Noticing that oil consumption has increased, car owners sometimes sound the alarm: they are sure that the engine is not in order.
But before frantically looking for the phones of service stations and minders, let's figure out what oil burnout in the engine means, what are its main causes and whether it is worth taking drastic measures if you find a problem.
What is oil waste?
Oil waste is the consumption of lubricant that exceeds the normative indicators indicated in the technical passport of the car. This is easy to check: pay attention to the oil consumption after overcoming, say, 100 kilometers today, and then after three days of regular driving. You can measure the oil level with a dipstick. If the indicators are the same, then there is nothing to worry about. But if the error is significant, then it is worth diagnosing the main components of the vehicle.
Another way to find out that the oil is burning is to track how long one liter lasts: for a week, a month, or six months. If a liter of oil is consumed in less than 3-6 months or less than 7-10 thousand kilometers, the problem is obvious.
Diagnostics
The easiest way to check, in addition to the oil readings on the dipstick, is to inspect the pipe. When the oil burns out, oily formations appear on the edges of the product.
Also pay attention to your own driving style. Please note that when driving at high speed, sudden changes in speed and especially during kickdowns, oil consumption increases. If you constantly drive in the “gas to the floor” mode, consider that you definitely have oil waste!
Should I be worried about oil fumes?
For the car owner, increased oil consumption is a wake-up call, as it indicates a malfunction of engine parts that need more lubricant to function properly.
However, do not rush to conclusions, since oil burnout can be provoked by:
Design features of the engine: the larger the size of the pistons and cylinders, the more oil is needed to ensure a flawless power stroke. With a shortage of lubricant, the friction force increases, and the parts wear out faster. Increased oil consumption in this case is insurance against premature engine repairs. For many cars, for example, the Volkswagen Audi Group, oil consumption in the range of 1 liter per 10,000 kilometers is completely normal;
Oil entering the combustion chamber: it will not be possible to completely neutralize this process, since oil particles first penetrate the crankcase ventilation system, and then into the combustion chamber while the car is moving;
Oil dilution: if drops of water or unburned fuel get into the lubricant, a change in the chemical composition will occur, and as a result, its waste.
If oil burnout is associated with these factors, then there is simply no reason to panic, but in other cases it is worth seeking help from specialists.
Causes
Among the possible reasons contributing to the rapid consumption of oil may be the wrong choice of lubricant. If the oil is almost like water in consistency, then it will burn out faster, and the thick one will settle on the walls of the cylinders in a thick layer. We advise you to purchase only original oil from trusted suppliers and only meet the tolerances specified in the instructions for the cars. Very often, fake oil is sold on the Internet and in small points on the market that does not meet the declared parameters, and in this case, savings can lead to huge costs for restoring the motor.
Also, engine oil burnout can occur due to a malfunction of the oil scraper, piston, interring jumpers,. You can detect this problem during a scheduled technical inspection on special equipment. With high wear on the oil scraper rings, a gray color comes out of the exhaust pipe. If you find oil burnout and suspicious smoke, it is worth replacing seals and rings - this is not the cheapest procedure, but, firstly, you will extend the life of the engine, and secondly, you will save on topping up oil.
Precautionary measures
You can put up with the consumption of a large amount of oil, but we advise you to diagnose the engine at a service station and find out the exact causes of oil burnout.
In this case, you win for two reasons: a) make sure the engine is working and there is no reason to panic; b) fix breakdowns at an early stage in time. Agree that it is much better to spend, for example, $ 200-300 to replace oil scraper rings than to pour in a liter of new oil every couple of weeks and spend money on a “capital” in a year, which will cost at least $ 1,000. The choice is yours.
Most motorists when buying a car are interested in the consumption of lubricants. Can the answer to this common question give an unambiguous assessment of the technical condition of the "iron horse"?
