Increased oil consumption VAZ 2107. High oil consumption, causes and remedies

It can occur for both serious and non-critical reasons. The first category includes the following possible malfunctions - wear of the piston oil scraper rings, clogged breather, wear of the oil seals, leakage through the gasket or seals, and some others. The simple ones include: the wrong oil is filled, the oil filter is leaking, it is leaking through the valve cover.

Also, do not forget that every internal combustion engine has such a thing as "natural waste". That is, the oil naturally evaporates during engine operation (this is especially true for). Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the oil level and periodically top it up regularly.

What is normal oil consumption?

Before looking for the cause of high oil consumption and the need for its constant periodic topping up, it is worth understanding what value of waste is considered normal. And only then to understand why the engine began to eat oil.

Additives to reduce oil consumption

With a high oil consumption, it is necessary to repair the engine or replace the oil caps, but if the lubrication is negligible, special additives will help. To reduce the amount of engine oil "for waste" use Hi-Gear OIL Treatment, Liqui Moly Oil Additiv or

The rate for oil waste depends on the type and condition of the engine. Let's start the review with atmospheric gasoline engines. In new engines, the rate of oil for waste is about 5 ... 25 grams per thousand kilometers of run, that is, approximately 0.005% ... 0.025% per 100 liters of fuel burned. Occasionally, you can find models in which the same value is up to 30 ... 40 grams (for example, V6 or V8 engines). As for normally worn engines, their natural consumption is 0.025% ... 0.1% per 100 liters. That is, about 25 ... 100 grams per 1000 kilometers. If the gasoline engine is very worn out, then the value increases to 0.4% ... 0.6% per 100 liters, that is, 400 ... 600 grams. The critical mark is 0.8%, that is, 800 grams per 100 liters of gasoline. Such an engine needs!

Now a little about turbocharged petrol engines. If the engine is new, then it will consume about 80 grams per 100 liters of fuel (conditionally per 1000 kilometers). As for worn-out units, 2 liters of oil per 100 liters of fuel is considered a critical value.

Concerning diesel engines, then their waste consumption will be greater than that of atmospheric gasoline. So, it is believed that the norm is about 30 ... 50 grams of oil per 100 liters of fuel. The critical value is 2 liters per hundred liters of diesel fuel. In this case, urgent repairs are needed. Delaying with it can lead to irreversible consequences.

Causes of an increase in lubricant waste in the engine

There are two main reasons for the increase in waste:

1. Incorrectly selected or simply low-quality (fake) oil. It is necessary to fill the engine with oil with the viscosity and tolerances recommended by the automaker. And try not to buy oils of dubious brands and untrustworthy outlets.
2. Rigid engine operation. In particular, frequent work at high speeds. At the same time, its temperature rises significantly, and more oil is needed for lubrication and cooling. Remember that more oil is consumed during the cold season. This is due to the peculiarities of the crankcase ventilation. Therefore, in order to reduce waste, try to warm up the car at idle in winter!

Some engines "guzzle" oil due to their design. These, for example, include the N52 engine from BMW, which is installed on many models of this German automaker.

The decrease in the oil level occurs for two reasons - due to waste and leakage (high consumption). So if the oil is chosen correctly, and the driving mode is moderate, then with a working engine, there should not be excessive consumption. But when, under the same conditions, the lubricant decreases, it makes sense to search for the cause of the malfunction.

Causes of high engine oil consumption and methods for their elimination

Let's conditionally divide the reasons why oil consumption increases into complex (the repair of which is difficult and expensive in monetary terms) and simple. It makes sense to start the diagnosis with simple ones (if there are appropriate “symptoms”).

Simple faults

Oil filter failure. This is a very common and frequent reason that the engine has a large oil consumption. Damage can affect cars with both gasoline and diesel engines. You can indirectly diagnose a malfunction by an oil stain regularly formed under the bottom of the car (only during diagnosis it is important to determine that this is engine oil, and not transmission oil). The reasons for this situation may be:

• the filter housing is loosely twisted (or not twisted at all);
• rupture of the filter housing (for example, if there was a marriage on it or it is simply of poor quality in itself);
• the sealing gasket has worn out.

There is only one way out - replacing the old filter and pouring fresh oil. If necessary, the oil system can be cleaned.

