Burning Oil
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 255
Likes: 0
From: Chattanooga, TN
Just to add a little info to the thread -
Way, way back in 1977, my first car, a 1971 Ford Maverick consumed and/or leaked about a quart every 500-1000 miles. Valve cover gasket always leaked, and the beast blew out a fresh cloud of blue smoke every time I got toased by a Dodge Dart with a slant-6. It was truly a greasy oil spewer.
My 1990 Mustang used about 1/2 quart every 4000-5000 miles from day one until I sold it 5 years later. No clouds of blue smoke, and no visible leaks. No problem.
My 2003 Escape V-6 doesn't appear to use any oil between changes, meaning that the dipstick still shows full after 4000-5000 miles. It's got 109,000 miles on it. It has been a surprisingly good car in that respect.
It's too soon to tell y'all how my 2004 Dodge does, but I'll know several months down the road. Just got it 2 weeks ago.
I think that if you're using a quart every 1000 miles, it's something to keep a close eye on. If it's a quart every 5000 miles, not such an issue. Has the consumption increased over time - that is, does it use/consume more oil now than it did 30,000 miles earlier?
Way, way back in 1977, my first car, a 1971 Ford Maverick consumed and/or leaked about a quart every 500-1000 miles. Valve cover gasket always leaked, and the beast blew out a fresh cloud of blue smoke every time I got toased by a Dodge Dart with a slant-6. It was truly a greasy oil spewer.
My 1990 Mustang used about 1/2 quart every 4000-5000 miles from day one until I sold it 5 years later. No clouds of blue smoke, and no visible leaks. No problem.
My 2003 Escape V-6 doesn't appear to use any oil between changes, meaning that the dipstick still shows full after 4000-5000 miles. It's got 109,000 miles on it. It has been a surprisingly good car in that respect.
It's too soon to tell y'all how my 2004 Dodge does, but I'll know several months down the road. Just got it 2 weeks ago.
I think that if you're using a quart every 1000 miles, it's something to keep a close eye on. If it's a quart every 5000 miles, not such an issue. Has the consumption increased over time - that is, does it use/consume more oil now than it did 30,000 miles earlier?