It is generally accepted that increased oil consumption in the engine indicates that not everything is in order with the machine. In the case when the flow rate increases sharply, and topping up is carried out on an ongoing basis, it is clear that the cause should be looked for, inspection, diagnostics and repair should be carried out. Usually the car owner is tuned to the standard indicators determined by the manufacturer, but when he looks at the dipstick and sees an overrun, the first thing that comes to mind is the thought of a breakdown and upcoming large investments. In addition, these are additional costs for car maintenance. Periodically checking the lubrication level should be taken as a rule, but let's look at the causes of excessive oil consumption in the engine.
Where does the oil go?
Increased oil consumption in the engine does not always indicate its deplorable state, in addition, its unchanged level also does not indicate the normal state of the engine. All internal combustion engines must consume fuel and lubricants, the question is how much it takes. There are several reasons for different volumes of consumption, but they can be conditionally divided into two groups:
- Established, associated with the design feature of the engine;
- Non-standard, indicating the wear of parts and failures in the settings.
Large-volume internal combustion engines, especially V-shaped ones, are distinguished by increased oil consumption than in small-capacity single-row engines. To prevent dry friction, the autolubricant forms a protective film on the cylinder walls to lubricate the piston rings, and accordingly burns out in new engines. In general, manufacturers of engines and oils strive to provide maximum protection for rubbing surfaces while minimizing waste.
Lubricant inevitably seeps into the combustion chamber as the pistons and valves move. Inevitably, oil is wasted on the intake through the crankcase ventilation system, crankcase gases carry out a small amount of lubricant. Turbocharged engines require lubrication of the turbine parts. The most banal reason for increased waste: if the lubricant did not burn out, then it leaked out, hence the high oil consumption.
In this article, we will not delve into the diagnosis of leaks, the replacement of oil seals and gaskets, but will focus on waste.
Diagnosing Excessive Oil Burnout
The simplest diagnostic technique to assess lubricant waste is a visual assessment of exhaust gases. If car oil enters the exhaust system, then the exhaust at high speeds is a bluish smoke, the combustion of high-quality gasoline does not give such a color to the gases. For comparison, in case of failures in the injection system, black smoke is emitted from the exhaust pipe, these are already symptoms of another disease.
There is another way to detect the constant burning of the suit over a long period: a black oily formation grows on the edges of the exhaust pipe. You can more accurately determine the ingress of oil into the exhaust system by diagnosing using a gas analyzer.
Assess your driving style. The operating mode of the internal combustion engine directly affects the oil consumption in the engine. When working at high speeds, the pressure and temperature of the lubricant increase, when heated, its viscosity decreases, therefore, more lubricant seeps into the working cylinders, which leads to increased oil consumption.
Many are mistakenly tied to the consumption rate per thousand kilometers. Operation in the urban cycle is marked by a constant change in speed, frequent starting and stopping of the engine, idle idle, which is different from driving on the highway. Uniform movement at a speed of about 100 km / h in fifth gear and the manner of driving at high speeds with constant overtaking will show different fuel consumption, different waste.
It is much easier to come to the conclusion that the lubricant burns out above the norm than to identify the cause that explains the increased burnout.
The main reasons for engine oil to burn in the engine
- Wrong oil filled. It is not suitable for your engine. If the suit is too liquid, then its leakage into the combustion chamber is inevitable. Viscous oil will form a thicker film and remain on the inner surface of the cylinders, more "soar" and burn. They cannot boast of properties that reduce volatility, low-quality oil fakes and fakes. I am glad that flushing the engine and changing the oil will help eliminate the first cause. For DVZ with high mileage, it is recommended to change synthetic oil to semi-synthetic, often this helps to reduce consumption. Be sure to follow the recommendations of the car manufacturer.
- Deterioration of oil seals (or valve seals) due to poor-quality rubber, temperature changes or structural failure due to the use of unsuitable lubricants. Valve seals are inexpensive, and their replacement is not very laborious, but this operation significantly reduces oil waste.