Valve lid

Valve gasket wear. It can simply grow old from time or sudden changes in temperature. As a rule, smudges are visible in places of bolted connections.

As a solution to this problem, you can try to tighten the bolts to increase the pressure (preferably with a torque wrench). But it's best to do a complete valve cover gasket replacement.

Deterioration of the sealing gasket of the pallet. Here the situation is similar to the previous one. The engine oil pan gasket can be seen by raising the machine on a lift or working from a viewing hole. Its material tans over time and it loses elasticity. The way out of the situation is similar - either try to tighten the mounting bolts or completely replace the gasket.

Oil viscosity mismatch. In particular, if the engine is designed to use low-viscosity oils in it, and a more viscous oil is poured into it, then its piston rings become unable to completely clean the lubricant from the cylinder walls. And this leads to the already described situation, when oil enters the combustion chamber and its increased consumption appears. However, such reasoning is valid for engines of modern designs. For older power units, as their mileage increases, it makes sense, on the contrary, to use a more viscous oil. Anyway, follow the recommendations of the automaker, and fill the engine with the required engine oil!

Mobil offers its customers Mobil 1 synthetic oil with a viscosity of 10W-60, designed for engines with significant mileage, in particular, more than 150 thousand kilometers.

High crankcase pressure. The specified pressure usually increases with significant wear of the engine, elements of its cylinder-piston group. Therefore, it is necessary to diagnose the condition of the engine, the geometry of the cylinders, the condition of their coating, and so on. The first thing to do is check the crankcase valve (cover). If it is faulty, you need to repair or replace it. And also clean the crankcase gas filter (if any).

Usually, when the crankcase ventilation is faulty, there is an increased oil burn (high carbon formation), a decrease in compression, deterioration in fuel combustion, and a decrease in oil life (its rapid contamination). After troubleshooting, it is necessary to flush the crankcase ventilation system.

If the machine is equipped with a turbine, then an increase in pressure may be caused by its failure. It is easy to diagnose, usually in such cases its oil seal or bearings fail. To repair you need to perform the specified items. In the most critical cases, the entire turbine is replaced.

Complicated reasons

Now let's move on to more complex reasons due to which the engine "eats" oil. Usually this is a partial failure of the main engine parts. They are fraught with complex repairs, up to major ones.

Wear of oil seals. The purpose of these small seals is to remove oil from the valve body. Due to their natural wear (or due to constant sharp temperature changes, but less often), they lose their elasticity and do not cope with their tasks. The grease remains on the valves and burns out, leaving a thick layer of soot. Because of this, a situation arises when the car is eating oil.

In this case, the repair is not yet very complicated, but it will be necessary to disassemble the engine a little in order to replace them.

Wear of piston oil scraper rings. This is usually expressed in their significant overheating and / or mechanical wear. The main function of these parts is to keep engine oil from entering the combustion chambers. However, in the course of their work, they constantly rub against the walls of the cylinders, naturally wearing out. When wear reaches a critical value, the rings do not do their job and part of the oil burns out along with the fuel. You can indirectly diagnose such a breakdown by changing the color of the exhaust gases and changing their smell, the smell of burnt oil is added to it. Usually this comes out of the exhaust pipe. Also, ring wear can occur due to a decrease in the coolant level. Because of this, the engine is very hot and the rings, as motorists say, “lie down”.

Often, when oil enters the combustion chamber, black deposits appear on the electrodes on the spark plugs.

Repair in this case is quite expensive, both in terms of the amount of work and in terms of money. To do this, you need to disassemble the engine and replace the oil scraper rings.

But there may be a less costly reason - coking of the rings and oil outlet channels. This situation occurs if the engine has been running on bad (or inappropriate) oil for a long time. In this case, increased consumption of engine oil is provided, but it is solved much easier - with a special liquid.

Damage to the walls of the engine cylinders. This reason is due to the natural wear of the cylinder block. Most often found in engines with high mileage (old cars). In this case, oil enters the combustion chamber due to the fact that the rings (even if they are in good condition) do not fit snugly against the walls of the cylinder block. Oil seeps into these cracks. Similar to the previous paragraph, in this case, blue smoke will come out of the exhaust pipe. The amount of "eaten" oil depends on the degree of wear of the cylinder walls.

