Low Milage But Burning Oil :-/ Please Read

[oneillchris]

2000 fiesta 1.25 zetec's with only 75 thousand mile and a good service history but why is it burning oil?? I know the zetec'S do burn a drop but could it be caused by sludge build up in valves????? Its not burning much maybe a litre per 500 hundred mile but depends on how the car is driven. I dont tink its piston rings, leave the car in gear on a big hill with no acceleration get to the bottom clutch and rev the car theres no smoke out the back. Any ideas on a cure?? Tanks for reading:-)

[wase16ll]

wouldnt say that is excessive, as you said, these engines do tend to burn a bit, would say its only marginally above average.

check your breather hoses for signs of oil being sent through them, make sure they are clear and the pcv is clean.

regular oil changes are vital on this engine to get the most out of it, wouldnt normally find any sludge/carbon build up unless its been seriously neglected or been filled with incorrect grade.

the 5/30 burns quite cleanly, especially if its fully synthetic, so dont always get signs of smoke unless its burning at a fair rate.

if all is looking good, maybe worth having the valve stem seals changed, they tend to get brittle with age and allow oil to bypass them...only other possible is if at anytime in its history its thrown a belt and bent the valves, if it has, it maybe worth having the valve guides checked/replaced if the burn rate gets higher, often overlooked and not uncommon to see some damage on the guides when the valves take a hit.

if your using fully synthetic 5/30..can always try changing it to a semi synthetic, as that will burn at a slower rate

[Mike77]

@wase,,,,, you don't think 1 litre of oil per 500 miles is excessive ??? At that rate the engine would be bone dry come 2000 miles :-/ most modern cars could go 50'000 and still have plenty of oil (all be it dirty). Even being generous it is recommended to change the oil every 6000 miles, and this is just to keep things running sweet, NOT because its gonna be running low, so this guys car would have seized up over 2000 earlier ???

I'd suggest there is an underlying problem causing this much oil to burn, sooner sorted the better.

[wase16ll]

im just talking about an old engine with 75k on the clock...shouldnt really burn any at all once engine has been run in

it all boils down to wether the owner wants to spend the money on rectifying it or not, in my experience, 1 lit per 500 is often put up with...and i quite often see these engines burn, though slightly less than quoted.

by his post, he obviously wants to get to the bottom of it, hence the suggestions i put up, it was more a case of, i've seen these engines doing similar, its not unusual, but can get very expensive to rectify

if your doing 500 miles per week, it gets expensive if you put up with just topping up, if on the other hand your doing 500 per month maximum then its generally accepted.

burn rates also differ with driving, usually, motorways burn less than town/stop start..again depending on what is actually causing the burn...

as the oil burning rarely gives off smoke, it can be quite difficult to pin the cause...checking the pcv system may indicate if there is excessive crankcase pressure...ie..rings/bores/blockages in breathing

otherwise most likely cause is valve guides/seals, or possibly the head gasket...occasionly you may see evidence of oil on top of piston crown/s if you put a borescope down the plug holes

also may pay to have the oil pressure checked, could be the relief valve sticking, though you rarely see this in modern engines.

[Bede.]

This happened to mine, It's because the engine's aren't serviced at the correct mileage and neglected, the bottom end of the engine ended going in mine. I was putting a litre a week in.. car was costing more in oil than petrol. Best option is either an engine rebuild. or a new engine. I'd go for the 1.7 Puma lump because they last longer.

[DieselPig]

When these cars were first launched some were filled with the wrong oil, must be 5/30. If this is the case then you are now experiencing the outcome.

The low mileage and service history mean little if the cars been thrashed and serviced incorrectly.

[oneillchris]

Tanks for the responses folks. Its not bad in my books atal had mk 4 golf 1.4 burnt a gallon in a four hundred mile journey but that was drivin like a t.w.a.t if im honest soon after piston snapped off in engine. Wase1611 tink u could of hit the nail on the head u say possibly head gasket? I have noticed the coolant level drops slightly ive owned the car four months and topped up water twice not much tho from min mark to max mark which is only like a small glass of water. Car is a small bit steamy out the back on start up and sometimes when up to temperature could oil an water be mixed and burnt or am I jus confused? Maybe a sniff test would b no harm anyway

[oneillchris]

Theres no gunk on the oil cap and no froth or anything on dipstick. Temp gauge always perfect ???:-/ ??? Confused

[oneillchris]

Whers the pcv??

[Lenny]

If it makes you feel better,

Ive bough5 a 2002 vw polo 3 cylinder 8 valve 1.2ltr two weeks ago 92,000miles on the clock

Burns 1ltr of 5w-30 every 110miles im hoping its valve seals aswell because it ticks over fine.

[wase16ll]

the oil is fed to the cylinder head via a channel milled into block and head, so there is a part of the head gasket that has a built in seal to prevent the oil seeping away.

its possible the oil can seep into the nearest cylinder, or leak externally...if that is the case, it will not show any signs of a problem in the cooling system as its not leaking into it...wont get the gunk on the oil cap either, as that requires the water to enter the cylinders/block...

so its feasible that part of the head gasket can fail without any symptoms of water loss/overheating etc...

this is where the borescope comes in handy, by putting a camera into the plug holes you can get a good view of the cylinders/piston crowns for signs of oil contamination.

would still go ahead with a sniff test, as if there is even a minor problem with the head gasket, then might indicate that oilway being a problem too.

can also do a wet and dry compression test to help diagnose the state of the bores/rings.

check the pcv system before going into heavier duty work.

from memory, its under the inlet manifold on the right as you look from the front...probably see a small grey valve with a pipe goint to a t piece, with two further pipes connected directly into inlet manifold.

one other thing, vital oil isnt overfilled as this will often cause oil to run up the pcv straight into the cylinders...in the past, have found that when you change the oil, only fill it to halfway between min/max..this can help slow down the burning if the bores/rings are the cause

[oneillchris]

Cheers for the info wase:-). Lenny thats unfortunate, vw has gone down hill mk3 golfs were bullet proof mk4's (scrap) dunno where vw went wrong guess they got lazy, il never buy a vw again unless its diesel but im sure they have issues iswel. Thanks for the the help every one il start with the pcv an take things from there:-)

[Lenny]

Cheers for the info wase:-). Lenny thats unfortunate, vw has gone down hill mk3 golfs were bullet proof mk4's (scrap) dunno where vw went wrong guess they got lazy, il never buy a vw again unless its diesel but im sure they have issues iswel. Thanks for the the help every one il start with the pcv an take things from there:-)

Id like to dedicate this song to the 9N2 Polo in my driveway that i bought almost two weeks ago:

:

[Lenny]

[oneillchris]

You and me both lenny noticed today my car had a squeak from the engine almost like a dry bearing pulled back the timing cover belt is scrapped really bad think it's a bad tensioner can't drive atal till I get it looked at. 2nd hand cars=== some one else's problems

[Lenny]

You and me both lenny noticed today my car had a squeak from the engine almost like a dry bearing pulled back the timing cover belt is scrapped really bad think it's a bad tensioner can't drive atal till I get it looked at. 2nd hand cars=== some one else's problems

ah Jesus mate lucky you spotted it before snapping,

I went to change spark plugs last sunday week,

They were locked tight so i pulled too hard and snapped two of the plugs,

But spent me last shilling buying the car,

So its off the road until i can purchase some plugs later this week,

[BeccaaCat]

I've noticed that mine does this coming up to a service. Had to check it every week lol

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