- Wear of piston rings. The problem is eliminated by replacing them, and this is already a major overhaul. In some cases, decarbonization helps, that is, a short-term engine load at maximum speed, more often such a procedure can remove carbon deposits from the rings if the car has not been used for a long time. There is a wide offer of special auto chemicals on sale, but sellers will not be able to guarantee a positive result of decarbonization, and they will prefer to remain silent about the effect of additives on motor resources.
- The development of cylinders, namely the wear or damage to their inner surface. In this case, without resorting to an engine overhaul, you can change the oil to a more viscous one and put up with constant topping up, still cheaper than an overhaul. This measure is temporary, and the most correct solution would be to replace the entire engine.
- Due to the destruction of the intervalve bridges on the piston, the sealing of the combustion chamber deteriorates, as a result of which the pressure of the crankcase gases is injected, and the oil is carried out of the crankcase through the engine ventilation system through fuel injection.
- For turbocharged engines, there is another reason: the increased oil consumption in the engine is affected by a malfunction of the turbine, so repair or replace it.
Topping up or replacement?
Some motorists believe that with constant topping up of oil, it is updated, and you can ignore its next replacement. This is fundamentally wrong. It must be changed according to the regulations, since the filter is clogged and washed-out combustion products accumulate in the pan, which do not go anywhere.
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 with an oil dipstick (read the article -), if the level is normal, then there is nothing to worry about, just change it 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 is 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 “stumbled” on 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, a few minutes, because there is increased wear of the rings and walls of the cylinder block. I recommend changing the oil before winter, because it loses its properties with long runs.
How many times a month do you add engine oil? One or two, or maybe more? I think that every motorist periodically experiences disappointment and regret, once again returning to the car market for a “liter” of oil. In this article, I will share my experience of dealing with oil waste.
I recently bought a used 1994 Volkswagen Golf, 1.8L petrol engine. When buying, I knew about some “sores” that could be eliminated with a certain intervention, so they did not bother me. In addition to the fact that the compression across the cylinders was uneven, the previous owner had to add oil regularly.
I checked the compression after I bought it. The indicator jumped from 8 to 10 bar. And the level of hydrocarbons in the exhaust gases (HC) was 366 ppm (ppm - concentration unit). After talking with experts and reputable car owners, I found out that HC levels up to 100 ppm are considered normal. Anything above indicates the presence of engine oil in the exhaust gases. For me, this did not become a secret, because I knew about the existence of the problem of intoxication. I began to think how to solve this problem.
A neighbor, an experienced driver, advised me to fill in high-quality thick oil. I followed his advice immediately, and now my Golf is already filled with excellent synthetics from Mobil with a viscosity of 5W50. I measured the compression and was inspired - 15 bar in each cylinder. I did not expect such an effect. But then a slight shock awaited me. Having measured the level of hydrocarbons in the exhaust gases, I got the figure of 1700 ppm instead of the long-awaited 100!
How did it happen that by filling in a more viscous oil, I got perfect compression, but at the same time, the burnout increased 5 times?!
I found the answer on a special forum. It turned out that a more viscous oil, of course, is better retained on the cylinder walls, preventing loss of compression.
But if the cylinder is badly worn, then the piston simply “hangs” in it and the rings are not able to remove the oil layer when moving down. Viscous oil remains on the cylinder walls and burns out. Probably, viscous oils have a limit on the degree of engine wear.
This problem can be eliminated by restoring the geometry of the inner walls of the cylinders. There are several ways to solve this problem: from old-fashioned experience to expensive dealer service.
I chose something in between.
After reading positive reviews on the Internet and having studied in detail the information from the manufacturer, I bought a metal-plating additive in oil in a store. The full name of the remetallizer is RESURS. According to the manufacturer, it partially restores worn surfaces.
The technology is such that active metal particles are embedded in the collapsing structure of the cylinder walls, restoring the geometry and tightness of the combustion chambers. In simple words, the process of remetallization resembles the restoration of the skin after an injury.