Repair in this case is also quite expensive. At best, it will be necessary to bore the block, returning the cylinders to the correct geometric shape.

Some engines (for example, the already mentioned N52) warp the cylinder block due to its overheating. This is typical for motors in which the block is completely made of aluminum, and the walls of the working cylinders are coated with nikasil or alusil.

Cylinder head gasket failure. A leak in the cylinder head gasket can lead to many malfunctions and breakdowns, including a situation where the engine eats up oil. In this case, there may be two reasons. The first is the cylinder head or the gasket itself is defective, that is, their geometry is broken, and somewhere the oil begins to leak. However, this option is unlikely, especially on foreign cars, and just new cars. The second option is that the engine is very worn out, and.

The problem can be diagnosed in two ways. The first is to perform a visual inspection of the block in search of oil leakage from the mounting point (from under the bolt) and around the entire perimeter of the gasket. The second is to check the condition of the coolant. In the event of a breakdown, it will have oil stains. In some cases a white emulsion appears.

What to do in this situation? Everything is quite simple (and inexpensive in terms of money) - it is necessary to replace the cylinder head gasket. Please note that it is necessary to carry out the replacement according to a certain algorithm, observing the sequence of tightening the bolts, while also observing the tightening torque. To do this, it is desirable to use a torque wrench, as well as to have information about the value of the applied force for each bolt.

Oil seals

Failure of crankshaft and/or camshaft oil seals. As you know, the initial part of the crankshaft goes into the front of the engine. There is a special oil seal, which over time, due to temperature changes (especially severe frosts) or due to mechanical damage, can leak and leak. Also, the reason why the oil is eating may be the wrong lubricant. That is, oil or additives poured into it can corrode the oil seal over time and / or squeeze it out with significant pressure. The situation is quite unpleasant and difficult to diagnose.

Another crankshaft oil seal (rear) is also not easy to check. In most models of modern cars (and, no matter, with a manual or automatic transmission), the opposite end of the crankshaft enters the gearbox, so it is not visually visible. Indirectly, this situation can be guessed from the regularly appearing puddle of oil under the place where the crankshaft enters the gearbox. If a puddle appears regularly, then you need to go to the service station or dismantle the gearbox yourself and perform the appropriate diagnostics and repairs. It is very labor-intensive, but it does not cost very much money.

The situation is similar with the camshaft, with the only pleasant exception that it does not have a rear oil seal, and changing the front one is not very difficult. The diagnostic problem is exacerbated by the fact that oil leaks in this case are hidden by the timing belt cover. But usually in such situations, the oil leaks right up to the crankcase protection. If there are oil stains - you need to conduct an appropriate inspection.

Please note that if the camshaft oil seal fails, a situation may arise when the timing belt can fly off, and this in turn will lead to bent valves, and as a result, costly repairs. Therefore, it is better not to delay the diagnosis!

In addition to these obvious reasons, there may be some indirect ones, which in one way or another entail increased consumption of lubricant. These include: a rich mixture or a dirty air filter. because of them there is an additional load on the engine.

Why diesel eats oil

Diesel engines can also burn oil. In addition to the reasons listed above (which are relevant for both gasoline and diesel engines), diesel engines have one special one. In particular, significant wear of high pressure pump parts. As a rule, they are lubricated and cooled using a common oil system. Due to worn parts and/or gaskets, engine oil can enter the engine's combustion chamber.

Indirect signs of such a breakdown, in addition to an increase in the amount of oil consumed, is the appearance of thick black exhaust smoke (similar to blue smoke in gasoline engines).

The presence of oil in the exhaust gases (both on gasoline and diesel engines) can be done using a sheet of clean paper, which must be attached to the outlet (cut) of the exhaust pipe. If there is oil, then its droplets will remain on paper and will be clearly visible.

A few words about turbines

Engines with turbochargers have their own specifics of operation, due to which excessive oil consumption is possible. So, the old turbines had cooling from the engine lubrication system. Accordingly, if the turbine breaks during operation (bearings break), then it can transfer oil from the engine through the bearings. Moreover, depending on how broken the turbine is, the oil consumption can be quite large, and amount to 1 ... 3 liters per 10 thousand kilometers.

