unusual engine oil consumption

Hi All,
I have 2 Corollas, year 2000 and 2001. Recently, engine oil in 2001
Corolla starts disappearing. I have to keep top the engine oil every
month if not every week and I add about 1 Qt every 3 months. I have not
seen smoke, nor have I noticed any oil on the ground(leaking), so where
does engine oil go?
My 2000 Corolla experienced similar problem around 30K, but engine oil
disappearing rate was much faster, it ended up with engine re-build
under the warranty at dealer. For 2001 Corolla which little over 6
years old with 78K miles on it, is it normal for such thing?

<wenmang@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1168443918.621179.267110@i56g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> Hi All,
> I have 2 Corollas, year 2000 and 2001. Recently, engine oil in 2001
> Corolla starts disappearing. I have to keep top the engine oil every
> month if not every week and I add about 1 Qt every 3 months. I have not
> seen smoke, nor have I noticed any oil on the ground(leaking), so where
> does engine oil go?
> My 2000 Corolla experienced similar problem around 30K, but engine oil
> disappearing rate was much faster, it ended up with engine re-build
> under the warranty at dealer. For 2001 Corolla which little over 6
> years old with 78K miles on it, is it normal for such thing?[/color]

The oil probably goes into the coolant, via head gasket leak or cracked
block.

No it is not normal. Do you ever clean or wash your engine when it is hot?
Please mention oil change frequency and brand/type of oil.

On Wed, 10 Jan 2007 08:21:08 -0800, [email]wenmang@yahoo.com[/email] wrote:
[color=blue]
>[color=green]
>> No it is not normal. Do you ever clean or wash your engine when it is hot?
>> Please mention oil change frequency and brand/type of oil.[/color]
>
> I change oil every 3 months or ~3K miles. I have no idea how you "wash"
> the engine? Sometime, I do change oil when engine is hot, so is oil but
> not frequently. I have not notice any dark color in coolant.[/color]


I don't like being harsh, but if you'd searched the group before posting
you'd see we just covered this on the same car.

Short answer: make sure your oil pan bolts are at the proper torque.

[color=blue][color=green]
> > I change oil every 3 months or ~3K miles. I have no idea how you "wash"
> > the engine? Sometime, I do change oil when engine is hot, so is oil but
> > not frequently. I have not notice any dark color in coolant.I don't like being harsh, but if you'd searched the group before posting[/color]
> you'd see we just covered this on the same car.
>
> Short answer: make sure your oil pan bolts are at the proper torque.[/color]

I did search this NG, no good hit, especially the one mentioned by Ray.
I do change oil myself, I do know whether there is a leak or not.

On Jan 10, 1:53 pm, "wenm...@yahoo.com" <wenm...@yahoo.com> wrote:[color=blue][color=green][color=darkred]
> > > I change oil every 3 months or ~3K miles. I have no idea how you "wash"
> > > the engine? Sometime, I do change oil when engine is hot, so is oil but
> > > not frequently. I have not notice any dark color in coolant.I don't like being harsh, but if you'd searched the group before posting[/color]
> > you'd see we just covered this on the same car.[/color]
>[color=green]
> > Short answer: make sure your oil pan bolts are at the proper torque.I did search this NG, no good hit, especially the one mentioned by Ray.[/color]
> I do change oil myself, I do know whether there is a leak or not.[/color]

I mean if there is a leak from bolt.

<wenmang@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1168455477.430848.230210@i39g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
>
>
> On Jan 10, 1:53 pm, "wenm...@yahoo.com" <wenm...@yahoo.com> wrote:[color=green][color=darkred]
>> > > I change oil every 3 months or ~3K miles. I have no idea how you
>> > > "wash"
>> > > the engine? Sometime, I do change oil when engine is hot, so is oil
>> > > but
>> > > not frequently. I have not notice any dark color in coolant.I don't
>> > > like being harsh, but if you'd searched the group before posting
>> > you'd see we just covered this on the same car.[/color]
>>[color=darkred]
>> > Short answer: make sure your oil pan bolts are at the proper torque.I
>> > did search this NG, no good hit, especially the one mentioned by Ray.[/color]
>> I do change oil myself, I do know whether there is a leak or not.[/color]
>
> I mean if there is a leak from bolt.
>[/color]

Until someone is able to find a leak or identify the cause of the oil loss,
I recommend that you note and keep track of the date and odometer reading
whenever you add oil, the viscosity of the oil that you are added, quantity
of oil added, and the type of driving done prior to adding the oil, such as
mixed city and highway, mostly city, etc. Hopefully a pattern will emerge
from the information that can help us identify where the oil is going.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

On Wed, 10 Jan 2007 10:57:58 -0800, [email]wenmang@yahoo.com[/email] wrote:
[color=blue]
>
>
> On Jan 10, 1:53 pm, "wenm...@yahoo.com" <wenm...@yahoo.com> wrote:[color=green][color=darkred]
>> > > I change oil every 3 months or ~3K miles. I have no idea how you
>> > > "wash" the engine? Sometime, I do change oil when engine is hot, so
>> > > is oil but not frequently. I have not notice any dark color in
>> > > coolant.I don't like being harsh, but if you'd searched the group
>> > > before posting
>> > you'd see we just covered this on the same car.[/color]
>>[color=darkred]
>> > Short answer: make sure your oil pan bolts are at the proper torque.I
>> > did search this NG, no good hit, especially the one mentioned by Ray.[/color]
>> I do change oil myself, I do know whether there is a leak or not.[/color]
>
> I mean if there is a leak from bolt.[/color]


Not necessarily. I had this same condition on two Corollas.

