Why are "Normal" Oil Consumption Limits so High?

[TiredTrucker]

Originally Posted By: NHHEMI

Same here.

Modern day "acceptable oil consumption" ratings are ridiculous. 1 qt p/1000 is NOT acceptable. 1 qt p/3000 I could live with but 1 p/1000 is just the car mfg's protecting themselves against less than stellar engine assembly.

If I built a motor and it used 1 p/1000 I would owe someone a rebuild.


Agreed. My Detroit Series 60 doesn't use a gallon in 15,000 miles. That is less than the 1 qt in 3000 miles you mention. My '98 454 V8 didn't use a quart in 3000 miles. This whole new high oil consumption is normal stuff being put out by the OEM's is nonsense to cover something up. In GM's case, mostly to cover up the idiotic AFM stuff they put on their V8's now. Much of the oil consumption issues have been traced to the cylinder shutdown thing that goes on with the AFM. Not my worry on my new 2013. The AFM got disabled within 1 day of bringing the vehicle home, bright and shiny, from the dealer. I paid for 8 cylinders, and I want all of them working like they should. Not like some dweeb in a lab coat at GM R & D thinks it should.

 

[Eddie]

If manufactures keep putting out poorly designed and/or poorly assembled engines that consume excessive oil, like a quart in <3,000 miles, then the government will start including a new air pollution test. Ed

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: Eddie
If manufactures keep putting out poorly designed and/or poorly assembled engines that consume excessive oil, like a quart in div>


Absurd.
Low tension rings and mandated use of thinner oils. Both are to reduce parasitic loss and help lessen consumption.
If an engine built today is an oil burner you can attribute that to one thing,and one thing only.........break in and more importantly ring seating.
With the low tension rings its absolutely critical to load the rings as soon as possible so that means 3/4 throttle in high gear and use combustion pressures to seat then downshifting to create engine braking to load the rings on that side.
Do this for 20 miles and the rings will be seated as good as possible,and likely never consume any oil whatsoever.

 

[Nate1979]

Originally Posted By: TiredTrucker
Originally Posted By: NHHEMI

Same here.

Modern day "acceptable oil consumption" ratings are ridiculous. 1 qt p/1000 is NOT acceptable. 1 qt p/3000 I could live with but 1 p/1000 is just the car mfg's protecting themselves against less than stellar engine assembly.

If I built a motor and it used 1 p/1000 I would owe someone a rebuild.


Agreed. My Detroit Series 60 doesn't use a gallon in 15,000 miles. That is less than the 1 qt in 3000 miles you mention. My '98 454 V8 didn't use a quart in 3000 miles. This whole new high oil consumption is normal stuff being put out by the OEM's is nonsense to cover something up. In GM's case, mostly to cover up the idiotic AFM stuff they put on their V8's now. Much of the oil consumption issues have been traced to the cylinder shutdown thing that goes on with the AFM. Not my worry on my new 2013. The AFM got disabled within 1 day of bringing the vehicle home, bright and shiny, from the dealer. I paid for 8 cylinders, and I want all of them working like they should. Not like some dweeb in a lab coat at GM R & D thinks it should.


The AFM fix now comes from the factory on all 2011 and later GM V8's. What is stupid is that there isn't a little button for people who do not like it to easily turn it off. But, that is likely EPA mandated.

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted By: Clevy

With the low tension rings its absolutely critical to load the rings as soon as possible so that means 3/4 throttle in high gear and use combustion pressures to seat then downshifting to create engine braking to load the rings on that side.
Do this for 20 miles and the rings will be seated as good as possible,and likely never consume any oil whatsoever.


I never did that with my Mazda 3 and at about 110k miles I see zero oil consumption and the PCV is original. I just drove it normally straight from the dealer lot. However most of my commute is city or heavy stop and go, no constant highway cruising, so perhaps that had some play with ring seating.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: Nate1979
Originally Posted By: TiredTrucker
Originally Posted By: NHHEMI

Same here.

Modern day "acceptable oil consumption" ratings are ridiculous. 1 qt p/1000 is NOT acceptable. 1 qt p/3000 I could live with but 1 p/1000 is just the car mfg's protecting themselves against less than stellar engine assembly.

If I built a motor and it used 1 p/1000 I would owe someone a rebuild.


Agreed. My Detroit Series 60 doesn't use a gallon in 15,000 miles. That is less than the 1 qt in 3000 miles you mention. My '98 454 V8 didn't use a quart in 3000 miles. This whole new high oil consumption is normal stuff being put out by the OEM's is nonsense to cover something up. In GM's case, mostly to cover up the idiotic AFM stuff they put on their V8's now. Much of the oil consumption issues have been traced to the cylinder shutdown thing that goes on with the AFM. Not my worry on my new 2013. The AFM got disabled within 1 day of bringing the vehicle home, bright and shiny, from the dealer. I paid for 8 cylinders, and I want all of them working like they should. Not like some dweeb in a lab coat at GM R & D thinks it should.


The AFM fix now comes from the factory on all 2011 and later GM V8's. What is stupid is that there isn't a little button for people who do not like it to easily turn it off. But, that is likely EPA mandated.



If you set the gear shift in the chosen gear and not 'D' that disables the cylinder de-activation.
I read about chev and their version of cylinder de-activation and many owners not liking it.
The dodge version has been great thus far in my experience. And 25mpg from a 340hp/390tq engine is nothing short of a miracle.