Dan3952

I've got a '98 CL 2.3 and it uses a liter of oil every 2000 kms... it's not enough that you can see smoke even on startup because the cat soaks it up but it's about twice the generally agreed upon normal usage of 1 liter between oil changes.

What is the best way of dealing with this? I have Lucas and Restore and I'm not convinced they're doing a whole lot.. Restore will fill in the scratches on the cylinder walls which is fine, but probably not my main problem at this point. Lucas I think because it's so thick, is supposed to coat where the leaky valve seals are and not circulate so much through the crankcase and it prevents probably 1/3 of the oil burning. I use 10W30 even in the winter, regular not synthetic.

People tell me to use thicker oil, but how thick am I supposed to go without accelerating engine wear in the winter if it gets as low as 0 deg. F for a few days? How thick can I put in without risking blowing up the engine? I heard Amsoil has the lowest volatility amongst all the synthetics so it's less likely to burn. Tried Mobil 1 once but it seemed to burn that just as fast as regular oil. Any suggestions?

TexasHonda

The cause of burning oil makes a difference. If the engine smokes heavily under hard throttle and keeps smoking, the rings are probably frozen or worn preventing good oil control. Only fix is a rebuilt or replacement engine. I don't think any additive will make a significant difference.

However, posters on the web site BobIsTheOilGuy.com rave about Auto-RX which is claimed to restore frozen rings (carbon deposits prevent rings from expanding). Auto-RX is supposed to dissolve the carbon and free the rings. Might be worth a try, but it takes several months to complete the long treatment cycle.

If the engine generally smokes only after idling for a minute or so w/ a puff-puff-puff smoke trail, or smokes heavily on initial moderate acceleration after a prolonged stop, the likely cause is worn valve stem seals. The seals can be replaced fairly easily w/o removing the cylinder head.

good luck

Dan3952

wet/dry compression test came back as

dry

1. 190
2. 190
3. 190
4. 190

wet

1. 205
2. 200
3. 200
4. 210

how does one interpret this?

TexasHonda

These are good. I would interpret that oil is not likely bypassing the oil control rings, if compression rings are good. I guess it's possible, but seems unlikely. More likely oil is from worn valve stem seals. See previous post to try to establish the valve stem seals are the source.

good luck

Dan3952

What would be the proper technique to hold the valves up to change the seals without removing the head? I've already ordered the seals, bolts and gasket.

TexasHonda

There are a number of methods. I've never done this myself so I'm providing secondhand info:

1) Position cylinder before TDC on compression stroke. Insert a length of soft, braided nylon rope into the cylinder until no more will feed. Slowly raise cylinder to push rope firmly against valves (not hard!). This supports the valves while you replace the seals. I like this method because it is static.

2) Regulated air pressure is injected into the cylinder on compression stroke w/ just enough pressure to hold the valves up. I don't like this because It seems to me that piston could turn over w/ air pressure unless the engine is locked (flywheel locked or if manual, in 3rd or 4 th gear. On an auto, you will need to somehow lock the flywheel. You could use the harmonic balancer holder special tool jammed against body or ground to hold the engine also.

Do you have a Acura shop manual? If not, I would suggest downloading the 94-97 Honda Accord Shop Manual from hondahookup.com. It is close enough to provide guidance on this operation. It doesn't appear to be a difficult procedure but you will need a tool to compress the valve springs and maybe another tool to remove old seals and install new seals.

good luck