Also, a partial failure of the turbocharger can lead to an increase in crankcase gas pressure. And this, in turn, leads to oil entering the cylinders directly into the fuel injection through the crankcase ventilation system. In this case, it is necessary to revise the turbine, repair it, and, if necessary, replace it.

Oil consumption on new cars

Engines that have just rolled off the assembly line or that have been overhauled have not yet perfectly adjusted all the rubbing parts. Because of this, the first few hundred kilometers of the run, the motor operates in the break-in mode, when there may be microscopic gaps between the parts. It is through them that oil leakage is possible. The situation will normalize when the parts are ground in and the engine can be used at full power.

Do not forget that when running it is necessary to drive in a gentle mode, and do not give the engine heavy loads (including high speeds).

Finally

In conclusion, I would like to note that monitoring the oil level in the engine is not only the direct responsibility of the car owner, but also a guarantee that the engine will work for a long time and in normal mode. Use the oil (with viscosity and tolerances) recommended by the machine manufacturer. And remember that if the car began to “eat” oil heavily, then constantly adding lubricant will not solve the problem at the root, this is only a temporary measure that can only aggravate the situation. When a problem is identified, diagnose the machine as soon as possible in search of possible causes of engine oil leakage and carry out repairs accordingly.

The problem of engine oil consumption worries many motorists. As you know, lubricant consumption is one of the important indicators of the general condition of the engine. From some car owners you can hear that the engine does not take oil, that is, the level remains the same or remains within acceptable limits from replacement to replacement.

Others note increased or high oil consumption in the engine, which makes it necessary. We note right away that the manufacturers themselves separately indicate the norms for oil consumption in the engine. This means that the power unit can consume lubricant within certain limits, and such consumption is not a malfunction.

This phenomenon is commonly referred to as oil consumption for waste. However, exceeding the norm for adding oil to the engine may well indicate problems with the internal combustion engine, motor, etc.

In this article, we will consider what kind of "oil appetite" of various power units can be considered acceptable, as well as what factors and features affect the consumption of lubricant in an internal combustion engine.

So, let's start with the fact that all engines consume engine oil to a greater or lesser extent. This happens taking into account the design features of the internal combustion engine, namely because of the urgent need to lubricate components and parts. In other words, the main loss of lubricant occurs as a result of the fact that it is necessary to supply lubricant to the cylinder walls.

This area in the engine is a heat-loaded area. For this reason, partial evaporation and combustion of the lubricant occurs. Also, part of the oil is not removed from the cylinder walls, as a result of which the remaining lubricant burns along with the fuel in the combustion chamber.

As a rule, in modern engines, the declared oil consumption is, on average, from 0.1 to 0.3% of the total fuel consumption that was spent to overcome any segment of the path. It turns out that if the car has traveled 100 km, and the consumption is 10 liters of fuel, then the consumption of an average of 20 grams of oil will also be the norm.

It turns out that the lubricant consumption can be considered acceptable if it does not exceed the mark of about 3 liters. per 10 thousand kilometers traveled. It is also important to understand that the consumption rate will greatly depend on the type of engine, its degree, etc.

For example, for many gasoline ICEs, the norm is about 0.1%. On gasoline turbo engines, the consumption rate is noticeably higher. As for the declared lubricant consumption, the norm will be more than any gasoline analogue and averages from 0.8 to 3%. The indicated 3% are consumed by forced turbodiesels with two turbines, etc.

You can also separately mention rotary motors, which are particularly prone to lubricating fluid consumption. Such units (taking into account their fully operational condition) consume about 1-1.2 liters of oil per 1000 km. run. For reference, the manuals for different engines indicate that the rate of oil consumption for waste is 1 liter per 3 thousand kilometers traveled, that is, about 3 liters per 10 thousand km.

At the same time, manufacturers also note that the consumption directly depends both on the technical condition of the internal combustion engine and on the characteristics of the operation of a particular vehicle (load on the unit, speed, etc.)

What determines the oil consumption in the engine and how to reduce it

As mentioned above, oil is consumed in any engine, since the oil film on the parts to protect against dry friction burns in the chamber along with the fuel charge. If we add to this the natural wear of the internal combustion engine during operation, then the lubricant consumption increases further.

However, it becomes quite obvious that 3 liters of oil per 10 thousand km. for a small car with an in-line aspirated engine, it can be considered a large expense, while for a powerful unit with a large displacement, this is a completely acceptable indicator. Practice shows that even if the engine began to “eat” oil above the norm, it is more economically profitable to simply add lubricant than to immediately overhaul the engine only because of increased consumption.

