Just wanted to bump this to let everyone know that the engine hasn't burned a drop of oil since the new block was installed (and for those wondering, I broke the new shortblock in with the "hard" method -- MotoTuneUSA, essentially).

For those with any problems with oil burning, see your dealer.

 

Hi Eric,

I just noticed this thread.

We brought my TSX home from the dealer 1.5 hours away, and my husband went straight into cruise control mode for the entire highway trip. He also went to Mississauga a few days later (another 2 hour trip) using cruise control all the way I'm sure.

I didn't see varying RPMs, etc., in the TSX manual.

I'm up to nearly 700 km already.

I guess it's too late, but just wondering if there's anything additional you'd suggest at this (relatively) late stage?

Thanks, and glad to hear your engine rebuild is working out perfectly.

Julie

 

Hey Julie - didn't know you posted here regularly! Welcome!

It's not even a rebuild anymore (well the head it rebuilt, the bottom end is brand new).

As for your situation, I don't think you'd be hurting anything by opening it up once or twice once the engine is fully warmed up (5-10 minutes of driving, or idle until the radiator fan turns on and back off, twice).

There's a LOT of debate over how to break in an engine, with seemingly polar schools of thought: Run it hard (but controlled), or run it lightly and progressively.

Whether you want to sign up to one camp or another is up to you but great results have come from both.

 

The TSX manual is rather vague...basically they just don't want you to abuse the engine and "overheat" it internally. As long as you didn't accelerate quickly or go into high RPM's, you're fine. Your car is still considered in the extended break-in period. It wouldn't hurt to vary the RPM's now, although using the cruise control for that long of a time was a bad thing to do...however it doesn't mean the car is messed up or anything.

 

Thanks Eric and SoCaliTrojan!

I will be going on extended highway trips again in the next few days. I will study the break-in philosophies on these threads, and apply them from now on.

Since I have an automatic, I supposed it's okay I use the SS to vary the RPMs? Or should I not use the SS in the break-in period?

Thanks,
Julie

 

Using SS and swapping between 4th and 5th is a good idea indeed.

 

You don't have to vary it continuously. Drive at one rpm for a few minutes (4 or 5 minutes), and then change gear or slow down to get to another rpm.

 

Thanks guys.

I did that for my first trip yesterday, will do again during the next few trips.

Julie

 

YEAH...so I bought my car a couple months ago. It is an '04 6 speed with 75K on it when I bought it. I checked the oil the day I bought it, and it was nice and full and brand new looking, just changed by the local dealer. Drove it home, and was happy as a puppy with two peckers because I got a STEAL on my TSX. ($14,500 - no wrecks or ANYTHING!). So, I drive my nice car around for a while and then a couple weeks ago, the oil light comes on. This was shocking to me...as all of my past acuras / hondas have never burned or leaked a drop of oil, even with 250K miles! Anyways....I'll spare you the details, but here's the story. When my oil light came on the engine was 3 quarts low. I have NO IDEA how it didn't seize. The oil light came on when I hit a small bump....I am thinking the light should have come on earlier but needed a little jostle to "recognize" the oil was real low. Anywho...after THREE quarts of oil (just FYI...how I found it was 3 quarts low was by adding the first quart, drove for a few miles, checked it again, and the stick was still bone dry. So, I added another quart. Same process. Still bone dry. Added the third quart, and it only came up to half way between the dots.) Anywho, I have been checking the oil consumption, and I am burning right at 1 quart every 1,000 miles. SO....my dealer tells me to contact Acura NA FIRST, and see if they will do anything. In your opinion (CURLS) what should I do from here?????

PS: If any of you see a TSX priced really really well....I recommend having it checked out first! I am fairly mechincally inclined, and saw no "tell tale" signs....ARRRRGGGHHHHH.....

 

You should be checking the oil level when it's cold, not hot.

 

If you bought 2nd hand from an Acura dealer, you should have some sort of warranty. Maybe a year's worth or so.

 

What's the powertrain warranty on that car, ryany79? Bring this up with an Acura dealer ASAP to have an oil consumption study done.

 

I believe the standard powetrain warranty is 70K miles, yes? I did not buy the car from an Acura dealer, I was just saying the oil had been changed at the dealer right before I bought it.

I am attempting to call Acura NA today. I feel like the local Acura dealer should be more helpful, but they are not.

