QuestionI have a 2005 T & C and I had the oil changed at 43000. it is now up to 44000 mi and it was 2 quarts low. the guy we bought this van from told us that if we used the wrong weight oil, that it would burn it. We have been using the correct wt oil and it is still "burning" oil. My question is:
What causes a car to burn oil, and what major things could be happening that are causing this car to burn oil. We haven't been running it really hard or anything, the check engine light came on, and that is when I checked the oil and it was 2 qts low. It wasn't the oil light that came on. I have a feeling that something is really wrong and I would like to catch it before it becomes a major problem. Do you have any suggestions???
AnswerHi Donna,
If you don't see any oil leaks on the ground where you park the car, then you have to assume it is burning some oil, rather than leaking oil, so do take a look of put some cardboard or a metal tray under the engine and see if there is significant leakage or not.
If not, then it is burning oil, unless by chance the oil is milky or the coolant in the overflow bottle is oily which would indicate a head gasket internal engine oil leak. Again check that.
The burning is due to oil leaking around the rings of the pistons or the seals of the valves and thus getting into the combustion chamber so as to mix with the fuel/air mixture and be burned when it detonates in the normal manner.
There is nothing that can be done to repair such leakage other than opening the bottom of the engine and replacing the pistons rings or remove the cylinder head and replace the valve seals. But you can reduce the amount of oil burning by increasing the "weight" of the oil. If the recommended weight is 5w-20 then the next time you change it use 10w-30; if you are already using 10w-30 then go up the ladder to 15w-40, and even after that to 20w-50 in the long run until you get to the point where the overall efficiency of the engine (gas mileage) has also deteriorated to the point where it is worth doing the necessary engine work. Oil is not so expensive as to warrant doing anything yet.
It is good that the oil light didn't come on and you were moving because that indicated that the oil pressure is unsafe to continue driving and you need to stop immediately and add some oil. So I would carry a quart of oil just in case that should happen. Don't worry if the oil light comes on at idle, so long that it goes off if you put the trans in neutral, rev the engine, and the light goes off.
Roland
