"uses oil like it is it's job"

[ross1]

Greetings all.
I'm new and the designated wrench for my friend's son's '00 MR2.
I'm a reasonably proficient wrench turner of the old school and so far manage to service everything I own myself.
To the point; said MR2 was pre-purchase inspected by me and found to be in good health, I think. I did the homework and read all the pre-cat horror stories so did a compression check as part of the PPI. All cyls were very close and ~150 as I recall. It has ~120k miles as I recall.
I've since installed a header for him as the labor is approximately the same as bashing the guts out of the precat and it gave him an excuse for a chrome pipe.
Oil usage is through the roof, off the dipstick in a thousand miles. No smoke and it runs fine. (actually this thing is a blast) Oil consumption was bad from the beginning with the first change using 5-30. When I did the pipe I used 15-40 diesel for the additive package and higher viscosity for summer driving.
I'm speculating a crankcase ventilation system problem but am unfamiliar with this car and don't even have it here.
Besides a tired engine, it doesn't seem so, what might cause heavy oil comsumption on this engine?
Thanks

[MR2Jedi]

If it's not burning oil, is there a leak somewhere?
I recommend 10W-30 for summer and 5W-30 for winter in Chicago.

[ross1]

NO leaks.
I am trying to diagnose this long distance as well so forgive questions that might seem obvious if the car were before me.
Are there any common or known problems with the crankcase ventilation system on these cars?

[MR2Jedi]

I had a 2001 and got rid of it at about 65K miles. Never had any problems with it.
No leaks or unusual consumption. Have never heard of any problems with PCV either.

[Jason.MZW20]

The early 1ZZs are notorious for burning oil and eating rod bearings. 150psi seems a little low for an engine with a 10.0:1 CR. That's very close to the minimum PSI.

Typically, the 1ZZ should be around 180-190psi.

Sounds like the piston rings are going. These early ones do have piston ring sealing issues.

[MR2Jedi]

My 2001 Spyder did not consume excessive oil. By the time it was ready for it's 3600 mile oil change, it might have been 1/4 quart low. I kept it till I had about 65k miles.
I'm deligent about maintenance. Not sure that makes any difference in it's consumption.

[ross1]

Originally Posted by Jason.MZW20

The early 1ZZs are notorious for burning oil and eating rod bearings. 150psi seems a little low for an engine with a 10.0:1 CR. That's very close to the minimum PSI.

Typically, the 1ZZ should be around 180-190psi.

Sounds like the piston rings are going. These early ones do have piston ring sealing issues.

Ah, ha.

So, ..this isn't mine and not fresh in my memory. Can the oil pan be removed without much drama?
Perhaps I'll just give it a quick bottle brush hone/fresh rings and bearings while I'm in there.
Or perhaps a bottle of rings and another bottle of valve job instead, hey I can even get a head gasket in a can. NO WORRIES!

[Jason.MZW20]

Originally Posted by MR2Jedi

My 2001 Spyder did not consume excessive oil. By the time it was ready for it's 3600 mile oil change, it might have been 1/4 quart low. I kept it till I had about 65k miles.
I'm deligent about maintenance. Not sure that makes any difference in it's consumption.

My brother has a 2000 Corolla and it went from burning 1/4 quart at 80k to burning a full quart at 150k. It now has nearly 200k miles, but it's not abused like it would be in a Celica or MR2 Spyder. Toyota fixed the issue in 2002 or 2003. His engine has very slight rod knock.

1/4 quart at 5000 miles to 1 quart at 5000 miles. Not excessive, but not great either.

My 200k 5SFE burned 1 quart every 700 miles until it finally ate a rod bearing. It would barely start cold because the compression was so low. I'd seriously have to crank it for 30 minutes to heat up the cylinders via friction. Then, it'd relectantly turn over and run like a champ when it was fully warm. Needless to say, I went through a starter and a battery before the engine finally gave up.

Originally Posted by ross1

Ah, ha.

So, ..this isn't mine and not fresh in my memory. Can the oil pan be removed without much drama?
Perhaps I'll just give it a quick bottle brush hone/fresh rings and bearings while I'm in there.
Or perhaps a bottle of rings and another bottle of valve job instead, hey I can even get a head gasket in a can. NO WORRIES!

Just put a 2ZZ in there.