I just went back and checked my post from last year when I switched from conventional to synthetic oil. I haven't put a lot of miles on my truck over the past year so I have to admit, I got lazy and it has been almost a year to the day before I just changed my oil again yesterday. Usually I hit the mileage to change it before that much time goes by.

Anyway, I was shocked when I drained my oil pan and was only able to get a little more than 2.5 quarts out plus whatever was trapped in the old filter, which I did not drain (couldn't have been more than a quart). I spun on a new filter, added 7 new quarts of Pennzoil Platinum full synthetic 5w-30, cranked it up and let it run, shut it down, let it sit for a while, and checked the dipstick and it's right on the money. So, I don't think I left any oil in it before refilling it.

I've seen no drips on the garage floor and I've smelled no oil burning, so where the hell did it go? And how could it get that low without tripping a sensor somewhere? Any ideas?

I don't check my oil very often but I do pay attention to the dash and my oil pressure has always been spot on. And, I have changed my own oil many times and never noticed such a dramatic loss of oil between changes. And I distinctly remember (and it was even reflected in my post here last year) that I put 7 full quarts in it at the last change. And as I said, no sign of oil leaking anywhere and no smell of oil burning out of the exhaust or off of the engine.

 

If you are not leaking it externally then you are using it internally and burning it.

 

Certainly makes sense Weed. But, I just don't see how it can burn almost 4 quarts of oil and me never even get a wiff of it. I'll obviously keep a closer eye on it from now on but I just don't get how this could have happened without me knowing. I've had vehicles that burned oil before, nowhere near this much, and there was no mistaking the smell and the smoke coming from the tailpipe.

 

I'd pull the plugs and have a look. Burring oil will also eventually kill the O2 sensors and the cat.

 

I change my plugs within the last year as well and saw no negative signs.

 

I Switched to synthetic, at about 65k. I too noticed I was consuming alot of oil. I switched back to a conventional oil, and the excessive oil consumption stopped. Conventional seems to work alot better for my Hemi.

 

I've heard that this can happen when switching to Synthetic. It's a sincere problem, and at the same time the biggest myth that keeps people away from Synthetic. I've been told that you need to stick it out and it will resolve it's self within a couple of oil changes.

But all that said, your level of oil burn does sound pretty bad. It wouldn't hurt to buy a cheap leak-down tester to make sure your rings aren't going bad.

 

How many miles would you say you had on the last oil change?

 

I would go INSANE if I ever let my oil change go over 4000 miles. A WHOLE YEAR?!?!? GAHHH! (passes out)

 

Keep in mind you should not be going by just the mileage... There are additives in your oil that are only designed to stay good for about 3-5 months TOPS... I would change your oil every 4 months at the longest interval even if it is only 1000 miles since your last change... The additives start to break down and will no longer lubricate your engine properly.