[Shotimes] Oil Usage

[Donald Mallinson]

Heavy oil useage is almost always through the valve stems/seals.  Old 
car oils won't help here, because what happens is the valve stems wear 
the guides, the valves rock in the guide and wallow out the seal.  Even 
new seals won't help for more than a few hundred miles.  It could also 
be use through the rings, but that is less common.

Either way, unless you want to spend a lot of money to solve the 
problem, it is best just to use a regular oil, forget those additives,  
they don't work (STP, etc Etc).  Just use regular oil add it at regular 
intervals.  Switching to synthetic won't help any, but synthetic does 
tend to evaporate less than conventional oils, but this won't be 
anything you can measure at high oil use rates.  If you had used 
synthetic all along, it might not have happened.

So just keep adding oil, change and put on a new filter at regular 
intervals and live with it, or pay to have the engine re-done, maybe 
just the heads.

Don Mallinson

Beisler Jonathon wrote:

>The past few months, my SHO has been burning oil excessively.  Since I have
>owned the car, it has usually ended up a quart low after 3000 miles if I
>didn't check it between oil changes.  A few months ago, I was going up a steep
>on ramp at fun speeds and the Check Oil light came on.  I freaked at first
>because I was thinking of "that other oil light."  Anyway, I pulled off,
>checked the oil and according to the dipstick was only about a quart low.  But
>this was the first time the light came on.  Yesterday it came on and I was
>almost two quarts low.  So my oil consumption has doubled.  I have tried all
>the "old car" dino oils and none of them really slow the oil loss.  So, what
>are my options?  It doesn't have any leaks, unless the oil is evaporating and
>it also doesn't blow any oil smoke.  Does anyone think that a synthetic might
>help?  My first car burned a quart a week, so I'm not too concerned, but back
>then that car was a beater, I'd like to keep this SHO on the road.
>Thanks,
>JB
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