with the idea of putting additives in my oil. Any other tips?
Valve stem seals might slow this a little. More than likely the valve guides are worn (along with the rings) combining to increase the oil consumption. Once the valve guides wear, new seals are a temporary fix at best.
Valve stem seals might slow this a little. More than likely the valve guides are worn (along with the rings) combining to increase the oil consumption. Once the valve guides wear, new seals are a temporary fix at best.
What might I be looking at on that? I wouldn't want to pay more than $300 at most for such a job as my car will likely need struts up front to pass inspection in the Spring and I'm counting on around $200 for parts+labor on that job if needed.
What might I be looking at on that? I wouldn't want to pay more than $300 at most for such a job as my car will likely need struts up front to pass inspection in the Spring and I'm counting on around $200 for parts+labor on that job if needed.
Frankly I'd consider changing viscosity and maybe using an additive designed to reduce consumption at this point. The head would need to come off to do the valve guides, and that's not really recommended on an old bottom end.
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Frankly I'd consider changing viscosity and maybe using an additive designed to reduce consumption at this point. The head would need to come off to do the valve guides, and that's not really recommended on an old bottom end.
Exactly what I was figuring. If I had the time, money, and knowledge to do it I might consider a rebuild but I just need to make it last so I'll try different oil and an additive. Thanks.
Thicker oil didn't do anything for me. For a while I thought it was doing something but it was just a placebo effect. And I noticed a bit more power when I reverted to thinner oil.
I don't see what the problem is on doing the head work just because it's older. The bottom end can still be in perfect condition. I'm going to try for the head work on my car. But for mine I need to add a quart every couple hundred miles so I have to try something because I can't keep dumping this much oil in it and can't afford a complete rebuild or engine swap.
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94 Prizm LSi 1.8. Auto and still quick as hell.
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I'm not saying that doing the head is necessarily a bad thing, but on older engines, the newly reconditioned head (and subsequent better compression) can blow even more oil past worn rings. It's not normally recommended.
All I am doing is offering up a suggestion based on my experience... certainly not telling anyone what to or not to do. A LOT depends on how good the condition of the short block is.
Thicker oil didn't do anything for me. For a while I thought it was doing something but it was just a placebo effect. And I noticed a bit more power when I reverted to thinner oil.
I don't see what the problem is on doing the head work just because it's older. The bottom end can still be in perfect condition. I'm going to try for the head work on my car. But for mine I need to add a quart every couple hundred miles so I have to try something because I can't keep dumping this much oil in it and can't afford a complete rebuild or engine swap.
Car was wrecked prior to the people we bought it from buying it, and I have very strong reason to believe it was poorly maintained (oil changes at right intervals maybe but everything else...). Plus our family has NOT had good experience with rebuilds. I can buy a new car if this one conks early (even if I would really really rather not), but if I can make it last I get my parent's old ride which is why I'm not gonna rebuild it. And odds are with my luck if I rebuild it the transmission will break a month later...
EDIT: Accidentally clipped a paragraph:
But yeah, I'm afraid the bottom end is not in much better shape. And our only car we ever had rebuilt turned into a money pit that broke down just a couple years later and was so worn not even a junk dealer wanted it. Plus just seems to happen to everyone we know who does rebuilds... bad luck follows. Parts cost wouldn't be awful but labor would be the killer on it.
Let me know if you find any solutions (or I'll let you know if I find any)
Do a leakdown test to see what condition your engine really is. If the rings are OK then your oil leakage is past the VSS. AFter about 100k miles those little rubber bits are hard as a rock, and thats why they fail. You also may have PCV problems that is the real culprit for oil consumption.
This is why I don't think my block has any problems. Compression is perfect, runs really strong, plugs don't get fouled up.
I've done a lot of research and the way it burns it's been described as a problem with the valves, because it doesn't burn heavy 100% of the time and only really smokes under hard acceleration and particularly after it shifts, that already told some people my problem has to do with the valves.
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94 Prizm LSi 1.8. Auto and still quick as hell.
Oddly, since making this thread, I've had no issues with it at all. Not burning that I can see (though it is hard to tell) or smell. Odd, I'm not parking it anywhere different either, just... has stopped doing it. Sat two days, nothing... even burns a little after sitting a day normally and it isn't doing it. Weird.
EDIT: Will do a leak down test eventually. It's just cold and I've been busy but warmer days are coming this weekend.
Equal chance it will start doing it again out of nowhere.
Wish I was lucky enough to have it just go away though LOL.
But actually sometimes it doesn't do it at all. Only sometimes though, most of the time if I step on it and downshift whoosh giant blue cloud all over everyone's grilles.
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94 Prizm LSi 1.8. Auto and still quick as hell.
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