Hey so i'm really stumped on this one. My daily driver 96 stock ek just randomly started burning crap loads of oil about after a minute from when it's started and doesn't stop. It just seamed to happen overnight with nothing really triggering it. Anyways, I did a compressin check all cylinders are fine around 185 psi, and I did a leakdown test and all cylinders are fine with only about 5% leakage. So the only thing I can think of is the oil control ring on each piston somehow went bad and is cause way too much oil to splash up against the cylinder walls. Anyways that's my only guess I'd really like to hear some other ppl's oppinions. Thanks.

 

sounds like valve seals to me..most likely its just dumping oil into the exhaust

 

does the car smoke at all?...are you sure it burning and not leaking somewhere?

 

Yes it's actually burning oil. It's pouring outa the exhaust. The valve seals look fine when I took the valve cover off and it's likely not them because it starts about after a minute of warming up. U'd notice the valve seals if it was when u first started the car up.

 

Update. So I started tearing down the engine today, got the head off, and everything inside the head looks fine, the headgasket looks fine doesn't seam to be the culprit. I haven't gone into the bottom end yet but I can see the pistons and the cylinders from the top end, and they all look fine and seam to not have any excessive wear, so i'm REALLY hoping it's the piston rings/oil control rings or else i'm all out of ideas. Any one have any other advice of what it might be? Thanks.

 

I had the same thing happen to my 2000 Civic. It started after I went over to snythetic oil. I was going through a lot of oil, went back to regular conventional oil. Drove for 15,000 miles on convetional and oil consumption went down a lot, but still burns a small amount. Just letting you know my experience.

 

ok so. a few replies to this topic... first off. how many miles are on the cylinder head? the valve guides and seals are most likely leakin oil, sure they will look fine but they will need to be replaced, those little seals go through millions of valve strokes and wear down. the felpro kit is 37 bucks at kragen and the valve spring compressor is about 20. if youve got the head off just do it, itll make life alot better in the end. as far as the synthetic, i had the same thing happen to me. synthetic 5w30 is a lot more "slippery" and goes through the seals, rings etc.... easier than conventional. just go back to a decent conventional and youll be fine. i have changed oil on thousands of cars, i am a service manager of an oil shop (not bragging trust me), and the only additive i have ever seen to do any bit of good against oil burn off and consumption is RESTORE, that stuff is great, and at 5 bucks for a 4cyl can you cant go wrong.

 

same problem here i have 185 psi in all cylinders but after start up may be 2-3 minutes later is smokes sometimes it stops then when i get on it, it just smokes. My oil level is a little over board/

you should do a leakdown test might be bad vales/ guilds/ seals.

 

K update. Finished tearing down the whole engine today and say to say everything looks fine. The piston rings all look good, as well as the rest of the bottom end. So now i'm really stumped, anyone have any good advice to offer? Thanks.

 

did you check the pcv valve always try the cheapest possible option before ripping apart you motor

 

What amazes me most about this thread is the fact that the original poster has completely ignored the first reply which is likely the correct answer. If the oil goes away when you "get on it" as was stated in one of the replies then the valve guide seals are the likely culprit. When you "get on it" vacuum is reduced and there is less "pull" on the air coming in. When the valve opens air is not only drawn in but vacuum is applied to the underside of the valve seals. This causes positive pressure above the seal and forces oil down the seals and into the combustion chamber. I would replace the valve guide seals and listen more carefully next time.

 

^^^^your the f-in man!^^^^

 

Yah I read those posts and kind of dismissed them. For one, when valve seals go bad, they are much more noticed when the engine is first started or has been sitting/idling for a long time because oil slowly leaks down into the cylinders over more and more time. And when I start the car it doesn't start burning oil at all till about after 30sec to a minute after it starts. After it's been started for a couple minutes it burns so much that doesn't matter if it's idling or WOT it's burning quite a bit whatever the situation.

 

you should of did a leak down dude, I had a similar problem and i did a leak down come out its my rings.. m


i did a leak down test and the only place the air was escaping was from the valve cover oil cap whole and the oil dip stick whole,, so im assuming the air is escaping via the rings

Im thinking since the block was already smoking a maybe bad rings , and then i got it honed kind of open the bore out a bit and now its leaking through the rings... So what im gonna do it BORE THAT BIT#CH .020 over and go with type R pistons. and while i have the head out port that BIT@H and get it check and replace what is needed.