ZX furio 1.8 engine

hello, same great car.. :), strange new phenomenon: sudden major engine oil loss, no leaks, no smoke. it was on the garage lift, so no visible leaks at all, and really no smoke, even at high rpm bursts. the mechanic was at loss, said maybe the valve seals were burning oil only in the morning when the engine is dead cold. any ideas?

Was the oil there and then not there, or perhaps not really fully filled the last time it was changed? I've known a bubble to form making it look as if the sump is full - until the engine is run, when the bubble bursts and the oil level drops in an instant. (But that was a dirty old Ford side-valve engine, probably full of gunk - and it had an oil filler tube that smoked like a chimney).

The classic beginner's mistake is using the dipstick while the car is not level; another one is to check the level while the engine is cold, then while it's hot and the oil hasn't yet drained back into the sump.

If oil really is being lost it must be going somewhere! Any idea how much is getting lost in a given time or distance, or if the level drops while the car is parked? Is the radiator level stable and the coolant clean?

Thanks for the replies, o' Whiskers: I'm connected to the car, I know exactly how it behaves and how it delicate= ly sips oil, I check oil-water at least once every 2 weeks, it was constantly full (slig= htly less after tune up but still close to max),=20 I check on level ground and cold, But when I saw this I checked many times from 2 hours cold to 6, and moved = parking 180 degrees to be sure.=20 It went in 3 weeks from almost max to ~ 3 mm below min., no smoke no leaks,= no heating, no coolant change=85 I don't know if to really worry or just slightly. Of course I'll keep a tight eye, but I don't like it.

That isn't what I'd call 'sudden'!

How far had you driven in that time? If the oil consumption is high (say, more than 1 litre for 2000km) and there are no stains on the ground when you park, then engine wear may be the cause - unless the oil itself is substandard or old.

I don't drive much at all, the car is maybe 4 months after standard treatment, the oil was clean-clear and full, for this car, such a loss in such a short time is sadly a freak. ah well, maybe they are human after all... thanks

If the oil filter was changed, they may have forgotten to make sure the filter was full ...

I suppose theft of oil from the engine is a pretty long shot. If no further loss occurs, put it down as a mystery.

howdy, in the garage today they tried to clean the inner heating radiator by connecting a water hose to the inlet and letting out water from the engine. the engine was running and at high-normal temp, the water from the hose was cold (lets say 10 degrees C. versus 97 of the water in the engine). I noticed too late to comment. Afterwards (after the paramedic + tranquilizers) They said as long as the temp is normal and it's full of water (no air) it's not damaging. I'm still fretting about this. what do you say? as I was once told (even here), occasional cold water splash is fine (like from a puddle), but a full *&^% cold water blast into the engine? the car drove fine afterwards and oil and water look ok. let it go?

There is no way I would put cold water into a hot engine, but it does not sound that you have any damage ... fingers crossed