Oil Consumption - Now, I'll Try This

[shatto]

My 4.7 now has 45,000 miles on the odometer, so I've driven around 30,000 miles since I bought it 'previously owned' (used) and it still consumes oil, about 2 to 3 quarts per 5,000 miles.

The first oil change I switched to Amsoil and four quarts instantly dissappeared, so on advise of my mechanic, Dex, I took it out and changed to non-detergeant 30 weight oil, to help finish the break-in process.
Didn't work.

This weekend we drained the oil, refilled with el-cheap-o oil and added a can of Amsoil Engine Flush. We ran it at 1,300 RPM for 50 minutes, far longer than the recommended cleaning time, not so much to clean the inside as much as to allow a lot of the pistons rubbing the cylinders with as little lubrication as possible so as to re-scuff the rings and cylinder walls and let them seat properly.
I filled the engine with Valvoline non-detergeant 30 weight oil and a cheap oil filter.

I will report the progress.

[jeep45238]

Why are you doing this to your poor engine?

[VetteOwner]

yea thats what i was thinking last night....

lol non detergent oil...last time i saw that was at dollar general for 75 cents a quart! i wouldn't use that stuff near any engine!

[theholycow]

What does he have to lose? It's already burning/leaking oil.

....ok, I just looked it up, and I know what's at stake. The warranty, 5 years/60,000 miles. Why not just let Toyota fix it for free?

Putting non-recommended oil in (and futzing around with engine flush) could jeopardize the warranty. If you eventually give up and bring it in for an oil consumption problem, be sure to put recommended oil in first, in case they get it analyzed (which is a distinct possibility for such a premature engine failure).

[dkjones96]

Gotta love new engines that were broken-in by someone babying them.

Program cars FTW!

[aalb1]

Originally Posted by dkjones96

Gotta love new engines that were broken-in by someone babying them.

Program cars FTW!

So are you coming from the school of thought that engines break in better with harder use?

Regardless I'm so poor I think I will never break in an engine in my life!!!!!

[dkjones96]

Originally Posted by aalb1

So are you coming from the school of thought that engines break in better with harder use?

You bet I am. Take the Rebel for instance. You follow the factory break-in procedure and you're going easy on the bike as most people that get one do. This one? Broken in nice and hard. Most Rebel owners will tell you that after a 300 mile highway trip where the engine is around 8k most of the time you'll have to top the oil off when you get back because it will have burned through enough of it that it needs refilled. My Rebel only needed half a quart through the last 1500 miles that got put on it.

A customer came in with some fouled plugs that came out of his rebuilt 460 with 4,000 miles on it. The plugs were covered in ash because of oil burning. When I asked him how he broke it in he said he took it easy the first 500 miles. Now, when the engine was new in the 70s taking it easy was the way to go because they had used a rough hone on the engine but engines now leave with a fine hone. Some engines, like the S2000 engine, leave the factory fully broken in on an engine dyno from the factory, and can you guess how they break it in? Hint: They don't idle it around on the dyno for 3 days.

The first 50 miles will determine how the engine will run for the remainder of that build. Unfortunately, there is no way to make the rings and cylinder re-wear into each other. Once the sharp outer edges of the rings are worn off they are gone. Last engine I worked on as a build was for a drag car and the first time it was started it was idled up to temp then ran down the track with 36psi of boost.

[GasSavers_BEEF]

I was under similar understandings.

buddy of mine would always find a big hill and rev it really high (in first gear) and run it up the hill. he said you could feel the rings seat going up the hill. no power and then all of a suddent boom (not literally).

he said you have to do it under load so that they seat properly. I have never built an engine but when I buy new cars, I do see what they can do, usually on the ride home.

[VetteOwner]

Originally Posted by theholycow

What does he have to lose? It's already burning/leaking oil.

....ok, I just looked it up, and I know what's at stake. The warranty, 5 years/60,000 miles. Why not just let Toyota fix it for free?

Putting non-recommended oil in (and futzing around with engine flush) could jeopardize the warranty. If you eventually give up and bring it in for an oil consumption problem, be sure to put recommended oil in first, in case they get it analyzed (which is a distinct possibility for such a premature engine failure).

lol hes got the engine to loose! 3 quarts in 5k isnt bad i woulda just left it.

now if it were 3 quarts in a week welllll

[dkjones96]

GM says that normal oil consumption for an engine with less than 50k miles is 1 quart every 2k miles but that still seems like a lot to me!