2005 Accord Oil Consumption: How much is too much?

I believe that if a vehicle is using or losing oil, there is something that is not right.

snipped-for-privacy@mailcity.com (George C.) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news.west.earthlink.net:

1,000 miles bottom limit of "acceptable", and the reason they tell you it's "acceptable" is because a new motor which has that kind of consumption has some sort of defect (assuming no abuse or neglect), and will end up being replaced under warranty soon anyway. So there's no point in doing anything with it.

Keep a sharp eye on your consumption, make certain you never allow the level to dip below minimum, and know exactly when your engine's warranty is up.

You have to tell them, and tell them as soon as possible. You are still under warranty. You MUST keep them abreast of this problem and give them ample opportunity to fix it under the warranty period. If you never bring it in until the very end of the warranty, they could have cause to be able to claim neglect or abuse.

Dig up EVERY oil change receipt you have. This will be critical.

Oh, I thought you were using a quart per thousand. You're actually using a quart per 6,400, which is pretty good and nothing to worry about.

Are there TWO cars involved here? You mention only one, but allude to a second.

My '04 6 cylinder takes no oil in between changes.

disgusted??? why? are you an engineer?

does that mean you let it idle on the driveway before moving off? don't do that. excess fuel is injected at startup and this dilutes the oil film on the cylinder walls. if you start & drive, [as per the owners manual], this action is over as quickly as possible. if the motor idles to warm up, the process is much prolonged - oil gets washed away and burned.

factory spec has been stated by others. it's possible you have a dud, so again, as stated by others, keep an eye on the warranty. try the above and see what happens.

Are you saying you are using a half a liter (the rest of the world doesn't know what a quart is) in 3200 miles? That is about a quart between changes, even if you push it out to 6400 miles. Normal.

My '01 V6 doesn't lose any oil between oil changes.

All engines consume oil. It is a plain matter of physics that each time a piston travels a full cycle, a minute film of oil is deposited on the cylinder walls and consumed during a power cycle. The amount may vary depending on the fit efficiency of the the seal, but some oil is ALWAYS consumed. It can range from barely noticeable to requiring frequent topping off.

Regarding the "1K" bottom line acceptable limits, it's just a standard established by the manufacturer.

In your case, (you didn't mention the total miles on your car), I would think it to be a little high. Certainly, I would expect a Honda to consume more than a quart between scheduled oil changes. YMMV depending on the engines condition and your driving habits and the oil that you use...

JT

"George C." wrote:

Don't forget, a little oil seepage past seals, gaskets, etc. can add up. And, what about the PCV valve that is sucking oil mist fumes out of your crankcase and burning them? If I was using no oil, I would be more worried than if I was using just a little. More than likely, some of these cars that are using no oil are in fact using some as many people/dealers overfill the oil capacity by about 1/2 a quart at oil change time. This does no damage and ends up protecting many of us that don't check our oil level very often. If it was me, I would top up the oil with a 1/2 quart after 2,000 / 2,500 miles and change it at 4,500. Just my opinion of course.

1996 4 Cyl with 173,000 and I add no oil between it's changes (every 7500 miles with full synthetic). 2001 V-6 with 142,000 and I add no oil between it's changes (every 7500 miles with full synthetic).

If I had to add one quart between changes I would not fret. But what you are describing would disturb me.

G-Man

r u sure u dont have a oil leak ?? never heard of a car with less than 25 k using oil that noticeable!

Some makes do, but in Hondas it has most often been a sign of the mysterious oil consumption syndrome - low mileage cars that suddenly start consuming oil... no leaks, no smoke. In the cases I've heard of where a problem was found it was a broken piston ring.

Mike

you really shouldn't be having to add oil between changes on a car that new. unless it's been abused badly and something went wrong with it. it may be hard to get it straightened out with the dealer. they're not going to rebuild or give you another engine if it's somehow burning the oil unless it gets to be a major oil loss. i'm wondering if it may be dripping a little from somewhere. maybe you can park it over a newspaper for awhile and see if it's leaving big oil spots. it sounds like its using oil like an older honda might but it should not be doing that.

It's ok. Thanks for all the responses. I've decided I'm going to do what I said, at first - just add oil, keep my mouth shut, and then if asked, "Oh, it's never burned a drop!" at trade-in. Then they can do all the consumption tests they want, and hope I don't get the same kind of thing next time around. I wish this was the biggest worry in my llife.

I am on my 14th Honda in my life. I have never had one that used oil.

So no, it's not normal :-)

G-Man

There could also be some moisture in the oil so it looks like you are not using any oil whatsoever.

Using 1/2 quart in 3200 miles of driving is well with reasonable expectations, particularly for the fairly thin 5W-20 oil modern Hondas run.

If you are loosing sleep over this, stop!

John

I forgot to post back here the results of a lengthy oil consumption test.

None, zero, zip. That's how much oil my 05 Honda had been burning. Why the low dip stick? Some tech most likely didn't fully top it off.

3000 into prev. oil change, I posted my original message. Had it topped off, tested again 2000 miles later. Then, sched maint.. 2000 miles into new oil change, no loss (I mean not a drop, AFAICT).