my 01 lude just got an oil change about 1000 miles ago. one day i get in my car and after being warmed up will not go into vtech. so i drive it home, pull in the driveway and the oil light comes on, check the dipstick no oil, put in 3 quarts and then the oil is where it is supposed to be. have no leaks what so ever no smoke as well, car runs great but vtech works only occasionally. what do i do? what could be wrong? and how is it fixed? if anyone can help me it would be greatly appreciated.

 

Its somewhat normal on 5th gens, search.

 

i got the same problem, and I also have a '97 and it drank oil like no tomorrow (3q down after 1k miles) so it is pretty normal. I plan on a motor rebuild (122978 miles on it now) but you shouldn't have to go to that extream. my ony suggestion would be to try an oil stabilizer.

 

well thansks for the feed back guys. now that i know its normal i can rest easy. well i was gonna try a sythetic oil as well, any preference on that or the stabilizer?

 

Vtec burns oil. If you use Vtec EVERY time you accelerate in EVERY gear, you'll burn oil REALLY fast. Sucks, I know, but it's the price we pay for that extra hp above 5200 RPM...

 

Burning a bit of oil in these engines is very frequent (mine does too), although some guys here will tell you theirs don't burn a single drop... lucky them.

3qts for each 1000 miles is extreme, and you should have the issue checked out. I wouldn't rest in peace if my engine burned that much... I did a whole bunch of tests on my engine to see where my oil was going to, but all the tests came out perfect.

Keep in mind though, I don't even burn 1qt every 1000 miles... I'd say you have a major problem, find it, fix it.... It can't be good running like that.

I use Castrol synthetic, it works well, many people recommend Mobil1. If you have a lot of miles on the car, and are already burning oil, you may want to read into switching to synthetic, as it is supposed to shrink the gaskets a bit when you switch.

Your priority should be fixing the problem.

Good Luck

 

Burning oil is normal, my does 1 qt. in 2K miles (w/ 100K on the motor) 3 qts in 1k is NOT normal. Rings in all likehood, would be hard to push that much oil pass valve guide seals and the plugs would look very wet and engine wouldn't run well. Rebuild time..

 

i also found some stuff that a guy at work told me about that goes in with the oil and is supposed to line the cylinders and make it burn alot less oil. but yes i am switching to sythetic and going to get a new filter as well as a stabilizer.

 

all motors will burn oil because they ae not 100% sealed piston rings, valve guides, valve guide seals, they dont need to smoke or have leaks to show where it is going. A motor is said to burn a half a quart of oil every 1000 miles depending on the driving condition.

 

dont switch to synthetic, it will burn cleaner and in sense smoke less but it will not stop it from burning it, and if your burnin three quarts now you will keep on burning 3 quarts, this time it will be 6$ a quart-

 

i have talked to people saying that sythetic would burn better and not as fast, my car doesnt smoke anyway.

 

My experience has been the same; three quarts every 1000 miles or so. I did some research. All Hondas burn ridiculous amuonts of oil at high rpm. Synthetic oil in an engine with 75,000+ miles is a mistake. Synthetic is thinner because it is made up of smaller molecules and gets through tighter clearances easier. I would recommend Valvoline Max Life and Lucas Oil Stablizer. I tried it and it made a world of difference. Only 1/4 quart low after 3500 miles. If that doesn't work, try Quaker State High RPM. The only problem with this oil is that once you start using it, you can't stop. It physically bonds to all oiled engine parts and when mixed with other oils, breaks down and cancels out itself and the new oil. Be Careful.

 

synthic oils are good they stick to parts better. if your motor is burning 3qts of oil every 1000k you must be the type to run your honda hard. i have a 01 prelude and it burns maybe 1qt every 2000k miles, and it has 75000 on it now. i wouldnt put any oil stabilizer in a motor because its thick and could cause old oil pumps to stop-up. check some other threads on oil stablizer lots of people say dont use it

 

synthetic oil is not thiner. it is finer its been put through more test and is designed to stick to parts better allowing for better lude to parts. im best imformation i can give is use mobile 1 full synthetic oil i have used it for years now best stuff out there. hope i helped