HM oil to reduce oil consumption

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I'd like to hear experiences about HM oil reducing consumption. It seems that most discussions are about reducing leaks.

The vehicle in question is an '05 Chrysler T&C with the infamous oil-burning 3.8. Bought it with 70k and it now has 146k. It has always burned about a quart every 1500. This has been pretty consistent since we've owned it. Conklin Convoy 5W30, Valvoline Maxlife 5W30, Mobil 1 HM 5W30, and Mobil 1 0W40 have all been used and consumption has been similar with all (each has been run for more than 1 OCI, and yes, more than 1 means 2 or more
wink.gif
).

The PCV valve and hose have been replaced with OEM, with no improvement.

I'm not expecting a cure, but any improvement would be welcome. I'm thinking of trying Pennzoil HM or Castrol HM, leaning toward the Castrol as they claim it's less harmful to the cat, which I've already replaced once. Thanks in advance for any input.
 
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I've been running Castrol Edge HM 10w-40 in my 530i for the past 12K miles or so. So far, I've noticed no improvement in either leak reduction or consumption.
 
Originally Posted By: FordCapriDriver
Band aid fix.


Agreed. Like I said, any improvement would be welcome. I'm not gonna rebuild the engine in a 13yo minivan.
 
Go up to 10-40 Maxlife
Have you tried LiquaMoly MOS?
If either of these don't work then I think u are out of luck.
 
Thanks for the replies. I'm not going to a 10W40. Whatever I run, I want to be able to run year-round. We get many mornings well below 0 here. On New Year's morning, actual temp was -29F! So glad I had the day off work and could stay inside. I do park in a detached garage, but it's uninsulated/unheated, so start-up temps are only a little better than outside temp.

I tried the 0W40 to see what a 40 wt would do, and saw no difference.

Some have mentioned the cause of the consumption, and yes, that is definitely relevant. Unfortunately, I just can't say. After much reading over the years, the problem just seems to plague many of these 3.8 engines. Various explanations are floating around the internet: faulty ring design, oil rings installed upside-down on the assy line, etc. Honestly, I just don't know, but something along those lines seems to make sense, as the consumption has remained constant from 70k to 146k. I wish I knew if the problem had existed since new.

The van runs great, and we like it, so plan to keep it for a couple more years.
 
My in-laws have a 2010 Caravan (237K now) that I've put multiple different kinds of HM oil in, with little effect on consumption. Maxlife red bottle 5w20, 5w30, full syn Maxlife 10w30, Castrol 0w40 - it burns a quart every 1,000-1,200 miles and they refuse to keep it topped up. When I'm the one topping it off I put whatever I need to get rid of in it, 5w20 to 10w40. When I initially put VML in it (190K?) consumption seemed to slow some, but it slowly started using more again so I think the 3.8's particular flaw that causes consumption is difficult to reverse or mitigate very well.
 
First fill of M1HM cut the oil consumption in half in my ‘07 Tahoe 5.3. It was very noticeable vs AFE and standard 5W-30 syn loads. I’m interested to see if subsequent consecutive fills cuts it even further.
 
My first Grand Caravan, 2005 with a 3.8, is what brought me here. I purchased the van new. It woold use about 3/4ths of a quart in 1200 miles. In the case of this vehicle, simply switching to Pennzoil Platinum dropped consumption to about a half quart in 2k miles

My second van, a 2009 T&C with 3.8, was purchased used with 64k miles. This van used one quart per thosand miles l8ke clock work. At 500 miles, it was down a half quart. At 1000 miles, it was down one quart. Nothing helped. Not Mobil 1 full synthetic nor a Pennzoil Platinum full synthetic. Finally, I switched to Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage. Consumption was reduced dramatically.
 
Originally Posted By: JC1
Do the valve cover gaskets need replacing? I would check for leaks there.


No leaks, just consumption.
 
Originally Posted By: Alex_V
My in-laws have a 2010 Caravan (237K now) that I've put multiple different kinds of HM oil in, with little effect on consumption. Maxlife red bottle 5w20, 5w30, full syn Maxlife 10w30, Castrol 0w40 - it burns a quart every 1,000-1,200 miles and they refuse to keep it topped up. When I'm the one topping it off I put whatever I need to get rid of in it, 5w20 to 10w40. When I initially put VML in it (190K?) consumption seemed to slow some, but it slowly started using more again so I think the 3.8's particular flaw that causes consumption is difficult to reverse or mitigate very well.


Thanks for sharing your 3.8 experiences, I do appreciate it. Sounds like we've come to about the same place with these vans!
 
Originally Posted By: otis24
My first Grand Caravan, 2005 with a 3.8, is what brought me here. I purchased the van new. It woold use about 3/4ths of a quart in 1200 miles. In the case of this vehicle, simply switching to Pennzoil Platinum dropped consumption to about a half quart in 2k miles

My second van, a 2009 T&C with 3.8, was purchased used with 64k miles. This van used one quart per thosand miles l8ke clock work. At 500 miles, it was down a half quart. At 1000 miles, it was down one quart. Nothing helped. Not Mobil 1 full synthetic nor a Pennzoil Platinum full synthetic. Finally, I switched to Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage. Consumption was reduced dramatically.


Thanks for sharing this, Otis. Seeing as how PPHM has a rebate gong right now, I just might give it a try. Thanks!
 
Good luck with it. I would try various HM brands to try to reduce or mitigate it. I love my Japanese vehicles. Still driving my 1994 Montero. Purchased it brand new.




Respectfully,

Pajero!
 
Take a look at this youtube video and it might be something to consider. I know some have strong opinions about products and if the actually help. I have not tried this particular product but you can review and decide if it something you might want to explore further if needed. Youtube Here is the link on Amazon for he two products. Amazon

Good luck.
 
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