[SHOtimes] oil usage and finding a leak

[Donald Mallinson]

Any leak that would get rid of a quart in 1000 miles is 
going to be big enough that you won't have trouble finding 
it.  Believe it or not, spots under a car are so slow a 
leak, that they usually won't effect oil level for WAY 
beyond the normal change interval.

Take a quart of oil and just pour it on your garage floor 
some day (NOT!) and see just how much oil a quart is when 
spilled!

Chances are it is going out through the combustion chamber 
through the valve seals.  You won't notice this much because 
of the catalytic converters.  Best way to tell is if there 
is a puff upon cold startup.  Not a white puff, but a nice 
blue/black puff.

Also, get the car in say, third gear at 50-60 mph. 
Accellerate for 2-3 seconds at full throttle then back off 
and let the car slow down to maybe 45 and then get back on 
full throttle.  Do this on a day when then wind is calm. 
You probably will see a nice big puff from the exhaust.  A 
small white or grey puff is normal, but darker bigger puff 
is usually valve seals or rings.

Since the rings tend to last a long time, suspect the valve 
seals.

Another truth, you can afford to buy oil a quart at a time 
for a LONG time before you will come close to spending a 
tiny percent of what it will take to fix the heads.

New valve guides and seals aren't cheap and that is not 
counting the labor to get it apart and back together.

Don Mallinson

David Niemiec wrote:
> Okay, here's a problem for a car I actually own.
> 
> My 1991 is using oil, sometimes in excess of a quart within 1000 miles 
> of each oil change. I can only afford to fill the oil at that rate for a 
> short period of time. There is oil dripping slowly from underneath the 
> pan, but I can't seem to locate its source yet because the drips are 
> coming from scattered locations. There is no oil anywhere under the 
> chassis, and I don't smell anything burning. There does seem to be some 
> buildup where the hoses connect to the power steering reservoir, but not 
> where they connect to the pump.
> 
> How should I go about finding the leak? Should I degrease the underside 
> and then run the car for a few minutes? Would the oil pan seal 
> replacement be a very hard job? Help.
> 
> Dave
> 
> _________________________________________________________________
> Limited-time offer: Fast, reliable MSN 9 Dial-up Internet access FREE 
> for 2 months! 
> http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/dialup&pgmarket=en-us&ST=1/go/onm00200361ave/direct/01/ 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Shotimes mailing list
> Shotimes@autox.team.net
> http://www.team.net/mailman/listinfo/shotimes