And here is my experience. I filled it with oil and drove 350 km on it. Then again measured the compression and the level of exhaust gases. Compression remained the same - 15 bar. But the second device showed the figure 74 ppm ... Seventy-four! Imagine my reaction.
I didn't believe my eyes! And he made a second measurement after a few minutes, and then after 50 kilometers. The figure continued to fluctuate around the indicator of 73-75 ppm. Surprising but true!
This is a real experience and figures obtained on the devices. And to call it a placebo effect, the language will not turn. The remetallizant does not affect the viscosity of the oil. It generally does not interact with oil in any way, but uses it exclusively as a means of delivery to the cylinder walls.
One of the reasons why engine oil leaves the crankcase is oil burnout in the engine. Determining the presence of this problem is quite simple, you just need to look at the exhaust pipe of your car. If it comes from there, you are not mistaken.
In addition, in the case of prolonged combustion of oil above a certain norm, it will not be difficult to notice the resulting oily black edge along the edges of the exhaust pipe. But it will be somewhat more difficult to identify the cause of oil burnout. So let's get started.
It is unlikely that anyone will be able to tell you unequivocally and one hundred percent about the true causes of what happened without opening the engine. However, there are a number of fairly simple ways to eliminate fumes, which you can try to carry out even before partial disassembly of the engine.
First you need to determine the rate of oil consumption for waste specifically for the engine of your car, because it simply cannot not burn out at all - due to the formation of a thin oily film on the cylinder walls, where the air-fuel mixture is burned.
Another important point. Oil burnout depends on the operating conditions of the car. The higher the engine speed, the higher the load on it - the piston rings will no longer have time to do their job (remove oil from the cylinder walls in a quality manner). Consequently, the amount of oil burned in the chamber will increase.
Why does engine oil burn out and how to deal with it?
The main reasons for oil consumption for waste:
- Wrong selection of oil: the use of one that, in its viscosity, does not suit the engine of your car.
It is always better to fill in the one that is prescribed in the instruction manual for your car, otherwise such illiteracy will lead to, and, consequently, increased carbon deposits in the sleeve-piston group and the exhaust system.
Methods of "fight": replacing the existing oil with a suitable one with a preliminary special agent. In addition, you can solve the problem of waste by simply replacing synthetic oil with semi-synthetic oil, provided that this replacement does not contradict the rules for operating a car.
- Deterioration of oil deflecting caps (seals of intake and exhaust valves).
Its root cause may be the temperature difference, and the use of low-quality oil.
The solution to the problem: replacing the valve stem seals. Removing the cylinder head in this case, most often, is optional.
- Wear and occurrence of oil scraper (piston) rings.
Remedies: the simplest, but not giving a 100% guarantee of a positive result, is “decarbonizing” with a special tool. It is poured under the candles when the engine is warm. Then, after a few minutes, the car starts and idles for a while.
A more expensive option is to replace piston rings, which is very close to a major overhaul of a car engine.
- Wear of engine cylinders, lack of a mirror on the surface of the sleeve.
The reason for this wear can be the ingress of dust into the air-fuel mixture start-up system, the use of low-quality fuel, untimely replacement of engine oil, driving at a low oil level.
The way out, as a rule, in such cases is to grind the block, followed by replacing the pistons with pistons of a larger group (larger), if this is provided by the manufacturer, or replacing the liners if the block is sleeved (read more about honing cylinders). In the event that the above is not provided by the manufacturer, the engine block or the engine itself should be replaced.
- Depreciation of the turbine (turbocharger).
The turbine rotor is lubricated with pressurized oil. It rotates in bushings, which wear out over time due to the use of low-quality oil, untimely replacement of it and the air filter, wear of the corrugation connecting the turbine and the air filter, due to the passage of oil into the air inlet system into the engine cylinders, burning along with fuel.
Ways to eliminate this problem: either replace the turbocharger.
Video.
