How bad is my car burning oil?

Question

I have a '99 Saturn Coupe with 102,000 miles on it. I knew I needed an oil change because of the mileage I have driven, but the oil light did not come on so I assumed everything was fine. I have not noticed clouds of smoke around me or anything like that, but today when I took it to CarX they said they couldn't find any major leaks and they thought it was probably burning a lot of oil because they only were able to drain around a quart of oil. If it has been 5,000 miles or so since my last oil change, assuming everything was topped off at that time, how bad is this? And, would running my car to the Low Fuel light effect this in any way?

Answer 1

FIrst off with over 100,000 miles on your car you should be changing the oil every 3,000 miles. Second you shouldn't wait for the oil light to come on to change it. The oil light is bad, that means you don't have enough oil in your car. Running your car to the low fuel light will not effect your oil but can effect your fuel pump/fuel filter. Before you leave the place you're having you oil changes done at, check your oil level. They could not be putting enough oil in. Check your oil every day/every other day and see if there are any changes. Also, take it somewhere and get a second opinion.

Answer 2

Pretty bad...you probably have heavily worn piston rings and the oil is blowing past them during the compression stroke and burning off. It's slow enough that you wouldn't have huge plumes of smoke while driving...but enough where a small amount of gray or white smoke would be coming out of the exhaust whilst driving.

Assuming the thing was topped off with 4-5 quarts at the last oil change, burning a quart every 1,000-or-so miles is a high loss rate. Not catastrophic...but very high.

Realistically, if you remember to add a quart every 1,000 miles, your car will last for a couple of more years. (Next time you have the oil changed, check the dipstick immediately to make sure that the mechanic has filled the oil to the proper level.)

As for the oil light not coming on...IF the car indeed had only one quart left in it...it SHOULD have come on....or at least flickered during hard braking or fast turns. Most likely the plug to the oil sensor is disconnected or broken off. It's fairly easy to knock this thing loose when working under the car. It could also be that the sensor plug that screws into the oil pan is faulty. A not-very-common event...but a cheap and easy fix.

Finally, running your car to the low fuel light has nothing to do with the engine oil. It being on wouldn't affect oil consumption in any manner.

Answer 3

Sometimes what the manufacturers deem as normal oil consumption can vary widely from vehicle to vehicle. I would normally change my oil at 3,000 mile intervals, and see how the oil level is at either every gas fill-up, or at least every other gas fill-up to monitor it until you actualy know how fast it is using it.
From my personal experience with the vehicles I have had, using less than a quart of oil, or not much more than one quart of oil between 3,000 mile oil changes is normal. Anything more than that would usually raise concerns to me that I either had a leak I did not realize, the oil filter may not have been screwed on tight enough the last time it was changed, or a possibility of either valve seals leaking oil past them, or the rings having a lot of blow-by. If the valve seals are bad, you can usually tell that by idling for a few minutes while sitting still with the car in gear, and then start off a little fast (not too much so though), and see if you see smoke behind the vehicle after you have started out.
I worked on a friend's van recently that was going through a LOT of oil. I hadn't actually worked on his van for that reason. He had other major problems that I got squared away for him, but I also checked it for the oil consumption, and found that the oil filter was not even on hand tight. So if someone else changes your oil on a regular basis, it would be a good idea to just check the filter afterwards to be sure it was tight, and to check your oil also to make sure it was filled to the full mark when it was changed. That is cheap insurance that you will not run across a major problem because someone did not tighten the oil filter all the way. I knew someone once whose engine was trashed because that very thing happened. The guy doing the oil change screwed up big time!
You can check the oil filter by tying to turn it by hand to see if it will tighten up any more, but do NOT tighten it up with an oil filter wrench, because if you get it too tight with that, it could actually leak because of distorting the seal on the oil filter.
As far as running the car with the low fuel light, that would not have an effect on oill consumption, although it is better to not let the gas get real close to empty on a regular basis, as that makes any sediment that is at the bottom of the tank get stirred up, possibly causing your fuel filter to plug up more easily than it otherwise would.

Answer 4

You need to check your oil once a week. Learn how if you don't know. They could only drain 1 qt. ? That is bad. You didn't see smoke because you didn't have any oil left. As far as your engine, it is normal for older engines to burn some oil, but not a lot. Your car's engine probably has worn out piston rings. This causes lost compression (power loss) and burning of oil. You really need to take better care of your car. A qt. a month is normal for an older car, beyond that, your rings are worn and bad. By the way, you should change your oil every 3000 miles. And don't rely on warning lights. They only come on after damage or problems happen.
By the way, with that many miles, you might want to switch to a 20w- 50 oil. It is a thicker oil and can take more heat before it breaks down. Also, if you are burning oil, your spark plugs will foul and have deposits on them. It is also good to keep your spark plugs clean. Do it at least with every oil change.

Answer 5

not the low fuel light, but never ever wait till the oil light comes on before thinking abotu an oil change. Your car must be burning oil since it is not leaking it. Just check the oil level maybe once a month and keep it topped off. Some burning of oil is normal especially if it has a standard transmission. three quarts per oil chnage is a bit much. The engine is just wearing out and internal seals are letting oil get into the cylinder. A 3 dollar quart of oil per month is cheaper than a new engine. SO I say just keep driving it, but be aware that your car is aging.

Answer 6

You should change oil AND filter every three to six thousand miles. The problem with not doing it is that oil gets dirty, even with a filter and the combustion process contaminates the oil with acid. Let it go long enough and the filter clogs so there is no filtration of dirt and metal particles and the acid builds to the level that it eats away engine components leading to early engine failure. If you are having to add oil frequently then you either have a leaky gasket somewhere or the acid and dirt have worn components to the point that your engine is burning oil. If you see a bluish smoke coming from your exhaust you are burning oil.

Answer 7

Typically, if you're burning a lot of oil, you'll be able to smell it. Make sure you open the hood and check your oil level yourself often. Since this is very easy to do, you'll be able to see how much oil your car is going through in between oil changes. If whoever changed your oil last, didn't account for the oil the filter takes in, it will slightly decrease the amount of oil you have. For a car with over 100,000 miles, you should check the level of oil often. Refill as necessary until next oil. Running the car to low gas level does not affect how much oil your car burns.

Answer 8

if you were burning alot of oil you would know it. it would smoke when you drive it. if it blows smoke when you start it you need a valve job or valve seals you can see if it leaks if you go clean your engine off and put a piece of cardboard underneath your car overnight if theres drips on it in the morning youve got a leak and that will help you track it down also dont wait 5000 miles before you change your oil its bad for any car especially a car with over 100000 miles try using oil made for cars with high mileage and also make sure you use the correct oil if you put a lighter weight oil in your car than reccommended it will use more oil

Answer 9

the oil light only tells you when the oil pressure is low, that may or may not have anything to do with getting it changed, NEVER depend on the oil light to tell you when you need a change. it's for catastrophe's only. if they couldn't see an obvious leak your probably burning oil due to too many infrequent oil changes, in other words you've done damage to the motor from neglect. pay attention when you first start the car for the day, do you see smoke for a little while? if you do you need a valve job. if not it's probably leaking somewhere.

Answer 10

Thats bad to be left with 1/4 of oil. It takes 4 to 5 litres of oil. I would change the oil filter when you change the oil. I check my oil monthly depending on how many miles I have put on. Its really hard on the engine to have your oil that low.