honda civic burning oil
filed in 1998 Honda Civic
Question: I need some advice. I have a ‘92 Honda Civic with 87K miles. It has always burned more oil than I thought was normal, but the techs at the Honda dealership said it was nothing to worry about. Since my last oil change, 3K miles ago, my oil light has come on twice – 2 quarts low each time. It doesn’t leak, and there’s no smoke. The engine runs great except when the AC is on in extreme heat. I’ve been advised by 2 repairmen to ditch the car while I could. I’d rather keep it for at least 3 to 5 more years if possible. Is it worth the money to have someone check it out, or is this very serious as I’ve been told……. I’ve been told the engine would have to be torn apart to even check it out………
I’d appreciate any professional advice you can offer.
Answer: The oil is going somewhere. If you are convinced it isn’t leaking on to the floor then it goes out exhaust. Start by getting a compresssion test done. This will tell you the state of the piston rings to see if the oil is leaking that way, also the plugs when they are pulled for the test will tell you a story. Some oil losses can be cheap to fix. Replacing cars isn’t cheap either. Having the oil light come on is NOT good. Can’t help you with the problem/repair but you should probably keep a much closer eye on the oil level or it’s gonna break and will be MUCH more expensive to fix.
“Goodbye” said the fox to the Little Prince. “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can rightly see, what is essential is invisible to the eye”
If it runs ok, and passes emission tests, just keep topping up the oil. Preferably (at 87K miles) with one of the dino. oils targeted at high mileage engines. Dealerships tend to put the thinner oils, which are fine for new/low mileage engines, into everything, and these higher grade oils enable them to charge you more than for a good general purpose oil. 20W50 is probably better than 10 or 15W30.
Want to give your own answer? Want to comment?