CRV consuming oil like crazy.

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jan 26, 2006
Messages
1,091
Location
Md, USA
My co-worker has a '10 CRV with almost 70k, and since November has started losing oil at a quick pace. She's never been one to check oil, she claims she's owned three cars, and has never checked oil with a dipstick, only brings it in for an oil change by following the OLM....or Jiffy Lube stickers before OLMs came about. Recently the oil pressure light has been coming on, and she's been dumping in oil a quart at a time, and it seems to last around 500-800 miles. The car has always seen 5k oil changes at the Honda Dealer. There is occasionally a slight sucking/whirring sound at start-up that lasts a second or two after it's been sitting all night, but once it's running she claims it sounds like normal, drives normal. As the car is paid off, she really doesn't want to get rid of it, but doesn't want to buy a motor either. She took it to a local Gas Station repair place, they found no leaks, told her to get rid of it before something really goes bad. I don't trust those guys to check the air in my tires, let alone diagnose an engine. Once she finds a reputable place, what will they likely check for on this car?
 
Last edited:
Don't wait for the oil light to come on to add oil. The oil light means there's no pressure and it's much more than a quart low.

Keep adding oil and don't worry about it if its not smoking.

800mi per quart is not that crazy bad.
 
First thing to check and possibly replace is PCV valve, its should cost no more than $10 for part and less than 5 minutes to replace it. Fram PCV valve is available anywhere.
 
You're not really telling us much about the consumption. Waiting until the oil pressure light comes on, then dumping a quart in? Huh? Maybe she should try using the distick, instead of being one. If she doesn't want to get rid of the car or buy an engine, maybe she should have been a little more proactive about maintenance.
 
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
You're not really telling us much about the consumption. Waiting until the oil pressure light comes on, then dumping a quart in? Huh? Maybe she should try using the distick, instead of being one. If she doesn't want to get rid of the car or buy an engine, maybe she should have been a little more proactive about maintenance.


Ouch
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
First thing to check and possibly replace is PCV valve, its should cost no more than $10 for part and less than 5 minutes to replace it. Fram PCV valve is available anywhere.


Go with Honda OEM PCV valves, just made that mistake with a NAPA. It even had solid metal construction but it ticked and buzzed. Honda OEM solved that problem. I know some of these K24's have issues with consumption. See if Honda will help pay for the repair.
 
I would refrain from providing more technical information/aid/assistance to your coworker at this very instance if I were you, citing that I had some rather "interesting" situations in the past, and let's just say that once you begin to touch your coworker's car, full-liability is on you.

Back away as quickly as you can (I'd rather play dumb instead).

Q.
 
Originally Posted By: montero1
As the car is paid off, she really doesn't want to get rid of it, but doesn't want to buy a motor either.


I don't want to buy gas either, but I make a practice of driving my car so I have to keep buying gas. If I stopped driving it maybe I wouldn't have to buy gas anymore. Your coworker makes a practice of running her car without oil so she has to get rid of it or buy a motor. If she stopped running it without oil maybe she wouldn't have to.
 
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
You're not really telling us much about the consumption. Waiting until the oil pressure light comes on, then dumping a quart in? Huh? Maybe she should try using the distick, instead of being one. If she doesn't want to get rid of the car or buy an engine, maybe she should have been a little more proactive about maintenance.


+1, but I think she has proven to be a dipstick. Best to run and avoid any liability/connection to this failure. PCV, ensuring true proper level of oil (after a change), etc are all solid recommendations, but probably nothing else to suggest or recommend, else "YOU" caused the issues...
 
This vehicle never had a problem with consumption until November. Aside from the PCV valve, what would be the next thing they check? I think there is something really wrong with the car. She's had two oil changes since this problem with the light began, and both times within weeks, her oil pressure light comes on, and she gets a neighbor to dump oil in. She told me once it took two quarts to bring it back to the full line. I think her consumption is worse than a quart per 500-800 miles.

On another note, not once did I say I was going to go near the car, I'm just trying to get her to take the car in, get looked at, and keep her from getting ripped off. Perhaps you could lay off all the rude comments.
I'm sure many of you have a wife, girlfriend, daughter that doesn't know diddly about cars, and have never been under the hood.