 

Not to take away from ryany79, but I have been following Curls' saga as I seem to have the same oil consumption problem. Pre-owned car, high milage, dealership service dept. confirmed oil consumption problem, etc. Today the service dept. ran a compression test and determined there is definately a problem. Acura HQ (or something like that) was notified, and I'm told they will tear down the engine, but I am liable for all labor costs until it is determined the problem is due to a mechanical failure; a blown ring was the example he used. But, if they decide it is just normal wear-and-tear that is causing the problem my warranty is not applicable. Does this sound legit? I don't think I can risk covering the cost hoping they find something "broken". Has anyone else ever received this kind of ultimatum?

 

Ouch, that's a little hard to swallow. I'd be nervous about it, too. What dealer are you using?

 

Well Acura finally agreed that my engine is burning too much oil, they sent off the paperwork to Honda Canada so I'm just waiting for next steps now. Hopefully this wil be relatively painless, if not I'm ready to fight this tooth and nail until they fix it at their cost.

 

My car is gone. I went through the paces with the local Acura dealer and Acura NA. Basically, they told me the same thing that they told Vinsanity582. My car's warranty was up after 50K miles (I believe) as it was a 2004 and the 70K warranty did not come into effect until the later models. Anywho, since I had only owned the car for a few months, I had no service history, etc. I figured my chances of Acura covering the repair costs were slim to none. So....I traded it in (for a car for my wife and we have since sold her car). Took a bath, but I don't have the time to mess with getting the TSX fixed and all the frustration and agravation that would go into it. I am looking for another TSX and also am considering the G35. This issue has not made me fear Acuras, as I have had many Hondas / Acuras in the past and I know they are usually flawless cars.

Anyone know of a good (non oil-consuming) 6 speed TSX in the ATL area??

 

I think thats absolute horseshit to be honest. A warranty is a warranty. Unless they can DIRECTLY attribute the cause of the problem to something you did against their advice, then they are on the hook for all costs. Look at the Magnussem-Moss act in the USA for an example of this.

 

NICE! When did you get the good news?

 

About two weeks ago, took it in for an oil change recently and then brough it back shortly after cause the level was below the second marker, they started an oil consuption test and then brought it back after 1000km. Had one of their mechanics walk out to the car with me and we both checked it together, he then checked under the car to see if anything was leaking and agreed it was burning oil.

I waited a week for them to respond back and when I called them they said they needed records of services (lucky I had all my oil change invoices. It's been a week since that now so I left the service manager another message today. If I don't hear anything by Wednesday I will personally go there and see what is up.

 

I"M BAAACCCKKKK.....

Just bought another TSX yesterday. Milano Red with tan interior....6 speed. Previous owner put on 18's and the car has a nice system. 60K miles and no burning oil smell (I think the guy selling it thought I was crazy when I kept sniffing the dipstick!).

I have never owned a car with a good sound system, but am looking forward to finally having some bump in the trunk. I'm a little old for all that, but still young at heart.

I'll post pics soon.

 

Congrats. But no way in hell I would have bought the same car that gave me so much grief the first time around. IMO Honda didn't deserve your business again. At least not so soon.

Buy hopefully you have much better luck this time around.

 

Nice....better luck with this one!

 

Ok so Acura Customer service calls and says they have to do one more test on the car to determine the oil consuption issue. They say they're going to do a "bottle test", when I questioned him about it he said he wasn't technical and didn't have much of an explaination of what that is. Regardless, i don't see what they can determine in the span of 30mins to an hour as to how much oil the car burns and if so why didn't they do this in the first place.

Well I will wait for the Service manager to schedule this test and then see what's up after that.

 

YEP...my wife and I definitely had alot of conversations about that. But the vast majority of TSX owners are completely happy and have trouble-free cars. Also, the TSX has one of the highest consumer ratings on Edmunds and similar websites.

We were within an ant's @ss hair of buying a G35, but my wife thought those cars were too "hoity toity" for us, and she did not care for the color. I will post pics of the new ride soon....not to boast but I am very proud of it.

 

I'm guessing this "bottle test" is an oil + filter change where they use pre-measured bottles of oil (ie: 4.4L jug, or a number of 1L bottles) to fill the crankcase. Then drive it around for 500 or 1000km and then drain into a large container with measuring marks on it, and determine exactly how much oil was burned in an exact amount of mileage, and extrapolate an "xL / 1000km" of burned oil.

Either that, or they're feeding you a line of bullshit.

