My LS has been losing much more oil than it ever did before. I'm at 152,000 miles.

Every 7-10 days I'm adding a quart of oil consistently. It's always close to a quart low everytime the low engine oil warning light comes on. The warning light frequently comes on when I'm on the freeway doing about 80. It makes me kind of paranoid especially on the highway. I slow down a bit and the light goes away.

There is minimal oil drip on the ground after each day. When I refill the oil, the dipstick handle is a little oily which makes me thinkg of what japanimal said in the thread linked below about a bad dipstick seal.

My original concern was the oil level sensor in the oil pan. At $300 it's rather pricey to replace - but it doesn't seem to apply because my oil level is physically low. Does anyone know if it can be cleaned and put back in?

What about the 'main seal' I heard this needs to be replaced but is also very costly. Anyone have a price estimate?

I did a search and came upon this thread which came from a fellow LS owner so it applies to me, just wondering if anyone had any other takes on my problem.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ht=burning+oil

 

A friend of mine had a similar problem on his Mazda. It was loosing oil, but there was none on the driveway or garage floor. There was none on the upper part of the engine (as in valve cover leaks or engine seal leaks, etc). There was none around the oil pan, or around the dipstick. There was no blue smoke and compression tests indicated the rings were fine.

When the car was put on the lift, you could see a funnel shaped spray pattern coming from the oil pressure sender unit. The oil under pressure (car in motion) would start to leak and the air current blew the oil off the bottom of the motor when the car was in motion. When at idle, there was not enough oil pressure to make it drip.

It was a ten dollar part and 1/2 hour to replace. Not a drop was lost after that.

have you looked under the car yet?

Good Luck.
sj

 

Use thicker oil, no more 5-30 go to 20w50 just watch the cold weather

 

EDGE2,

Good comment. I have a 99 RX AWD in Mexico City (8,000 feet up). I have found from experience that going with Mobil 1 15W-50 eats less oil. I tried 5W-30 (ate it by the buckets), then tried 10W-30 (same problem only less) and then 15W-50 (just about right, but still eats some, but that is to be expected at altitude).

 

Look under your car and see if one side of your rack-on-pinion is oily (particulary the rubber covers). If so, that is where fluid on the ground is coming from. Had it on my car.

 

Yes I do have this, but I think it's the actual R&P that's leaking.

Everything on my car is messed up!! LOL

There might be some oil loss there as you said, but I know the rack and pinion is leaking too.

 

Hehe, mine is leaking too, I got a new one in my garage waiting to be installed