The fact is that at many service stations, masters prefer not to diagnose a separate cause of increased oil consumption, but immediately offer the owner to make a major overhaul. It is important to bear in mind that such expensive repairs are not always necessary.

• First of all, lubricant consumption can be increased due to the fact that oil flows out of the motor. In this case, it is enough to replace the gaskets and seals. As a rule, you need to pay attention to, camshaft oil seals, etc.

In various situations, grease can flow on the outer surface (leak out) and also penetrate into other systems. For example, if the crankshaft oil seal is to blame, and a puddle may form under the car.

• If the oil is actively consumed in the engine for waste,. In this case, especially compared to a leak, it is much more difficult to establish the cause without disassembling the engine.

However, even in such a situation, you can try to fight the waste before agreeing to a repair. First of all, the lubricant consumption depends on the mode of operation of the motor. In other words, driving at high speeds leads to an increase in temperature and loads, the oil liquefies, it is worse for rings to be removed from the cylinder walls, it burns out, etc.

• It is also important to understand that the lubricant may not be suitable for the engine in certain parameters. This means that you need to know which oil to choose for the engine and what features to consider.

If the motor is worn out, then in parallel it is necessary to take into account the features of the selection of oil for engines with high mileage. In a nutshell, the reduced viscosity material forms a thin film that the oil scraper rings cannot remove from the walls. If the lubricant is thick, then the film is very thick, while the rings cannot remove such a layer in full.

With this in mind, it becomes clear that you need to use the most suitable oil both in terms of tolerances and in terms of high temperature viscosity index. For example, from the list of recommended lubricants in the manual, you need to select a product with a higher viscosity compared to what is currently filled.

Each of the solutions has both its pros and cons, however, for a worn engine, in many cases it is possible to reduce lubricant consumption and.

• Increasing the pressure in the crankcase also causes excessive consumption of lubricant. In simple terms, high crankcase pressure causes oil to end up where it shouldn't be.

As a result, the lubricant enters the cylinders through the intake, after which it burns out in the engine along with the fuel. In such a situation, it is necessary to diagnose and clean the crankcase ventilation system.

• Problems with also lead to lubrication leaks in the supercharger area, oil also enters the cylinders through the intake, etc.
  The solution requires diagnostics and repair of the turbine. In extreme cases, you can replace the turbocharger, while the lubricant consumption will also decrease.

What is the result

In view of the foregoing, we can conclude that the main reason for an engine overhaul is the presence of significant defects and damage, as well as high wear of parts and wear on the cylinder walls (seizures, changes in geometry, etc.).

In this case, eliminating the “zhor” of the oil only by decoking, replacing rings, valve stem seals, or switching to a more viscous lubricant will no longer work. Typically, engines with such damage have low compression, start poorly both cold and hot, and lose power significantly.

During operation of the unit, knocks and extraneous noises may be present. As a rule, after disassembly and troubleshooting, the block must be bored/sleeved, the crankshaft must be ground, etc. In other words, a major overhaul is needed.

If the engine is worn out, but it works normally, while the oil consumption is above the norm, then you should not expect an instant increase in lubricant consumption. Lubricant will be consumed more and more, but this problem will progress slowly.

It turns out by adding several liters of lubricant for every 10 thousand km. will allow such a motor to be operated for more than one tens of thousands of kilometers without major repairs (if no other breakdowns occur). At the same time, it is more profitable to top up the lubricant than to repair the motor.

Additionally, the use of a more viscous oil, replacement of valve seals and cleaning of the crankcase ventilation system will help reduce overall lubricant consumption and the cost of maintaining and servicing the internal combustion engine.

Read also

How to choose the right engine oil for an old internal combustion engine or engine with a mileage of more than 150-200 thousand km. What you need to pay attention to, useful tips.

Oil is leaking

When oil leaks, it is necessary to change gaskets, seals, etc.

