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Hi, I need help!!! I own a 2000 honda prelude with a H22A4 engine. I just bought the car. Recently I did an oil change, everything went good, car hangle great I have no problems till now. While I was driving the oil level light start blinking while driving, so I got home and let the car seat overnight. Next morning I went to check the oil level and I had less than 1/4 left, is been only 700 miles after the oil change, I don’t see any oil on the ground or smoke coming out of the car. This beautiful prelude has 175K on it and I dont know what kind of care the previous owner did. Please what could it be the problem and how can I fix it.
Thank you for your time in reading this and for help me
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I would take a very good hard look at the engine first for any evidence of it. Looking twice or 3 times is never bad. Fill the car with the appropriate amount of oil missing. Check oil fill cap for milkshake color see below. Start the car and walk over to the tail pipe and see if it smells of oil or looks gray/black in color. If so you are burning it.
I would also pull the coolant cap look inside it and see if it is really dirty/cloudy/looks like oil/chocolate milkshake. If you do see that your oil is going into your coolant and probably vise versa.
I would then look at your pcv valve and the tube coming off of it.See if you see any in that hose/tube is so it would be restricted valve drain oil drains (rare).
Normally with no external leaks you are burning it.
If it’s not leaking then it’s burning oil, probably past the piston rings, and the smoke is getting caught in the catalytic converters. Assuming the oil level was correct after the oil change the use of 2 or 3 quarts in 700 miles means a problem.
I would strongly suspect that the person who sold you the car knew there was a major problem and that’s why it went up for sale.
What I would recommend is pulling the spark plugs and checking for oil deposits on the plug tips. While the plugs are out a dry and wet compression test could be done to verify if there’s a ring problem.
Rings generally wear out due to sheer miles driven or they’re seized in the ring lands due to an overheating engine or lack of regular oil changes; either of which can coke the engine oil and cause rings to stick.
Both of the other comments are correct. New cars can burn oil without seeing it. Old cars like 74 monte carlos with broken rings or other nasty problems would show burning oil because of not cats, yes yours may not. I think more efficient ignition systems make burned oil harder to see as well. I would do a compression test and the other things suggested. You will find out where its going. The person that sold it to you knew it was wearing or worn out. The question you will find out is this, eventually, was the car driven enough with the oil light blinking to do damage to the rest of the engine. Usually, but not always, once the oil light flickers much and the rpms are up at all, its been said its to late and the clearances are probably texas sized, necessitating engine replacement or vehicle disposal. A car that old may not be worth fixing. Somebody dumped their problem on you, sorry to say.
Well, for starters, with “1/4” left – presuming, on dipstick – oil light should NOT be flashing. Takes much LESS oil than that to trip oil pressure sensor.
Also, my esteemed co-posters, have my word – NEW cars SMOKE just as bad as the old ones. If they burn oil. Witnessed it enough time to know that.
OP, can you clarify that “1/4 left”? On dipstick? As if you have 1/4 level left on dipstick 700 miles after oil change, that’s actually not bad at all. LEVEL wise. For the age, your car WILL be taking some oil.
Now what you MAY have as issue is far worse thing – worn out push rod bearings, as THEN you will NOT have oil pressure build up in the system, as it leaks past bearings, WITHOUT burning, but causing low oil pressure signal. Which for the year and mileage is quite possible.Thank You for your time guys. So far i haven’t done anything to see what is the real problem, since is cold here in NJ and i dont have a garage to work on it. Today I was looking at the engine and i saw a wet spot where the engine block tie together with the head. I check under the car too and the oil pan look a little bit wet, nothing crazy.
UKRKOZ: yes the 1/4 left was on the dipstick, but as soon I start the car I check the dipstick again and I shows that has alot more oil in there.
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