So for those that know me... i'm back in the game again. Well not really the car is automatic. Got it for $650 from an older gentleman in Delaware. The car is a 1989 Acura Integra LS, Auto, 126k miles. I won't bug you guys with the details of the car but here is my problem. I was ripping out the interior to clean and paint the rug its original color last weekend. Well I went about 4 or 5 days without starting it and then it wouldn't start. I remember the guy saying he had to put oil in it once in a while. I immediately did some diagnostic testing and was getting fuel, air, spark, etc. No CEL. I was stumped. Threw some oil in it and the car cranked with some life. I let it crank for about 5 or 7 seconds and the car immediately started. This was yesterday. Went out there today and the car started again. Seems like if the car sits for a couple of days it needs oil. There is a valve cover gasket leak (minor). But what the hell could this oil issue be? Oil pump? Blown rings? Car runs fine once started. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks in advance.

BTW: For those of you that are going to say wrong forum. The integra forum is general and not specific generations of the integra. There aren't too many members with the first generation integ so i decided to get knowledge from the EF crowd.

 

i had a supra w/ a turbo it didnt smoke or leak but used oil pretty well, ended up being a seepy head gasket. do a compression test see what ya get

 

Any other ideas. I will try the compression test this weekend.

 

are you saying that just sitting there it uses oil in a few days? there should be a puddle on the ground. what kind of level did it have when it wouldn't start? it doesn't really make sense that adding a little would help it start. maybe do an oil change and new filter and see what happens.

 

it doesn't lose oil at all. it just needs some to start. very weird. car is hard to start if its been sitting there for more than a day without starting. if it doesn't want to start i throw in a little bit of oil and voila... it starts. it does have oil/sludge on the block/top of tranny under the dizzy. i even found oil in the dizzy cap when i was cleaning the deposits of the inside of the caps teeth. i'm thinking possibly head gasket may be the culprit but no smoke and car runs fine.

 

still makes no sense to me, i think it's coincidence. maybe your fuel pressure is dropping and it finally primes when you've put the oil in?

 

next time try starting fluid instead of adding oil.
Also don't add too much oil as this can cause lots of problems including ruining your catalytic convertor. that does seem to be a very weird problem. gl

 

i'm taking it for inspection in a few days. lets see if it passes. doubt it but we'll see.