i have a 1999 gs300 with about 140k miles and it seems to burn about a pint of oil every 3000 miles. also, i usually change my oil every 6000 miles so i usually have to add about two pints in that time period.

for those who have a 2nd gen GS, does ur car do this as well? is this relatively normal for a GS with those miles. i only use mobil1 synthetic 5w30. let me know boys.

 

I would say that a pint? (i was thinking quart) of oil every 3k miles is fairly normal. Some burn more than others, and some burn none at all. My GS400 has 172k miles on it and burns zero oil between oil changes every 5k miles. The GS300 is obviously different since its a I6 engine, but still, i think your level of oil consumption is faily normal and nothing to be that alarmed about.

 

ive heard from other mechanics, burning oil really depends on not only the age of the motor, but also the amount of harsh driving it has been put through. Motors that have not been properly broken into will tend to burn more oil then others.

1 Quart per 3-5K is normal. By 3K, if i am 1 quart low, might as well change it all and top it off.

 

Wow, burning oil is never good. A quart for every 3k is excessive and means you have worn rings or valves, that is if it's not leaking it. My only sugestion if you do not want to overhaul the engine is use thinker oil. 20-50 or at least 10-40 because 5-30 is very thin.

 

def pick up some mobil1 10w40. I had trouble finding 10w40 in auto stores and I paid like $40 for a case of 10w30 at those stores.

Later on i go to walmart and they have tons of full synthetic 10w40 in 5 gallon containers for $24

 

Have you replaced your PCV valve?

 

Also the type of oil used depends too. I found at some dealers that use valvoline have oil consumption problems and others that use mobile have no problems at all. So maybe just switching to a higher quality oil would help alot.

 

toyota is typical for having weak valve stem seals! Most likely where you are loosing your oil from. the thicker oil will help with that go with the 10-40 mentioned above

 

You might want to consider running Rotella synthetic for a few thousand miles. The oil is designed for diesel engines, so it has more detergents. The detergents and viscosity often clean sludge and varnishes that appear in engines. I've run it in several high mileage close tolerance engines with great results.

 

a few answers and a few questions:

yeps, i've replaced the pcv valve when i replaced my spark plugs at around 110k miles.

is it okay to run oil meant for diesel engines in a gasoline engine???


can any of the OG's chime in??? there seems to be quite a difference in opinion regarding oil consumption.

Thanks to all for the replies. This forum is an amazing bank of information!

 

At 30,000 of use, your PCV valve is overdue for replacement. It might not be the cause of consumption, but for a few $$ its money well spent.

On the Rotella, 5w/40 synthetic will not damage a gas engine. I'm sure others will disagree, but I believe the rotella may reduce your consumption with zero ill affects.

 

It has nothing to do with being OG (original ganster) It has to do with what you know about cars. I did a search and I came up with this.
WHAT CAUSES EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION

Oil consumption depends primarily on two things: the valve guides and piston rings. If the valve guides are worn, or if there's too much clearance between the valve stems and guides, or if the valve guide seals are worn, cracked, missing, broken or improperly installed, the engine will suck oil down the guides and into the cylinders. The engine may still have good compression, but will use a lot of oil.

Worn valve guides can usually be restored a number of different ways. One popular method machine shops use is to ream out the guides and install thin bronze or cast iron guide liners. Knurling is another procedure that can reduce valve guide clearances. With aluminum heads, the original guides can be driven out and replaced with new ones. With cast iron heads, the guides can be reamed out to accept new valves with oversized stems.

If the oil burning is due to worn or broken rings, or wear in the cylinders, the engine will have low compression. The only cure here is to bore or hone the cylinders and replace the worn or broken piston rings

Oil burning can also occur if the cylinders in a newly rebuilt engine are not honed properly (too rough or too smooth), or if the rings are installed upside down, twisted onto the pistons, or the end gaps are too large or are not staggered to reduce blowby.

HOW TO REDUCE OIL CONSUMPTION

There are no "miracle" engine treatments or pills that will stop oil burning. But some crankcase additives can slow oil burning. There are also "high mileage" motor oils that are specially formulated with extra additives to slow oil consumption. Switching to a slightly higher viscosity motor oil (say changing from a 5W-30 to a 10W-30 or a 10W-40) may also help reduce oil consumption.



Look, just keep a close eye on your oil level. The last thing you want to do is run dry and ruin the engine. Some people may think it's OK to burn a quart of oil, I am not one of those. However; it's something that happends to high milage engines and it is up to you to stop it or slow it down. I am just telling you the cause of why it's burning oil.

 

I almost could not believe that some of you felt oil burning was OK as long as it was not too much. Unless you are driving a diesel you should never have oil in a gasoline engine. Get your car looked at by someone who knows what they are talking about before you start using some hair brained remody.

 

I think it all depends on how you drive IMO. I drive kind of fast, and I gun the pedal sometimes Makes my gas consumption pretty fast =/