'04 Mazda 6 - Oil Consumption

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paulo57509

paulo57509

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A co-worker recently bought a used '04 Mazda-6 and is now finding out it might be a dud.

At only 77k miles, it consumes about a quart of oil every 200 miles. No external leaks. He's had a shop look at it, and they're telling him new engine.

I'm thinking little or no maintenance. I haven't checked the obvious things like PCV system being plugged, etc. I suspect sludge and stuck ring packs allowing little or no oil control. I'm curious to look through the oil filler hole.

Auto Rx candidate?

This is a crying shame because it's a beautiful car.
 
1qt per 200miles? no PCV valve replacement gonna cut down the consumpation.

In other words: you need a new engine or a full rebuild.

Q.
 
200 miles? That engine is toast, I wouldn't even bother with a rebuild.

It's interesting though, as this is now the fourth 6 that has had an issue like this. And all of them have a common theme:abuse. Doesn't look like they liked to be abused...
 
Which engine is this? As someone already said, the location of the PCV on the 2.3L is a friggin crime against maintenance.
 
Originally Posted By: paulo57509
A co-worker recently bought a used '04 Mazda-6 and is now finding out it might be a dud.

At only 77k miles, it consumes about a quart of oil every 200 miles. No external leaks. He's had a shop look at it, and they're telling him new engine.

I'm thinking little or no maintenance. I haven't checked the obvious things like PCV system being plugged, etc. I suspect sludge and stuck ring packs allowing little or no oil control. I'm curious to look through the oil filler hole.

Auto Rx candidate?

This is a crying shame because it's a beautiful car.


Worth looking into. Mine is sludged (in reversal now) due to clogged PCV valve and hit or miss maintenance. My oil consumption was never been that bad though. Worst (previous oil change) was 1L in 2,000 km, although that was also the OCI during which the PCV valve was replaced. Slightly less miles on mine.

Possibly fouled PCV & stuck or worn piston rings. I would give something like Auto Rx or Seafoam a shot. Wouldn't hold out much hope at that level of consumption, but its a cheap thing to try and if doesn't work then the cost is still pretty tiny compared to the rebuild or new engine option he's facing next.

-Spyder
 
I was always jealous of the guys with the V6 for that reason... then I remembered changing the spark plugs on my 2.3L and called it a wash.
 
Originally Posted By: brandini
I was always jealous of the guys with the V6 for that reason... then I remembered changing the spark plugs on my 2.3L and called it a wash.


I'll give you that one.
 
I'd start 'cheap' solutions, and work up from there.

Add a quart of MMO or to a fill of oil, run 3k miles, drain, and do it again. Or, add a pint of Seafoam to a fill of oi1 1k before changing, and do THAT a couple of times.

If that doesn't work, try thicker oils - try a HM 5W-30 or 10W-30, and see if that helps. If it doesn't, I's try a 10W-40 or 15W-40 to see if it helps.

If that fails, buy a lot of oil cheap, and just feed it until it quits, or you fail an inspection of some kind.
 
Adding a qt of MMO to a run of 3K miles wont do much, especially when make up oil will be added at a qt every 200 miles. I know nothing about this particular engine design, but is there the possibility of an intake manifold gasket breach?
 
Seems that the oil consumption isn't as bad as first estimated. It looses oil, but not at such an alarming rate. It's hard to gauge because the car is drive only 10 miles to and from work and not on a daily basis. I think it just needs to be driven.

I did get a chance to look under the hood last week. A quick look through the oil fill hole; looks like a new engine in there.

I think a just drive it and see approach (monitor the oil level every fill up) is best for now.
 
Those of us in the oil burning camp should form a club of some kind. If nothing else maybe we can get a group discount on cheap oil.

My own consumption is pretty bad but not that bad. Its about 1L every 2,000 km. Its been driven, the PCV valve has been replaced, and the fuel system's been cleaned out (twice) with Regane. It still burns oil with no improvement yet.

The only thing I've noticed that has any impact upon consumption is speed. More highway, more consumption. And the faster I drive on the highway, the more oil I burn. When I do no highway (which is for no more than 3 or 4 days in a row, and that's rare) it doesn't seem to burn a drop.

No leaks, no smoke. I'm about as certain as one can be, short of tearing the engine down, that its due to the piston rings either being worn/damaged or just sticking. I'm hoping they're just stuck and eventually something I try will free them up and consumption will stop or decrease - a lot.

If nothing works by the time I've gotten the sludge out, then I'll try MaxLife over a few OCIs. And if that doesn't work it'll be bulk dino 10W40 in the summer, and PP 10W30 in the winter (it shouldn't consume as much then and the -39C pour point of PP 10W30 makes it worthwhile in the winter even if I do burn some off).

-Spyder
 
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