 

I don't disagree it sounds like alot of crap, but all this back and forth with the dealership is becoming exhausting. My desire to fight this is fading fast

 

Vinsanity -- don't give up the fight, because I was in a similar situation and about to just say "fuck it, I'm trading this car in and making it someone elses' problem", but one day the dealership finally cooperated and I'm WAY happier now than I would have been in a newer or different car but knowing I lost the battle.

financially, too, it makes sense to have the warranty stuff done, because you'll get a new engine for 'free', and that should actually help resale value in the future if you go that route.

 

Sorry about the ressurection here, but I have an oil question. I have a 2004 tsx auto, it consumes maybe 1 quart of mobil one every 5000-7500 miles (depends on the season as to how often I change it). Never had a problem with low oil or smelly exhaust, etc. Essentially, the consumption is not that much of a concern for me, and since I now have 80,000 miles on it too bad if it is.

The oil fill cap says 5w30 only and that's all I've used so far. I would like to start using some "high mileage" mobil 1 but have only been able to find it in 10w30. In my prior car I always used 10w40 with zero problems, but I'm hesitant to do anything with "5w30 only" staring at me. Anyone think a slightly heavier oil would cause a problem? I can't imagine how it would, but want some opinions. Thanks

 

Stick with the 5w30 and my 04 6MT eats a quart every 3000k, so you're fine.

 

Ditto the call to stick with 5w-30. You can thin down to 0w-30 or 5w-20 but I would not thicken up to 10w-30 or higher...

one quart in 5-7.5K miles is really not much at all... just keep it topped off every so often (between the dots is fine) and you'll be fine.

 

I am at 1 quart every 1,000 miles. 04 6spd 98,000 miles. How the heck did you get Acura to replace your engine? I am way beyond any type of warranty, as I was the first year owning the car. I feel as though my car is consuming way too much oil. How do I approach the dealer on doing this for free? =D

 

I f'in hate this thread b/c it scares me. You have to get Acura involved first by having them change the oil and bring it back when it gets low again. Then they cannot dispute this issue. If they don't want to resolve, then you get in touch with Honda North America.

 

It scares me too! I have always changed my own oil religiously every 3k. Will this have any affect on how Acura views this issue? ie had I gone to the dealer for oil changes, this never would have happened, etc. Also, with 98,000 miles even if Acura did provide a complimentary 100k drivetrain warranty, is there enough "time" for me to make a claim, get an oil change, and prove I'm winding up short?

 

I have a love/hate relationship with this thread. I love it because I actually succeeded at getting a new engine (in fairness, I deserved one!). I hate it because it was a lot of work and headache to get that new engine that I deserved!

As for your problem, IF they were so nice to give you 100k powertrain, you'd have to get the initial problem reported ASAP, as in before you hit 100k, and once the file is opened on the issue (ie: once they START the test @ the oil change), you'd likely be OK. However, since it doesn't sound like you have the 100k extended warranty, you might very well be outta luck. You can try for goodwill but you're what, 38,000 miles past the powetrain? (Sorry I don't know the US warranty length for your year of car). If so, that's a LONGSHOT at best. But, you're better off at least reporting it than not.

Worst case scenario is they don't pay for the new engine + labour.
Best case scenario is they do.
Possible case (and I'd take it if I were you) is they pay for the part, you pay the labour. The shortblock runs about $5K or more. Labour is about $85/hr * 6 hrs or whatever it is for the engine swap, book rate.

 

well, I think I'm finally gonna ask for an oil consumption test. I've known for a while that the engine is potentially consuming oil. Reported this to the dealer before the powertrain warranty expired (96,000 km - I'm at 114,000 now). They checked for leaks and did replace a gasket. However, I'm just passing the 6500 km interval since my last oil change and Ive had the oil light come on repeatedly - forcing me to add a total of 4 L of oil (that translates to roughly 1 L per 1000 miles). I really want to keep this car for a few more years, but I'm beginnning to doubt whether its gonna make it....

 

Wow, definitely pursue this and document EVERYTHING crisco. I assume you're dealing with Camco. Call me if you need some firepower as they probably still remember me.

Keep me/us updated!
Eric

 

You should check your oil level every time you fill up for gas. By the time the oil light comes on, you don't have enough oil in the engine to operate safely. If you had to put in 4L of oil in that means your engine was running on 0.5L of oil!??!!? That is scary!

 

I'll definitely keep you updated

 

I know. I'm really getting tired of monitoring the oil level so frequently and worrying about whether or not the engine is operating safely - especially on a supposedly reliable brand of car