2001 Civic HX burning oil question.

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First off, LOVE the car. It's been extremely reliable and it keeps on going. Currently has 226K and mostly highway miles. I change the oil myself and I used to use 20w, but recently 30w. It seems to have slowed down the burning. So, for those that have this car or similar age and have this problem, what has worked for you? HM, 40w? Which brand/s?

Thank you
 
Agree, how much are you losing?

What about leaks vs. actual consumption? What looks like a no-big-deal leak can easily add up. My daughter has a 2001 LX that "uses" a quart about every 3500-4000 at 162k.

However, it also has a few leaks---oil pan gasket (now replaced); cam cover plugs on the valve covers (replaced one pretty easy) and 1-2 more leaks elsewhere that look like a PITA to get to. When compared to the price of a quart of oil, not worth the hassle.

I think hers has a different engine from yours, but the thoughts still apply.
 
If using a thicker oil slows oil consumption, then I would think it's the piston rings.

But first fix all the leaks and then try a 40 weight, 10w40 high mileage, that significantly slowed down the oil consumption in my D16Y7, after changing the rings, no more oil loss even with 0w20.
 
At least two qts.
frown.gif
 
Originally Posted By: eagle23
Agree, how much are you losing?

What about leaks vs. actual consumption? What looks like a no-big-deal leak can easily add up. My daughter has a 2001 LX that "uses" a quart about every 3500-4000 at 162k.

However, it also has a few leaks---oil pan gasket (now replaced); cam cover plugs on the valve covers (replaced one pretty easy) and 1-2 more leaks elsewhere that look like a PITA to get to. When compared to the price of a quart of oil, not worth the hassle.

I think hers has a different engine from yours, but the thoughts still apply.


Cam plug was replaced and I don't see any other leaks.
 
Originally Posted By: 01_celica_gt
If using a thicker oil slows oil consumption, then I would think it's the piston rings.

But first fix all the leaks and then try a 40 weight, 10w40 high mileage, that significantly slowed down the oil consumption in my D16Y7, after changing the rings, no more oil loss even with 0w20.


I think it's the rings, because with the thicker stuff, it did slow down somewhat. How much does it cost to replace the rings?
 
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
How much oil per 5000 miles do you need to add?

Civic HX are as rare as a purple squirrel, LX and EX are common.


Two qts, at least.
 
Originally Posted By: Bandito440
I've had luck with Maxlife 5w-30 and then 10w-40 as mileage collected on my Volvo.


I tried Maxlife 20w and it didn't do much. Maybe the 30w would work better.
 
Try 30 wt Maxlife.

As long as you are getting 45 MPG, keeps adding oil and enjoy your car. Unless the engine blows up, no need to put new rings. You will get 400K miles with just topping off your oil level.
 
Originally Posted By: shrooms
Originally Posted By: Bandito440
I've had luck with Maxlife 5w-30 and then 10w-40 as mileage collected on my Volvo.


I tried Maxlife 20w and it didn't do much. Maybe the 30w would work better.

It's a start. It took me three 3,000 mile OCIs to notice a difference, for whatever reason. I moved to 10w-40 once things got worse, but it was a $1,000 car that I put a great many miles on.
 
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Try 30 wt Maxlife.

As long as you are getting 45 MPG, keeps adding oil and enjoy your car. Unless the engine blows up, no need to put new rings. You will get 400K miles with just topping off your oil level.



I'll try it then. Is 40w too heavy for the Civic?

Thank you
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: shrooms
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Try 30 wt Maxlife.

As long as you are getting 45 MPG, keeps adding oil and enjoy your car. Unless the engine blows up, no need to put new rings. You will get 400K miles with just topping off your oil level.
I'll try it then. Is 40w too heavy for the Civic?

No. You might lose 1 MPG in the process, but that's it. No harm done.
 
Originally Posted By: Bandito440
Originally Posted By: shrooms
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Try 30 wt Maxlife.

As long as you are getting 45 MPG, keeps adding oil and enjoy your car. Unless the engine blows up, no need to put new rings. You will get 400K miles with just topping off your oil level.
I'll try it then. Is 40w too heavy for the Civic?

No. You might lose 1 MPG in the process, but that's it. No harm done.


Thank you!

I just came back getting QS Defy 5w30 for the main reason of the rebate offer, so it cost $10.00 after the rebate! I'll try it and see what happens.
 
Originally Posted By: shrooms
Originally Posted By: 01_celica_gt
If using a thicker oil slows oil consumption, then I would think it's the piston rings.

But first fix all the leaks and then try a 40 weight, 10w40 high mileage, that significantly slowed down the oil consumption in my D16Y7, after changing the rings, no more oil loss even with 0w20.


I think it's the rings, because with the thicker stuff, it did slow down somewhat. How much does it cost to replace the rings?

I have no idea, I wouldn't pay anyone else to rebuild an engine I owned, OEM repair manual has more then ample instructions on how (Toyota & Honda Repair Manuals do at least).

If you seriously trust someone who is competent then, get it done, I bet you it's worth it, my D16Y7, not only stopped burning oil, it also gained significant power since the piston rings were the culprit(including the top compression rings)

In the 1ZZ-FEs I have never seen a power increase with just piston ring replacement since their compression rings, still hold very good compression. But when I changed all the bearings, and adjusted valve clearance(middle of the suggested clearance by Toyota), that is truly when the engine increased in performance, compared to before.
 
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