92 Civic DX - using oil 143K miles 5spd

[wehrd1]

The car is using oil - no evident leaks under or on top, no blowby, no smoke out exhaust, but its using oil SOMEWHERE. I changed the spark plugs & wires about 1 yr ago, and noticed at that time ONE spark plug tube had alot of oil in it. But we just checked again, not to long ago, and there doesn't appear to be any oil in the plug tube now. The oil level is @ the correct level.

What would this indicate?? and what does the remedy involve? Where could it be losing oil???


would this issue also cause poor mpgs? I think this car feels sluggish to say the least, and on a good tank avgs. about 32 mpg.

Thanks for any input.!!

[Bill in Houston]

How many quarts per how many miles? One quart per hundred miles? Or one quart per 2000 miles? Or what?

[SVOboy]

If the oil is just in the tube it is prolly coming down the top from the spark plug gasket between the tube and they valve cover.

Anyway, you might be getting slight blowby and not notice it. Or mehbe even something else. Could be leaking from axle seals, which wouldn't leave much of a mark. Or the rear main seal leaking into the transmission housing, though that's not common on Hondas.

[wehrd1]

Originally Posted by Bill in Houston

How many quarts per how many miles? One quart per hundred miles? Or one quart per 2000 miles? Or what?

if I had to make a good guesstimation I would say 2 to 2.5 qts in 3K miles. Its the car my daughter drives (and we know how well teenagers take care of these things), and it once went 5K miles between oil changes, and it was SCARY low when I finally got the car from her.

[SVOboy]

Hey, I'm a teenager! You could tkae the exhaust off and check for oil.

[thisisntjared]

wow thats pretty bad. you should be able to see that somewhere: spot on the driveway, discoloration near exhaust, slippery clutch, and of course the crappiest, spotted and/or cloudy coolant.

on the side note. i took EXCELLENT care of my car when i was a teen.

[mrmad]

A quart every 1500 miles isn't horrible for a car with 143K miles on it. You should get compression and leakdown tests run on it to determine if it is your valve seals or the rings causing your oil consumption.

[VetteOwner]

i dunno, my truck has 136,000 on it and doesnt use a drop of oil between changes.
it might be you dont see the blue smoke untill its under a heavy load(accelerating hard, tryign to get up a hill with the pedal floored, etc). but yea a compression check is the best bet.

[Bill in Houston]

You can also check for valve stem seal leaks by accellerating to, say 4500 rpm in second, abruptly letting off the gas, and having a car behind you watch for smoke.

[thisisntjared]

Originally Posted by mrmad

A quart every 1500 miles isn't horrible for a car with 143K miles on it. You should get compression and leakdown tests run on it to determine if it is your valve seals or the rings causing your oil consumption.

we are talking about a honda. specifically the d15b7. but you are right, those tests should be done.