i have a new mazda that has around 600 miles on it and have noticed pretty heavy sooting at the tailpipe, just wondering if it means that its an oil burner.? ive asked around on the mazda forum i hang out at and all these engines seem to be running rich so it is not an isolated case. people that have added a cold air intake have noticed that it has leaned out a little. is burning oil healthy for a car?
does heavy tailpipe soot = burning oil?
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Tailpipe soot usually means the car is running rich, not that it is burning oil. The former is a (relatively) simple fuel delivery problem, while the latter may require tearing the motor apart to fix.
Yeah, soot in the tailpipe would mean it's running rich, wasting your gas money. However, if you get actual clumps of #@$%! in your tailpipe then you're probably burning a lot of oil. My brother looked at a 92 Grand Marquis (before gas prices went up!) a few years back and the tailpipe had clumps of dark black partially solidified sludge. Must have been burning a #@$%! of a lot of oil.
The early 4.6s are known for their valve seals leaking in a very bad way. They can eat a BUNCH of oil!
Not really.
I have a 98 f150 with the chrome tailpipes and the 4.6L.
Vehicle is maintained excellent, motorcraft 5w20, it doesn't use a drop of oil in 5k miles.
The tailpipe is always sooty.
The gas mileage is within spec, the UOA's are excellent. The vehicle is tuned up and runs great.
Its not always what it seems.
I have a 98 f150 with the chrome tailpipes and the 4.6L.
Vehicle is maintained excellent, motorcraft 5w20, it doesn't use a drop of oil in 5k miles.
The tailpipe is always sooty.
The gas mileage is within spec, the UOA's are excellent. The vehicle is tuned up and runs great.
Its not always what it seems.
Not always! It can also mean tht the vechile pass's very little moisture out the tailpipe. Some engines are prone to condensation more then others and they will always pass more moisture out the tailpipe. The vechiles that pass themost moisture out the tailpipe usualy have the cleanest looking tail pipe! For example Ford F150's with the 300 I6 in general have very clean tailpipes due to the amount of water vapor they pass.
My car was running rich due to a malfunctioning crank sensor and it was just too ^$@^%(#@ cold to fix it. sooty tailpipe. When I did replace it the car ran more normally and the sooting dropped. It was not burning oil. Consuming about half a quart per OCI.
And it is a mazda
And it is a mazda
I would guess that you are talking about a Mazda Speed 3 as I also have one. They all seem to run a bit rich, but that is better than running lean. It will be interesting to see if it changes over time.
What grade of fuel are you burning? I would switch to a lower octane if you are using 93. I realize you manual probably calls for 93, but if you aren't running the car hard 89 will be just fine.
It's running rich...Mazdaspeed 3 turbo direct injection style.
Its a turbo, rich is safer than lean.
Some people have reported in the past that FP60 cleaned their tailpipe and bumper soot with regular use.
You may want to use FP60 or UCL regularly. Just don't overdose, as that may lower the octane.
Some people have reported in the past that FP60 cleaned their tailpipe and bumper soot with regular use.
You may want to use FP60 or UCL regularly. Just don't overdose, as that may lower the octane.
im running 91, the highest here in california and the minimum reccomended in the manual. yes it is a DISI turbo, direct injection and sparked mazda. would it be prudent to run mid grade, 89 , if there are no detonation issues with this grade?
No don't use 89 octane. It will likely pull timing and lose power. First comes slight knock that you can't hear but your knock sensors can. That's when the ECU pulls timing. I'm a turbo boy myself...VW 1.8T.
If he doesn't get into serious boost there shouldn't be any problem running 89.
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