93 Si burning oil
09-23-2007, 08:26 AM
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93 Si burning oil
My g/f has a 1993 Del Sol Si that is burning about 1 qt every 1000 miles.
I tested and cleaned the PCV and did a compression test.
1 180psi
2 173psi
3 175psi
4 175psi
Been running Valvoline MaxLife 10W-30 for the year we have had it, now at 145,000 miles.
Since the rings look ok, I suspect the valves. Is there any products out there like Auto-Rx or Seafoam that could possible clean the valve train or swell up the valve seals. We only paid $2700 for the car so I don't want to rebuild it.
I tested and cleaned the PCV and did a compression test.
1 180psi
2 173psi
3 175psi
4 175psi
Been running Valvoline MaxLife 10W-30 for the year we have had it, now at 145,000 miles.
Since the rings look ok, I suspect the valves. Is there any products out there like Auto-Rx or Seafoam that could possible clean the valve train or swell up the valve seals. We only paid $2700 for the car so I don't want to rebuild it.
09-23-2007, 11:36 AM
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There is a product called "SwellSeal", and I don't know who makes it because I can't seem to google it. It's not made by MXP. It can be used in transmissions or in the crankcase to recondition seals.
If an additive doesn't help with the oil consumption issue, you may have a cracked valve seal and no oil additive will help with that.
You might want to try 10W-40 motor oil. That engine qualifies as a higher-mileage engine, and the bigger oil molecule may reduce the amount of oil being burnt without negatively affecting your engine. Chances are there's enough engine wear based on you mileage and what you're describing for that oil to work just fine.
What will fix it... replace your valve seals. A qualified mechanic with the right tools can do this job easily without having to remove the head. Whether or not a mechanic can do this is based on his ownership of one simple tool. There's an air fitting that threads into the spark plug hole, and once air pressure is applied, it holds the valves closed so the valve keepers, spring, and valve seals can be removed without dropping the valve into the engine. So, they CAN be changed without rebuilding the engine, but it's time consuming, and mechanics make money based on how much time they spend on the job, not what tools are in their box.
Removing the head and getting it freshened up by NAPA for under $200 is the best way to go. Based on your mileage, you're about due for the timing belt anyways (first one at 90k, next one at 150k). Doing the head work and head gasket is simple if you're already doing the timing belt. It's just an extra 10 bolts to remove it after you pull the manifolds and valve cover. With a Haynes manual, some patience, and a good torque wrench, there's no reason you can't do all of this yourself for under $500.
If an additive doesn't help with the oil consumption issue, you may have a cracked valve seal and no oil additive will help with that.
You might want to try 10W-40 motor oil. That engine qualifies as a higher-mileage engine, and the bigger oil molecule may reduce the amount of oil being burnt without negatively affecting your engine. Chances are there's enough engine wear based on you mileage and what you're describing for that oil to work just fine.
What will fix it... replace your valve seals. A qualified mechanic with the right tools can do this job easily without having to remove the head. Whether or not a mechanic can do this is based on his ownership of one simple tool. There's an air fitting that threads into the spark plug hole, and once air pressure is applied, it holds the valves closed so the valve keepers, spring, and valve seals can be removed without dropping the valve into the engine. So, they CAN be changed without rebuilding the engine, but it's time consuming, and mechanics make money based on how much time they spend on the job, not what tools are in their box.
Removing the head and getting it freshened up by NAPA for under $200 is the best way to go. Based on your mileage, you're about due for the timing belt anyways (first one at 90k, next one at 150k). Doing the head work and head gasket is simple if you're already doing the timing belt. It's just an extra 10 bolts to remove it after you pull the manifolds and valve cover. With a Haynes manual, some patience, and a good torque wrench, there's no reason you can't do all of this yourself for under $500.
09-23-2007, 10:33 PM
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My '92 has a similar issue, I've found running seal conditioner helps a lot.
When using 5w30 Mobil Clean 5000 (dino oil) and 1/2 a bottle of seal conditioner it went from using up to 1quart every 2k miles to using none (as far as I could tell on the dipstick) over the course of 3k miles.
I stopped using the seal conditioner and the use started back up slowly so I changed the oil and decided to switch to synthetic. I put 1/2 a bottle of conditioner in there again and at first it used at least 1quart every 1k miles but after about 1500-2000 miles (and the other 1/2 bottle of conditioner) it's down to using next to nothing.
Whether it took a while for the seals to adjust to synthetic, or it took longer for the conditioner to work it's way into the seals b/c of the synthetic I don't know.
I use bardahls stop leak with seal conditioner myself. To my knowledge, not directly from the company, it isn't really supposed to swell the seals, just condition them.
From what I've been told, something that swells the seals really isn't a great idea unless it's a last resort to avoid replacing the seals.
Keep in mind that before I used the conditioner I ran a detergent (mild, leave in type, not a flush) in the oil a couple times b/c there was so much sludge and varnish in the engine. No more sludge that I can see but still lots of varnish, which is why I'm running a diff. type of detergent in there right now.
I'm sure it would be wiser to run a conditioner product and a detergent seperately but I don't do a huge amount of driving so I get impatient
h:
Anyway, some detergent additives are real thin and so have a seal sweller in them which is why when I ran only CD-2 Max detergent, the oil use completely stopped but came right back after an oil change, when I used it a 3rd time, after using seal conditioner, it didn't swell the seals and so oil use went up.
In the past I've tried running thicker than recommended oils (way overboard in one case) to try and stop oil use and it never worked, only slowed it a little. However, those cars seemed to have mechanical issues whether worn rings or broken o-ring(s) so for all I know it might work on a car like mine that appears to have little to no wear on the piston rings and seals that appear to at least be in one piece.
Hope that helps
sorry it's so long.
When using 5w30 Mobil Clean 5000 (dino oil) and 1/2 a bottle of seal conditioner it went from using up to 1quart every 2k miles to using none (as far as I could tell on the dipstick) over the course of 3k miles.
I stopped using the seal conditioner and the use started back up slowly so I changed the oil and decided to switch to synthetic. I put 1/2 a bottle of conditioner in there again and at first it used at least 1quart every 1k miles but after about 1500-2000 miles (and the other 1/2 bottle of conditioner) it's down to using next to nothing.
Whether it took a while for the seals to adjust to synthetic, or it took longer for the conditioner to work it's way into the seals b/c of the synthetic I don't know.
I use bardahls stop leak with seal conditioner myself. To my knowledge, not directly from the company, it isn't really supposed to swell the seals, just condition them.
From what I've been told, something that swells the seals really isn't a great idea unless it's a last resort to avoid replacing the seals.
Keep in mind that before I used the conditioner I ran a detergent (mild, leave in type, not a flush) in the oil a couple times b/c there was so much sludge and varnish in the engine. No more sludge that I can see but still lots of varnish, which is why I'm running a diff. type of detergent in there right now.
I'm sure it would be wiser to run a conditioner product and a detergent seperately but I don't do a huge amount of driving so I get impatient
h:Anyway, some detergent additives are real thin and so have a seal sweller in them which is why when I ran only CD-2 Max detergent, the oil use completely stopped but came right back after an oil change, when I used it a 3rd time, after using seal conditioner, it didn't swell the seals and so oil use went up.
In the past I've tried running thicker than recommended oils (way overboard in one case) to try and stop oil use and it never worked, only slowed it a little. However, those cars seemed to have mechanical issues whether worn rings or broken o-ring(s) so for all I know it might work on a car like mine that appears to have little to no wear on the piston rings and seals that appear to at least be in one piece.
Hope that helps
sorry it's so long.