Engine oil is leaking in the following places:

1. Valve cover gasket. This gasket is located on top of the engine; if the seal is not tight enough, oil leakage is clearly visible on the outer side walls of the engine. A lot of oil cannot flow through this gasket. The tightness of the system must always be restored.
2. Cylinder head gasket (cylinder head). It, like the valve cover gasket, is located on top of the engine under the cylinder head. In V-shaped motors, there are two of them, like the cylinder head. Oil from it can leak out, as a result of gasket damage (reasons are identical with the valve cover gasket). Oil can leak into the cooling system if the gasket between the holes in the cooling system and the working cylinders is broken. The engine will be dry on the outside, and the coolant (coolant) will be cloudy and change color, the oil will foam (foam can be observed on the inner surface of the filler cap). This problem requires urgent intervention, because. it is not safe for the engine.
3. Crankshaft and camshaft seals. This problem is visible by the presence of oil stains on the inner surface of the crankcase, and by a smudge from the bottom of the engine.
4. Oil pan gasket. This leak is visible only on the lift or when the protection is removed.
5. Rear crankshaft oil seal (at the gearbox inlet). This leak can only be observed if the stuffing box is replaced with the box removed. The consequences are visible on the smudges in the lower part of the engine.
6. Oil filter gasket. The solution to the problem is the quality of the filter and its replacement.

Engine oil waste.

The presence of engine oil burnout is easy to detect. Oil burning in the engine produces blue smoke in the exhaust, which cannot happen when gasoline is burned. If an oily black rim forms around the edges of the exhaust pipe, the oil burns unnecessarily.

The reason for the increased oil consumption in the engine can be seen by opening it. There are simple and inexpensive ways to deal with fumes, performed before opening the engine.

The oil is not able to burn out completely in the engine, because. it forms an oil film on the inner sides of the working cylinders, where the fuel ignites.

There is a direct relationship between the burnt oil and the operating mode of the engine. The more revolutions the motor makes, the more oil in the engine will burn, and this does not depend on the motor. The laws of physics apply - the more revolutions - the greater the temperature of the engine and engine oil, less often the oil and, accordingly, more of it remains in the working cylinders.

Before announcing the verdict on your own engine, it is necessary to take into account the mode of operation of the motor and its design features. Regarding some features, you need to contact the official representative of the car brand or find the necessary information on the network.

Let's move on to the main causes of increased oil consumption in the engine

• The engine contains oil that is not suitable for the parameters. If the oil remains in the cylinder and burns out, then it was low viscosity, and if the oil forms a thick film on the inner walls, the oil is too high viscosity. The oil will burn anyway. The solution to the problem is simple - choose the right oil. Therefore, from all alternatives, it is necessary to choose an oil that will be higher in viscosity than the oil that was in the engine. One solution to oil consumption is to switch from synthetic oil to a semi-synthetic product. Semi-synthetic oils with these parameters, which meet the recommendations of car manufacturers, do not cause any harm to your engine.
• The valve seals are worn out. These seals are not expensive to replace, without touching the cylinder head (cylinder head). Oil consumption will be less. The reason for the wear of the valve seals is the temperature difference, the wrong oil, which is incompatible with rubber.
• Wear of piston (oil scraper) rings. Replacement leads to a major overhaul of the motor. You can carry out the "decoking" of the rings. Its essence is the exit to the highway and the passage of a couple of tens of kilometers at high speed. There is also a special chemistry that is added to the spark plug holes, although the safety of the engine is questionable.
• Violation or wear of the “insides” of the cylinders and all engine parts. This can be detected by extraneous sounds in a running engine. The use of foreign additives, low-quality oil, oil and filters not changed on time, dust and dirt getting into the engine, etc. - the cause of the problem. With a high mileage or age of the engine, it is impossible to increase oil consumption, it is consumed gradually and slowly.
• It is necessary to change to a more viscous oil when replacing valve seals, observe the change in oil consumption. If the changes amount to several liters between changes, then it will be more beneficial for you to simply add oil. Overhaul is not the best optimal solution, because. it may not be successful.

