accord1986

I have a 1994 Honda Accord with 165K or so miles on it. Everything runs fine, but it seems to be burning some oil. If it is leaking, it isn't much - certainly not as much oil as it's losing. So, I'm assuming it's burning. After a long drive, I can smell what I think is burning oil coming from engine - don't smell it in the cabin though. There is some white smoke on startup on a cold morning after it sits, but it stops after it runs a few minutes. Coolant levels are perfect - never have to add any. There is also a whistling sound coming from engine - seems like when it idles - comes and goes. Not sure if that's related. Could this be PCV valve? Or something much worse? I'm not exactly sure the exact amount of oil it burns - I've just started measuring it. The previous owner replaced one of the seals on the engine and the oil pump - and sold it to me saying it didn't lose any oil. Oh, well.

Your thoughts and expertise would be greatly appreciated.

dglassmyer

The white vapor upon startup in the morning is normal and not to be concerned with.
Try and get an accurate idea of just how much oil your car is burning, as you said you are trying to do now.
A compression test will confirm the possibility of a mechanical issue which could be responsible for the engine burning oil.
You should have compression numbers around 160 psi per cylinder with no greater than a 10% variance between the high and low cylinders.
Be sure to check with the TB @ WOT.

Cleaning the engine and then looking for leaks may also help you spot troublesome areas, seeing oil leaks on a dirty motor with 165k on the odometer can be next to impossible