This is a single mother of two, who always had her cars maintained by her husband, who died three years ago, serving his country.

Happy Memorial Day.....enjoy your cookouts today, and maybe at some point, when you're mashing processed meat down your gullet, stop and think about what today is about.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: montero1
She's had two oil changes since this problem with the light began, and both times within weeks, her oil pressure light comes on, and she gets a neighbor to dump oil in. She told me once it took two quarts to bring it back to the full line. I think her consumption is worse than a quart per 500-800 miles.


If the most it took to get the oil level to full after the light came on, it's possible the light shouldn't have come on in the first place and it's just a bad oil pressure switch. It's just as likely that she's got a bunch of sludge in there and oil pumped up to the valvetrain is taking too long to get back to the sump. That could also explain excessive oil consumption. It would also mean it's trying to lube the engine with air bubbles instead of proper oil even before the light comes on.

There are many other possibilities. One way or another she isn't going to know what's wrong or how to fix it until someone who knows what they're looking at gets their eyes and hands in there. If she hasn't got someone like that as a family member or close friend (in which case she shouldn't have needed to involve you) this means hiring a mechanic. For the amount of work involved it could be very expensive to fix.

Originally Posted By: montero1
This is a single mother of two, who always had her cars maintained by her husband, who died three years ago, serving his country.


So can she afford to have the vehicle down for major repairs if they're needed? It might make more sense to dump it and buy something that works, then try to maintain that one a bit better.
 
When a car suddenly starts using oil, it is almost always a stuck PCV.

Easy to check, easy to replace.

But if she ran it down to where two quarts were needed, she may have done additional damage.
 
Uh Oh,there go legendary Honda reliability and longevity.I can see someone having to unload a Malibu,Caliber,or Accent in a rush,but a Honda? And I read yesterday of someone with a Honda small engine that had scoring on the crank journals..whats the world of bulletproof Asian products coming to?? So,my Dodges and Briggs engines are inferior I guess because they don't act like that. lol
 
This engine has problems that go way beyond a bad PCV valve.
IIRC there was something about issues with the low tension rings and 20w oil being used on the 2.4 and its an iVTEC which is another can of worms better left unopened.

Personally i would dummy up and act clueless, let her finish the engine off and blame someone else.
Quote:
Gas Station repair place, they found no leaks, told her to get rid of it before something really goes bad

They told her right IMHO!
 
My wife never checks the oil either and has owned two cars in 20 years. (96 Civic & 05 Legacy turbo). Nothing new with people. Wife never got off 4000 mile OCI so consmption on both is slight in elder years 0.5qt that it never mattered much.

Like others said if using OLM simply check oil level/top.
 
You know you are right about some replies. Getting back to the issue, in my life sudden things car wise always were easy to fix. I agree on the pcv valve also maybe another opinion might help. Either way I have similar problem with a 03 Mazda my family owns with 130k miles. You just have to check. You know someone told me they bought a Dodge recently and it consumed a quart around 1100 miles. It has 6k on it. Of course the dealer said it was NORMAL!! How bad is it when you buy a new car and YOU HAVE TO CHECK THE OIL TOO ON A REGULAR BASIS> bummer. Using a high mileage oil is always a good choice and going from 5-20 to 5-30 etc. Sudden loss or burning says a lot. IMHO
 
This is why most manuals state to check oil at every refuel. It sounds like she would need to add a quart every 400 miles or so, so someone just needs to teach her how so shes not always running to the neighbor.

With any luck a PCV valve will solve it, thank her for her late husbands sacrifice on this beautiful memorial day.
 
Originally Posted By: widman
When a car suddenly starts using oil, it is almost always a stuck PCV.

Easy to check, easy to replace.

But if she ran it down to where two quarts were needed, she may have done additional damage.


It could easily be a stuck oil ring or even broken one (now, this less common).
 
Since the oil consumption came on quickly, I assume like others, that the PCV system is suspect. Hopefully some kind person will be her coach on how and when to check the oil. Ed
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top