Oil consumption

Part of the engine oil, while performing its functions, burns out. Thus, oil consumption is a completely natural process. Well-tuned engines use 0.2 liters of oil every 1000 km. Audi calls the maximum allowable consumption of 1.0 liters of lubricant for every 1000 km. How much oil your Audi A4 uses depends on the following:

• an excessive amount of oil leads to its greater consumption, because through the crankcase ventilation, excess oil is blown into the engine;
• thin oil burns faster than thick oil. Seasonal oil in a heated state becomes liquid like water, and its consumption increases accordingly. All-weather oil stays thick; this entails its lower consumption - this is especially noticeable on long trips;
• All-season oil left too long in the engine thins slightly, losing its highest viscosity grade, and the need for its addition increases accordingly.
• a sharp driving style at high engine speeds, in addition to increasing fuel consumption, also increases oil consumption. This is especially evident when the new engine immediately starts to work with full load.
• during break-in, the engine needs a little more lubrication than usual.
• leakage. Check everything as described in chapter Engines.
• a defect in the engine itself; e.g. defective valve stem gaskets, too much clearance between the valve guide and valve stem, defective piston rings or incorrect assembly during repairs, damage to the cylinder wall due to wear or piston seizure.

Lack of oil consumption is suspicious

In winter, when driving short distances, it happens that the oil level from measurement to measurement does not decrease, but even rises. There is no reason to be happy here, since this means that the engine oil is diluted with fuel or water condensate. These “additives”, which significantly impair the lubricating qualities of the oil, must be “boiled out” by regular long driving in order for the condensate to evaporate. Then you need to immediately measure the oil level, because after evaporation of gasoline or water that got into the oil, its level will drop sharply! When driving exclusively in extreme urban driving without intermediate long-distance trips, it is recommended to change the oil more often than at the intervals indicated above, for example every 3000 km or every four months.

In winter, an oil consumption of 2-3% should be taken into account, while our injection engines contain less gasoline in the oil with a dosed enrichment of the working mixture during a cold engine start than in older carbureted engines.

Engine oil is a very serious component of any engine; without it, it would not have worked even a day. Lubricants are constantly improving, getting better. At this point in time, they differ in types of mineral, semi-synthetic and synthetic, partially written in this article -. You can check the level using an oil dipstick (read the article -), if the level is normal, then there is nothing to worry about, just change after the required number of kilometers. But what if the level keeps dropping? If your car has increased consumption or, as they say in garages, “the engine is eating oil”? There are not so few reasons here, in this material I will try to list them all, there are easy and completely trivial ones, and there are complex ones, when they are identified, it is often necessary to make major repairs. In general, we read, there will also be a video at the end ...

If the oil consumption in the engine has increased, and the level is constantly falling (that is, you fill in several hundred grams of oil every week), then this is very bad. This means that your power unit has a malfunction that needs to be urgently removed, otherwise it can easily "". No, of course, the engine has an acceptable lubricant consumption, usually 0.05 - 0.25% of the fuel you used. That is, if you refueled 100 liters of fuel, then the oil consumption will be approximately 5 grams. This is a valid value. There may not be a flow rate if the engine is new, usually an acceptable flow rate - it already appears in worn motors. But if much more than five grams of oil is consumed, it definitely needs to be looked at. The level is easy to monitor on the dipstick.

I divide faults into complex ones (which are difficult to fix and require complex engine disassembly) and light ones (disassembly of the entire unit is not required). So, in our article, I’ll start, perhaps, with complex malfunctions.

Complicated engine oil consumption problems

1) Wear (overheating) of piston oil scraper rings . On the piston of any engine there are oil scraper rings, they are the ones that prevent oil from entering the combustion chamber. These rings are in constant friction against the walls of the cylinder block. When they grind, the oil begins to enter the combustion chamber a little, burning there and leaving with the exhaust gases. Also, these rings can be overheated, for example, when there is no coolant (or its level is not sufficient), the engine heats up to a critical point and these rings “lie down”, that is, they lose their elasticity and are pressed against the piston. Probably, many have seen cars that have (they are rare but can be found on the roads), this indicates a malfunction of the oil scraper rings. Thus, the oil burns out and its level drops (the "FOR" appears). It is necessary to disassemble the motor and replace the oil scraper rings. Pretty expensive repair.

2) Wear of the walls of the cylinder block . Another reason is the wear of the cylinder block wall along which the pistons travel. That is, not the rings themselves, but the wall where the pistons go with oil scraper rings put on them. There is nothing to be done, either to bore the block, or to change it. Also very expensive.

