Has anyone experienced significant oil consumption? I have owned the car for 2 months and have gone through 1 1/2 quarts w/in 2,400 miles? Of course, Acura Customer Service claims "it's completely normal for the engine to go through 1 quart per 1,000 miles." This is a ridiculous statement to make, and one made solely to cover themselves. If people have not experienced a problem, I would really appreciate it if you could respond with a simple "No", so I can keep track for statistical purposes (no names will be used, obviously). If you respond with a "Yes", I would appreciate any insight as to how Acura/Honda is handling this for you. Thank you, everyone, I really appreciate it!

 

I have 2,300 miles and have just checked the oil for the first time. I measures just fine.

 

I was short about half a quart at 3700 miles. But after my first oil change at 5000 miles its been fine. I now have 11,300 miles. I chalk it up to engine break in.

 

using oil is very common on all the k-series engines as well as the f20c in the s2k. I used about half a quart to my first oil change. since then nothing and I drive pretty hard.

edit: i shoudl say using oil during break in. After the first 5k miles or so they tend to not use any at all.

 

Exactly. Same here. Don't worry, it'll all go back in place.

 

I have no idea about the TSX since I am an Integra owner but it does not sound right to me. I am on my 3rd Honda/Acura and even with over 100k on each none needed any amout of oil between changes.

 

1/2 qt first two thousand miles.

 

Iggy,

Thank you, I agree. I have a 95 GS-R w/96+k and never a drop. My girlfriend and family have Honda's and Acura's, and not a drop. So, I certainly hope that the other owners stating it is strictly a break-in issue are correct. Until then, the dealer changed the oil/filter free of charge to begin an oil consumption test, and I am monitoring it daily in the mornings. Additionally, the dealer spoke with the TSX model engineer (or so they say) to see if there were similar complaints; none to-date. I also had them verify that there would not be an issue with removing the break-in oil too soon. Of note, I do not drive my car hard, never have, so I can't even chalk it up to that.

 

Having seen this thread, I checked my oil at 3200 miles, and added less than 1/2 qt. This is a high performance high reving engine. I was suprised it used that little. I also heard more engine noise the last 500 miles or so which should have alerted mr to low oil. If you don't wind it up, you will not use as much oil. I wind it up, and have found Audi 1.8Ts to play with.

 

And what were your results?

 

Down 1/2qt. @ 2,800mi. I've never experienced this kind of consumption in a new car in 35 years of driving; this is my 3rd Honda.
How many of you are checking the oil level @ each gas fill up as the Owner's Manual advises?

 

I just checked the oil on my first 600 miles, the second fill up approximately and my oil level was almost a quart low.
I smelled oil burning and checked the downpipe which is brown with oil residue.
I also found oil on the engine down near the oil pan. The top is very clean and new looking. Get a very bright light and check down where the cover for the drain plug is. That's where mine appears to be leaking. Moreso on the passenger side than on the drivers side.
It's not the filter or the drain plug. I've been changing my own oil for years.It almost appears to be the gasket on the oil pan. It's happening when the engine is under load only. I tried idling it after cleaning it off with no results.
Whoever heard of a new engine leaking ? Especially a Honda !!
I'm not very happy.
I haven't yet taken it to the dealer.
I'll keep you posted.....

 

Always. I check oil, coolant, brake, clutch and washer fluid levels plus check the battery cables at every fillup. Just a little compulsive...

 

1/2 qt after 4k.

 

My excess oil consumption was apparently attributed to a leaking main oil seal. I took it to my local dealer (from whom I hadn't purchased the vehicle BTW) and they repaired my TSX no questions asked.
All is now well with my TSX now...and I love this car !

 

how do you guys know how low is the level of the oil? if its a quart how do you know its a quart?

 

May or may not help you here, I have an RSX, same series engine (K), just a tad smaller, purchased new 10/12/01 and oh my, this sucker uses oil, prob. 1 to 1.5 qt's every 3,500 miles, I basically check her every 1,000 or so miles, I change the oil every 3,500 mile and have over the past 26 months, she's got almost 25,000 on her and still uses oil. Could I get it fixed, prob., but I'm not one to take the chance of letting, IMO, lazy american workers touch my Japenese built car, if Acura wants to ship it back to Japan to have the issue resolved, I'd go for it, but we all know that doesnt happen...

Many post about oil consumption in Rsx's on the Rsx boards, seems to be somewhat common, especially during break-in period, however, mine is still drinking it, or maybe its still not broken in? Track #'s get better every time I go, best has been a 14.74, totally stock , well, its lowered and has tint, but no go fast goodies.......

 

if you drive the vehicle with umppfff, ie reving it up till 5 + prior to shifting it will eat some oil , quart for every 2500 miles or so..its
considered normal....asked my master tech the other day.

 

I needed to add a quart around 3000 miles, but it hasn't consumed anything noticable since...

 

rethottsx,
If the oil is down a quart around 3K miles do you see any problem with adding a quart of Slick50? I plan to get the first oil change at 10K mi. per Acura recommendations.
Thanks

 

what oil filter do u guys use?
waht type of oil too?

 

Wow, the TSX is every 10,000 miles? My RSX is suppose to get the oil changed but every 5,000, and the oil/filter changed every 10,000.......

But since I think I'm kinda tough on my car, I've been changing it every 3,500 miles, oil and filter, if you do it yourself, its very inexpensive, I buy the oil filter from the honda shop for $7, and get the oil at O'Reilliy's, I use whatever is reccomended in the book for weight, and I use Castrol GTX, will be switching to Synthetic after 30,000 miles...

