Nissan Repair: 2002 Nissan Altima Oil Consumption, 2002 nissan altima, valve cover gasket

Question
I bought this car used from a small, independent dealership.  During my test drive it ran smoothly and a few days later I ended up purchasing it.  Starting a few days ago, my CHECK ENGINE light came on, and the ENGINE OIL light occasionally turned on.  I popped the hood to check the engine oil and it was extremely low.  There was black smoke coming out of the exhaust which leads me to believe that my engine is burning up my oil.  The dealership I bought it from never gave information on any major problems with the car and sold it to me AS-IS.  What can I do?

Answer
Hello -

I think you have 2 issues here.

When oil burns, it usually burns blue smoke, not black. I would fill the engine with oil until the proper level, then check for an external oil leak, perhaps from the valve cover gasket, or pressure switch.

Since oil levels do not turn the Check engine light on, that light will have to be diagnosed with an OBD. Take it to the nearest competent dealership and they can drag the code from the car's computer and tell you what the light means. There are hundreds of codes, so this is the best way.

Autozone is good if you have one in your area.

Hope this helps -
aloha
calvin