96 850 turbo burns oil

Jan 19, 2008 5 Replies
M

Hi everyone,



I'm extremely interested in buying a 1996 850 Turbo Platinum Edition wagon. The car is 158k and extremely well maintained.



There is one problem - it burns oil. The vehicle burns about a quart of oil between every oil change. The vehicle burns more oil on highway than in city driving; burns more with lightweight 5w-30 Mobil 1 than with heavier 20w50. Putting in a brand new turbo reduced the oil burn, but did not completely eliminate the problem.



Does anyone know if this is a common problem, or just something particular to this vehicle? I want something that can be driven to grocery store once a week without needing to worry about anything else. Are there any common problem that surfaces with this car around this mileage?



Thanks a lot, Mo


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M

You say it "burns" oil: do you see smoke, or does it simply "use" oil?

My '96 Turbo used oil from a leaky rear main seal.

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M

It burns oil - in that the exhaust area has a very thin film of oil, and the exhaust smells like burnt engine oil.

Mr. V wrote:

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M

My 93 940 turbo uses a qt between oil changes...always has....no big deal

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R

A quart of oil between oil changes of 5,000 miles is not unreasonable for a car with milage well over 100,000. Given the description you provided I wonder if it does not use a lot more.

If you see unburnt or partially burnt oil in the area surrounding the exhaust tailpipe then the car is indeed burning a lot of oil. Chances are that you will also see smoke coming out the tailpipe as the car is moving. Does the car pass emissions tests? If it does and you are otherwise interested in the car then consider it to be a well worn car that could provide transportation. And price it accordingly.

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