You won't see drips in your driveway or where you park. It leakes out the
'seal' between the oil pan and the engine when the car is running and the
oil is at pressure.

[color=blue][color=green]
> > I mean if there is a leak from bolt.Not necessarily. I had this same condition on two Corollas.[/color]
>
> You won't see drips in your driveway or where you park. It leakes out the
> 'seal' between the oil pan and the engine when the car is running and the
> oil is at pressure.[/color]

What does it mean if I keep adding oil to top it? If I do the oil
change, will the "extra" oil will be released or it will stay there
cause more problem later?

<wenmang@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1168443918.621179.267110@i56g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> Hi All,
> I have 2 Corollas, year 2000 and 2001. Recently, engine oil in 2001
> Corolla starts disappearing. I have to keep top the engine oil every
> month if not every week and I add about 1 Qt every 3 months. I have not
> seen smoke, nor have I noticed any oil on the ground(leaking), so where
> does engine oil go?
> My 2000 Corolla experienced similar problem around 30K, but engine oil
> disappearing rate was much faster, it ended up with engine re-build
> under the warranty at dealer. For 2001 Corolla which little over 6
> years old with 78K miles on it, is it normal for such thing?[/color]


There are several possibilities -

1) You have a leak that only is "active" when the car is running. Therefore
the oil is distributed along your route of travel. Usually you would see
some sign of the leak on the outside of the engine even if you don't see it
on the ground. If the rear seal is leaking, it might show up on the
transmission bell housing instead of on the engine proper.

2) You have an internal leak and the oil is either moving into the cooling
system, or into the intake system. If the oil is leaking into the cooling
system, the engine coolant should be discolored. If it is leaking into the
intake, it might be harder to find.

3) Your positive crankcase ventilation system may need to be serviced. If
the PCV valve is not operating properly, excessive pressure can build up in
the crankcase and force oil out. Or a clogged PCV valve can allow excessive
oil to be sucked into the intake system. PCV valves are cheap, have yours
checked.

4) Your engine is consuming oil. It is normal for any piston engine to
consume some oil - in fact it is necessary to lubricate piston rings and
valve guides. Engines that don't appear to use any oil are replacing the oil
with contaminants that have escaped past the piston rings (water, unburned
hydrocarbons, etc). Most companies don't get excited about oil consumption
until he consumption exceeds one quart per thousand miles. If you are only
using 1 quart in 1000 miles on a 6 year old car with 78,000 miles, I don't
think you should worry. I do recommend having the PCV system checked, and
looking for external leaks.

Ed

On Thu, 11 Jan 2007 09:28:29 -0800, [email]wenmang@yahoo.com[/email] wrote:
[color=blue]
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>> > I mean if there is a leak from bolt.Not necessarily. I had this same condition on two Corollas.[/color]
>>
>> You won't see drips in your driveway or where you park. It leakes out the
>> 'seal' between the oil pan and the engine when the car is running and the
>> oil is at pressure.[/color]
>
> What does it mean if I keep adding oil to top it? If I do the oil
> change, will the "extra" oil will be released or it will stay there
> cause more problem later?[/color]

All depends on how fast the leak is. IIRC, you said a quart in 200 miles?
THat's a bit. I'd check it every week, depending how many miles you drive.

I have a Supra that leaks oil just sitting there. I have a puddle in my
garage. I add a quart every two weeks. But, I have a gauge, too, so I can
keep an eye one it.

Try the simple stuff...loose bolts or filter, check the seals (visually),
etc. Also, if it's an automatic, check the ATF. It shouldn't be black, or
even brown, really. If it is, you mak have a leaking seal between the
engine and the tranny.

On Jan 12, 7:55 am, "Luba Papageorgio" <n...@none.com> wrote:[color=blue]
> I believe oil consumption is common and understated. My 95 Corolla 1.8
> started using oil when it was 6 years old and 50k miles. It is the valve
> seals on cylinder 4, and can be verified by spark plug deposits. Since and
> now, the car uses 1 quart in 400 miles. No visible smoke, passes California
> smog but the rear bumper is white and shows black soot. I get a low speed
> miss after 6 to 8k miles, have the plugs changed and all is well again. The
> fix is easy. REbuild the head for whatever the cost or buy a case of oil
> now and then. You choose.[/color]
I will trade in 1999 Corolla pretty soon and I like to have my 2001
Corolla keep running for another 100 years. I hope that this oil
"leaking" problem will not cost outrageous head repair bill later. As
long as it keeps running, I am OK to keep adding oil once a while.