2003 Honda Civic LX Oil Help

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Hi guys, so we have a 2003 Honda Civic LX, with ~146k miles, runs like a champ. Had the car since 60k, now it's consuming oil, not sure where it's going though? Have to add almost 1 quart after every 500 or so miles. No smoke, no CEL and nothing. Just a bit background:

We replaced timing belt 3 years ago and somehow belt jumped and damaged the valves, ordered a replacement head from ebay and put everything back together. Then it started to leak oil from one of the seal in the cylinder head(o-ring). We fixed it and now no more leaks and it doesn't drip any oil either, but still consuming oil?

Where should we start to take care of it? So far we have used 5W20, occasionally 5W30, mixed with 5W20 in it.

Should we try to switch to a thicker oil or any known places to look for oil loss? I have 10W40 laying around, so as Shell Rotella 15W40.

Car is 100% stock, thanks for any of your help and input.
 
Originally Posted By: andrewp1998
Change the pcv and try a HM syn oil? Other with more exp will chime in..


Thanks, we have never touched the PCV on it. That would be a good first step, thank you.
 
Change the pcv, try max life 10w-30 for an oci and see what you get. I'd also do a compression test to get an idea of how well the rings are sealing.

Recommend you find an oem pcv valve. The cheap ones are known to cause problems.

If it's not leaking externally then you have 3 main places to look. Pcv, piston rings, valve guide seals. HM oil can help the seals, and you can replace the pcv. If it's the rings then go thicker.
 
Thanks for your suggestions. Is OEM the best bet? If so, we can go OEM. I don't see any visible leaks anymore.

First PCV valve, then compression test and then mix 10W40 with a 5W20, maybe?
 
Originally Posted By: maverickfhs
Thanks for your suggestions. Is OEM the best bet? If so, we can go OEM. I don't see any visible leaks anymore.

First PCV valve, then compression test and then mix 10W40 with a 5W20, maybe?


OEM was good enough for the first 100k
smile.gif


You can get oem without a dealer. Amazon has a lot of stuff. Just look up the correct part number and do some comparison shopping.

I'm not a fan of mixing oils because you don't know what you actually end up with. Of the two 10-40 will slow consumption more but that may be unnecessary. See what the pcv does. Try a 5w20 maxlife or m1 HM. I prefer 10w30 unless it's cold enough that you need a 5w or 0w to crank the engine.

If budget is an issue you can try Supertech 10w30 HM for $15 5qt jug at Walmart. Add a cheap Supertech filter and you're out the door under $20
 
Thanks for the reply, yeah we definitely missed on PCV valve just because it's not as obvious as other cars we have owned.

I have a bunch of oil in my stash, 5W20/5W30 Have some 10W30 too.

Maybe just changing the PCV resolve the problem. Compression test is on the to do list too!
 
Originally Posted By: maverickfhs


I have a bunch of oil in my stash, 5W20/5W30 Have some 10W30 too.


I agree, the first steps are to change the PCV and do a compression check.

If you want to use your stash prior to switching to a HM oil, I would recommend using Liqui-Moly Motor Oil Saver. You can get it on Amazon. I ran this in my Audi A6 with M1 0w40 and it stopped usage in its tracks.
 
Probably valve seals in that junkyard head.

Although these engines are notorious for head gaskets. Was the head machined before it was put on? How is the coolant level in the rad and overflow bottle?
 
Last edited:
Coolant and overflow bottle, everything is good and we did replace the headgasket when we were putting the new head on. No overheating or loss of coolant issues.
 
Originally Posted By: mightymousetech
Probably valve seals in that junkyard head.

Although these engines are notorious for head gaskets. Was the head machined before it was put on? How is the coolant level in the rad and overflow bottle?


The 05 model year was really the only one notorious for head gaskets. The 01-04 were pretty solid.
 
My sister owns a 2005 Civic 1.7L non-VTec (value package model) with ~210k miles on it. It burns oil between changes, probably a quart or so. Using a 10w30 has definitely slowed it down. I replaced the PCV before switching to 10w30 and it didn't help. I wasn't really surprised since the old one looked fine. I'd start with the PCV first though.

My guess is valve seals or rings.
 
An update on this, we replaced the PCV valve, consumption has been reduced but not stopped.

Any other suggestions? Today, I poured about 1 quart of M1 0W40 in it. Would it improve or degrade anything?
 
I'd try 'Restore' oil additive.

It seems to really work on old, high-mileage engine that are getting badly worn out.

Maybe during all the cylinder head problems, something got into a cylinder and scratched the walls or damaged a ring.
 
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