1998 CRV with 100,000+ on the clock started burning oil 1 quart per 700 miles. I pull the spark plugs and see tops of pistons 1 and 2 wet with oil. #3 and #4 pistons are dry. Also, I don't have a smoke plume from the exhaust pipe after starting the engine after an overnight park nor any smoke when I pull away from a stoplight. Alright, it doesn't look like the valve stem seals, which incidentally were replaced 3 years ago. There are no oil leaks I can see on the engine.
So I had the indie shop change my piston rings with originals from Honda. There was also some wear on the conn rod bearings,so these got changed as well. I myself measured the ring gaps after inserting the new rings squarely into the bores using the pistons to push them in, and they were within spec as per the shop manual. So I assume the bores are not well worn. Cylinder walls were glass smooth. No scratches anywhere. The rings were installed correctly as per the shop manual I had. Shop didn't do a cyl hone, as they thought honing would increase the bores slightly. After the engine was put together with new head gasket and oil pan gasket, she's purring like a kitten. The oil level stayed steady for a few weeks but after 700 miles, the oil consumption has reappeared. Same rate as before - a quart every 700 miles. I changed the PCV with a Honda original but still no dice. Why would the oil be good at the start? If the bores are more worn than I thought, wouldn"t the oil consumption be bad from the start and improve as the rings got seated? Any thoughts on what to look at next?
So I had the indie shop change my piston rings with originals from Honda. There was also some wear on the conn rod bearings,so these got changed as well. I myself measured the ring gaps after inserting the new rings squarely into the bores using the pistons to push them in, and they were within spec as per the shop manual. So I assume the bores are not well worn. Cylinder walls were glass smooth. No scratches anywhere. The rings were installed correctly as per the shop manual I had. Shop didn't do a cyl hone, as they thought honing would increase the bores slightly. After the engine was put together with new head gasket and oil pan gasket, she's purring like a kitten. The oil level stayed steady for a few weeks but after 700 miles, the oil consumption has reappeared. Same rate as before - a quart every 700 miles. I changed the PCV with a Honda original but still no dice. Why would the oil be good at the start? If the bores are more worn than I thought, wouldn"t the oil consumption be bad from the start and improve as the rings got seated? Any thoughts on what to look at next?