I use to let the dealership change my oil, then I decided to do it myself, and tried to get the drain plug off with a wrench, no luck, tried an air rachet, no luck, tried an impact, finally it busted off......... Since then I've been doing all of my own oil changes, I use the Honda filter, so if there is ever a question, I used their filter...

 

"I'm not one to take the chance of letting, IMO, lazy american workers touch my Japenese built car, if Acura wants to ship it back to Japan to have the issue resolved, I'd go for it, but we all know that doesnt happen..."

You're a jackass to criticize American workers like that. Did you know some Hondas are built in Ohio?

 

which ever brand oil you choose make sure you use 5W-20, a thicker oil will decrease fuel economy and possibly ecourage oil leaks in the future. The newer Honda engines are built to very high tolerances and a thicker oil will not offer proper protection. I would stay away from engine treatments like Slick 50, any decent oil will have the same additives and be available in the proper weight. Slick 50 may be harfull to a fairly new engine due to its high viscosity- leave the slick 50 for the guys with 100kmi. on there cars!

 

You mean my parents 6th gen Accord, or my G.F's 94 Civic, or her parents 6th gen accord, or her sisters 6th gen accord? Um, yes I know that most honda's are built in the US now, heck most Acura's are now too, if you compare production #'s, not models.., but when you take your car to get it worked on, last I checked, it doesnt go back to Ohio.., every time I've had my car in to have something minor done, it comes out worse than it was, so its given me a bad attitude towards the people that work at the Acura dealership I purchased from, being in Oklahoma, there are only 2 to choose from, so I dont have much choice....

Did you notice I put IMO, that means In My Opinion, not in anyone elses opinion...

Not flaming you, just trying to help you understand where I'm coming from...

 

The oil stick has two marks on it, a "high" and "low" mark. My assumption is that the difference between the two is 1 quart. When the oil is changed it should be filled up to the "high" mark and so if you check it at a later time and the oil level is at the "low" mark you know to add a quart.

 

I have a theory about the oil consumption issue. I checked my oil level yesterday right before I had the oil changed for the first time at 1000 miles (yes, I'm a bit obsessive about maintenance), and it was roughly 1/2-3/4 of a quart low.

I then went and had the oil changed, and when I picked the car up, the service tech (not an Acura dealer) said that the car had taken a full 5 quarts of oil to reach the upper mark on the dipstick. I then informed him that the car took 4.4 qts with filter, per the owners manual, and had him redo the oil change with the proper amount. I forgave him because it's a new model.

Anyway, the point of the story is that with the recommended 4.4 qts of oil in the engine, the dipstick will read approximately 3/4 of a quart low.

So what does everyone think? Should the engine be topped off until the dipstick reads "full," (which would be around 5 qts) or should we go with the 4.4 qts and call it good?

I think what many people have been interpreting as the engine burning oil is actually the situation I described above. Later

Johnny

 

i agree with you watsx. when i put in the factory spec 4.4 and i check it a week later im down bout .5 to 1 qt. after i top it off i don't see a drop anywhere up to my next oil change.

my 97 4runner was like that, go figure.

anyone else agree?

 

Thanks, waTSX, for this insight. When I get my first oil/filter change I'll carefully see what happens after putting in 4.4 quarts.
I've lost about 1/2 quart of oil in the first 2,000 miles. I hope it's a break-in issue, because I don't like using oil. I've had a lot of Honda cars and motorcycles and never used a drop of oil. Incidentally, when I checked the oil I was surprised that it showed at least a quart low. This was after letting the warm car sit for a few minutes in the gas station. However, when I checked it completely cold the next morning, the level only showed a 1/2 quart low. I think it is better to check oil when the engine is completely cooled down.

I really like this bulletin board by the way. Thanks to the guy(s) who manage it. Nice job.

___

 

johnnym2,

I guess the point of my previous post was that I think you and others ARE NOT burning oil. Re-read the post. With the prescribed 4.4 qts of oil required for an oil and filter change (per the TSX owners manual), the oil level will read about 1/2-3/4 quarts low on the dipstick.

Next time you get your oil changed, check it. Let the car sit for a while, then check the oil level, before you drive the car. I would be willing to bet that it will read slightly low. At that point you will know you haven't burned any oil, because you wouldn't have run the car yet.

This, of course, begs the question. At that point should we be adding the 1/2 quart necessary to bring the level up to the upper mark on the dipstick, or not? If you do this, you will have roughly 5 quarts of oil in the engine. I don't understand why Honda/Acura doesn't simply require this amount of oil to begin with.

So, to summarize, I DON'T BELIEVE ANYONE IS BURNING OIL IN THEIR BRAND NEW ENGINES. I also don't think it's normal for any modern engine to burn a significant amount of oil when it's new. Tolerances are just too tight in engines these days.

Johnny

 

I read that the oil upon delivery is "special" for new engine break-in...if I need
to top off....can I get this special oil from the dealer or store ?

 

Mine has virtually zero consumption. Car has 14,500 miles.

 

I would not worry about it. Just add regular oil, if needed.

 

I never need to add oil between services.

 

i think some of you guys worry too much. even if its a little low who cares? can you drive it 3000 - 7500 miles between changes without the oil light comming on?
as long as the light stays off there is plenty of oil.

the only time i check my oil is right after i fill the crankcase with new oil after a change. beyond that as long as the light never comes on i have no need to be under the hood.
besides, for me anyway its a leased and warrantied car, ill be getting a new one in a few years anyway.