I've owned my 2001 LS430 for 11 years without a drop of oil consumption until now. I generally go approximately 6,000 miles between every oil change. I purchased it with 98,000 miles and it now reads 154,000 miles. It's been 3100 miles since my last oil change. For years, I've been using Mobile 1 high mileage 5W/30. I checked the oil this morning and the dip stick was reading slightly under the halfway mark between the minimum and maximum mark. Approximately how much would that equate to in oil amount? Would there be anything to check at this time, or am I to assume the engine has gotten to the point of oil consumption through wear and tear? There is no smoke from tail pipe and the under carriage is dry as a bone. Thanks all.

 

I wouldn't worry about it 1/4 to 1/2 would top it off the engine wont notice that small of a difference check it in a month

 

Correction.....The oil level is closer to 2/3 from minimum to maximum on the dip stick. Does anyone know what minimum to maximum on our dip stick equates to in ounces?

 

I have a catch can installed and after 1500 miles that thing is half full I change my oil every 3000 and I would say half a quart is burned/caught 222k miles

 

Approximately 1.6 quarts, approximately 26 ounces. From page 266 of my 2006 owners manual. Hope this helps.

 

Approximately 1.6 quarts, approximately 26 ounces. From page 266 of my 2006 owners manual. I assume the dipstick is the same for the 2001 to 2006 model. Hope this helps.

 

How much oil do you add at the time of an oil change? I only ask because when I add 5 quarts of oil after an oil and filter change, the oil level on the dipstick is at about the halfway mark. If you did add 5.4 quarts to bring it to the full mark I wouldn't worry too much about that little consumption. My owner's manual states an acceptable amount of oil consumption is 1 liter per 1000 kms or 1.1 quarts per 600 miles. There's also some talk about thermal expansion of oil and how if you check the oil while it's cold and near the halfway mark you can recheck it once the engine has reached operating temperature and it will be at or near the full mark.

Extra details: The first time I changed the oil in the 2005 in my sig, I added 5.4 qts to fill it to the full mark. The following two times I only added 5 quarts resulting in a fill level that is about halfway between the Add and Full marks on my dipstick. Also, even after waiting almost 7400 miles between the second and third oil change, the engine with ~184,000 miles consumed no appreciable amounts of oil. I can also state the level wasn't artificially inflated with fuel or water as I sent the oil to Blackstone for analysis.

 

Thanks everyone for all the imput. I believe I was somewhat premature with starting this thread. In the 11 years of ownership, I have never added oil between changes, but I also don't check the oil regularly other than right before an oil change to see if there is any consumption. The level has always been on Max before changes. Today, I started the car and then when it was in the driveway (which has an incline), I checked it and was alarmed to see it halfway between the min and max marks. I drove the car today and while it's still somewhat warm, I just checked it in my garage, and it's reading 3/4 from Min to Max. Again, it's been 3100 miles since my last oil change. I'm sure tomorrow morning it will be slightly higher. During my last oil change, I put the entire 5 quart jug, and then added some additional oil after getting home and letting it settle over night (a few ounces from the single quart...not even close to 1/2). The dipstick is not always accurate. I have to deal with the smearing on it when pulling it out of the tube. Also, the reverse side of the stick gives a lower reading than the front. After an oil change, it is very difficult to get the exact reading because the oil is so transparent. I believe now, I might not have filled my oil to max during the last oil change as it was so difficult to read accurately. FYI....When my Indy changes the oil, he waits until there is virtually nothing dripping out of the pan before reinstalling the plug. In conclusion, it is quite possible, that during my last oil change,I never got the level quite up to the max mark do the the difficulty in seeing the very clear oil. Now that it's dirty, the level is easy to read. It's all good. Thanks everyone for all the great feedback!

 

Check your PCV system out carefully and for any external leaks, you would be surprised how much you can start burning if the PCV is not working properly

 

Thanks Striker. Turns out my usage is little or none as when checking my level this morning it was just very slightly under max. Apparently I didn’t check the level properly yesterday ( wasn’t on level ground) and I over reacted. My PCV was changed a few years ago when replacing the valve cover gaskets. All is well. Thanks again.

 

Oil level actually drops when the engine is running.
The difference between hot and cold oil is gonna be nearly indistinguable on a dipstick.
You should always check your oil on level ground and ideally after sitting for at least 15 minutes.

On a car with a Catalytic converter you can burn a little oil and still get no smoke or oil smell from the exhaust because the CAT catalyses it to CO2/N2/H2O.
When the oil burn gets really bad it will start to clog the CAT, so when they get smoky it normally means big problems.

 

My 2001 LS430 has 306,000 miles. I have started adding about half a quart of oil between my roughly 5000 mile oil changes. Not too bad ...

 

On both mine I was using 1/2 quartish at 200 k miles at 5 k changes Cheers

 

Can you post images of your catch can installation (size?) and brand products used?

Any images of what is collected in catch can?

The throttle body, fuel injector air ports, intake runners and intake valves collect deposits from PCV system vapors (engine combustion blow by vapors), so curious how much difference a catch can makes in 1UZ-FE, 3UZ-FE intake systems.