3) Through oil seals . These are valves, they remove oil from the chassis of the valve itself. With wear or temperature fluctuations, these caps become inelastic and simply do not remove grease from the valves, this is another direct cause of consumption. Everything is a little simpler here, since these caps are located at the top, the head of the block. And to replace them, you do not need to disassemble the entire power unit. Often, you only need to remove the head cover.

4) Leak through cylinder block gasket . By the way, it is worth noting that V8 units have two of them. This can happen only for two reasons, either a manufacturing defect, they simply did not tighten the fastening bolts, it should be noted a very rough marriage. And second, your engine is so worn out that even the gasket burned out. It is also more or less cheap here, the gasket is behind the head, so it is not necessary to remove the engine. Easy to diagnose, there are two options. It flows along the walls of the block - from the outside precisely from the place of attachment. Or there is no external leak, but oil clots are observed in the coolant, and the level drops. Just remove the head of the block, change the gasket and then tighten it well.

5) Leak through crankshaft and camshaft seals . Another “difficult” reason for oil consumption (zhora) is the leakage of crankshaft and camshaft oil seals. The front of the engine has a cover where the initial part of the crankshaft goes. It has an oil seal that can leak. Either due to wear (poor quality), or due to low temperatures, or due to poor (incorrectly selected) engine oil, it will simply squeeze out. The rear crankshaft oil seal is even more difficult to diagnose, the thing is that the rear part often enters the gearbox (and it doesn’t matter), it’s impossible to see it, you need to remove the “box”, but again, if there is a puddle under this place and the level constantly drops , then most likely you will have to go for dismantling.

The same story with the camshaft (although it does not have a rear oil seal, only the front one), it is not always possible to see smudges, because they are covered with a cover (usually plastic), but smudges on the crankcase protection will make you think, also often the belt can fly off, which will cause bent valves! So it's not worth the hassle to replace.

There is only one solution, just change the necessary seals.

Light faults

1) Leaking oil filter . The most common type of "light" malfunction is a leak through the oil filter. A puddle of oil will form under the car. There are several reasons for this, they simply didn’t turn on the oil filter, torn its body (it happens from low-quality manufacturers), or the gasket adjacent to the block misses. In any case, you need to remove and look, if necessary, it is better to buy a new one.

3) Engine sump . It also has a gasket, only from the bottom. It is easier to see it, it is enough to raise the car on the lifts, or just drive “into the pit”. It also dulls from time to time, or from poor-quality performance. We just change.

Separately about oil and its waste

First, I want to tell you that engine oil burnout is an absolutely normal process in the operation of any internal combustion engine, there is not a single unit in which it does not burn out. The thing is that the lubricant envelops the walls of the cylinders (lubricating them and increasing their resource), of course, oil scraper rings remove it, but a part (very small in a serviceable engine) still remains in the combustion chamber, when the combustible mixture is ignited, it burns out and is removed together with exhaust gases through the exhaust system. BUT, as I wrote above, there are special average standards for this, which the manufacturer assures - usually 50 - 100 grams per 10,000 km, up to a maximum of 300 - 400 grams. But it happens when the oil burns out much more than it should! So why is this happening, there are logical reasons for this.

1) Bad or unsuitable oil . If everything is more or less clear with bad or fake lubrication, you just fell into a fake and it’s better to replace it, if it burns in liters, it turns black after 500 km, without any breakdowns. That's with the wrong parameters a little more complicated. I would like to say that any manufacturer indicates what kind of oil can be poured into this particular device, IT IS NOT WORTH YOU TO DEFER FROM THESE RULES! If you fill in too liquid lubricant, then it will simply remain on the walls and burn out in the chamber. If you pour too thick, then the film that will form on the walls will be too thick, by the way, it can cause increased wear of the rings.

Remember - be sure to select lubricants exactly according to the recommendations of your manufacturer, they give them for a reason, “from the bulldozer”, everything is calculated at the production level. And you will be surprised how much the cost will drop!

2) Rigid operating modes . Usually these are called the work of the power unit at high speeds! For example, you like to spin the engine to the limit, and the higher the speed, the higher the oil consumption. Simple physics works here, the speed is high, the temperature rises more than necessary, the lubricant becomes thinner and more remains in the combustion chamber.

Also, the temperature regime plays a role, in winter, oil is consumed more in the engine than in summer. It becomes thick and unable to form a normal film for the first few seconds - minutes of operation. That is why it is desirable