OIl Consumption

[Kevin Trillo]

Hey guy/gals i have a 2007 5.7 Hemi that has approx. 113000 miles on her. has had regular maintenance and very well taken care of since the wife and i have owned it, we bought it used with about 82k on the ticker. I have noticed lately when i go do the oil changes at 3k or so maybe a little more but not much, my oil level is down about 2.5 quarts. i have been using synthetic since we bought it and i used castrol edge for awhile and then switch to penzoil platinum. the consumption is about the same no matter what brand between the two i use, the weight is 5w-20. i did a tune up and replaced the pcv, the original one i took out was pretty gunky but still rattled when i shook it. Chrysler states somewhere, i believe in the owners manual that 1 quart for 750 miles with an engine that has 50,000 miles or more. to me that seems like a lot of consumption. the past few months i have hauled a 2 axle trailer behind it because we move and she was frighted not sure if that may have had some part in the consumption. any ideas or advice would be great. the engine runs strong and sounds good and i have no issues, also has no leaks

Topic

[Bluesnut]

I would run both a dry and wet compression test on it. That may not answer the question definitively but could provide some insight.

Sometimes it’s possible to have good compression and still burn oil past the piston rings. The lower oil control rings (or wiper rings) should be able to “breathe” so to speak during the piston strokes. What does happen with many engine is that overheating or delayed oil changes leads to oil coking (meaning fried oil) in the wiper ring piston lands (grooves) and the rings seize in place. This in turn leads to oil useage. My guess is that if this is the cause then the problem was likely started by the previous owner.

Another less likely cause would be defective valve stem seals. If you have the compression test run you might post the numbers. It’s quite common for those numbers to be misinterpreted even by some mechanics and many manuals are also incorrect.

[zero]

That’s by no means a lot of consumption. Honda basically says expect the same type of oil consumption, 1L of oil per 1500kms. So a bit less than a quart every 1000 miles. Basically there’s a reason why you’ve always been told to regularly check your oil level.

If it is something like rings, a somewhat quick search on enthusiast sites for your vehicle will let you know what kind of consumption to typically expect. There are several methods that people claim to fix oil consumption via rings, but in my experience once it’s started it’s over. Basically check your oil every week or 2 and top up as needed, watching for any sudden changes.

[Andrew Button]

I had a Nissan 3.0 Liter that was run HARD back in the day, and it was turbo charged it never burned even a drop..after 3000 miles it had exactly what was put in it. even after a thrashing, high miles, the emissions guy told me it burned so clean I could practically breath out of the tailpipe. Anyway, jump to NOW. I have an LSX motor that eats oil like a fat chick eats cake, and its not high mileage. I don’t know what the differences are nowadays, but I know on the LS motors, the aluminum block has something to do with the oil consumption. I know nothing about modern day Chrysler engines but if its aluminum it may have the same issues as the LSX motors, whatever they are.

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