I have an '04 RSX Type-S with 50k. I last had an oil change 5k ago. Last night while on a hill my oil pressure light briefly flashed. This has never happened to me so I checked the dipstick and the oil level didn't even register on it. I added 2 quarts and checked the dipstick....still was slightly below the "lower mark" so I added 1 more quart. Problem now is that the level is slightly above the "upper mark".

My two questions are:

1. What could be causing this huge oil consumption? I notice no leaks (at least on the driveway) and no smoke from the tailpipe. I used to do my own oil changes and I would maybe burn 1.5 quarts in 5k (don't quote me on that...just from my memory).

2. Have I caused any damage by overfilling the oil? It registers just slightly (maybe not even an 1/8" above the "upper mark").

 

If its just barely above the mark it shouldn't be a problem, but as you know it's not that hard to drop a little out. Even if you didn't want to get underneath your car you can stop by a Jiffy Lube or something and they'll drop some out for you for free, that way you don't have to worry about getting rid of the oil haha.

Do you drive your car kinda hard? I know excessive time spent in V-TEC can cause a lot of oil to burn, I don't know if more than 2qts but hey, also what kind of oil do you use. If you're going 5k between oil changes I would definitely want to make sure I'm using some good synthetic oil. Even still I never go more than 3500 miles on the same oil.

 

I don't recommend goin 5k without oil changes even if the bottle says so! Is your coolant color ok? No internal leaking. No oil on the spark plugs. Could have just used it up like josh said, vtec can burn oil in excessive usage.

 

I just checked the level again after the car has been off for an hour and it's probably right on or just a smidgen above the "upper mark". This dipstick is hard to read compared to my old civic...there's always oil smears on it so it so it's hard to get an accurate read.

I don't drive the car that hard to be honest. Rarely redline it. I do accelerate harder than usual but nothing super-aggressive. Modest oil consumption I can see but to have the oil pressure light come on is odd after just 5k (unless the dealer never changed it in the 1st place).

 

Oil expands when its hot so yes its gonna be lower after you car sits, but if I remember correctly, you want to check your car when the car is warm so you get a more accurate read on the level. You don't want to base it on when the oil is cold. As for the oil consumption, it's most likely because you go too long between oil changes. The type and quality of oil you use should determine how long it will last before it starts to break down. Another thing to try is getting your oil changed more often and see if that helps, and also get under your car and look around for leaks because a slow leak will not necessarily drip on your driveway because it will get all gunked up with dirt not letting it drip.

 

Josh couldn't of worded it better then that bro!!!

 

Good, that means I've had Jiffy Lube as a weekend job for too long lol.

 

One other thing is that I never smell or see smoke. At the rate of oil loss I'm seeing I'd have to burn 1/2 qt. every month. My buddy said I'd have to see or smell smoke if I was burning that much oil.

Now, a leak may be a different story. I'm taking it to the dealer tomorrow. I'll report back. Thanks guys.

 

Your oil consumption doesn't seem massively excessive. When my car is heavily tracked it is not uncommon for it to use nearly a quart per/1000kms (~600miles). Get your oil changed and then keep a much closer eye on your oil levels.

Overfilling the oil by the amount you have probably hasn't done any harm, I have run my car with an extra half quart or so at the track for the past couple of years with no problems.