rich9

Hello,
I have a 2000 Acura TL, with approximately 163,000 miles on it.
I do not see any leaks on the garage floor.
Oil changes were done at about 4000 mile intervals.
Just recently within the past 6 - 7 months. The cars is starting to eat oil.

Approximately 3 ounces every 400 miles. I have used regular 5w-30 Castrol motor oil.

However, when a local repair shop put in Valvoline 5w-30 standard, regular.
There was no problematic oil consumption issues.

Is it okay to mix oils, or can you change different manucfacturer brand oils.

Thanks.

thewrangler99

try switching different brands.... i had one shop change my oil and they added wolf's head motor oil and when i checked my engine oil after 3000 miles it was lower than before which shows the oil was burned.. but for me it was just a shitty oil change.... from that day onwards i change my own oil with fully synthetic castrol syntec or penzoil platinum. i stick with any synthetic that's on sale. lol

01tl4tl

its better to stick on one brand at a time, so additive packages dont interfere with each other in some bizzare way
if your a qt low- add what you can find,,but that would be an extreme loss of oil in the TL
At next change run something else, engine wont care

It does burn a tiny amount from normal internal combustion engine reasons
thats why many of us throw in 5 at oil change , spec calls for ~4.6..4.7

4k between oil changes? LA commute is hard on oil,, but that seems a bit excessive

If it were my car- at that miles:
right before next oil change add 1/2 can seafoam in the oil and drive 30 minutes,,
a few days driving will be great for cleaning crud that builds up in the piston rings, causes sticking and allows oil past

Also ck you PCV, replace it for under 10 bucks to know its clean and working
When clogged- internal crankcase pressure must look for other places to escape-
like the engine rear main seal!!

If you cant see a leak on top-valve covers etc, then remove the small inspection plate/cover under trans/engine connection and ck for engine oil in there = rear main seal

might get lucky with a seafoam and pcv,,definetly worth 20 bucks of trying!

pickler

switch oil to Valvoline Synthetic Blend high mileage oil (Valvoline MaxLife) 10w-40 or 5w-30 at least. my brother's s2k was an oil burner specially after vtec, you could smell it. exhaust tips were always black. switched oil and reduce burning by almost 90%. used to run mobil 1. mobil 1 is too thin specially at 5w-20.

brnm8brn

like 01tl4tl said you should put some seafoam in the crankcase, go ahead and change back to your normal oil or go synthetic, and check your pcv valve, if you can blow thru both ends of the valve it is bad also if the valve does not rattle when you shake it's bad, i think it's only 5 dollars at the Zone. Good luck i think you will find you may have a simple fix

Sperry

iTrader: (1)

I run Mobil 5000, and change at 7500 or 8000 intervals.
I might add a quart between changes, so, lemmie see . . . that's one ounce burned per 250 miles.

Either way, it doesn't sound bad for a car of our age.
Yes, and cleaning the rings should help tighten up the engine.

rich9

Hello,
Thank you for the advice. Where exactly is the PCV vavle located.
Is this a simple remove and replace.

Will any PCV valve, or OEM is required.

Thanks,
richard9

brnm8brn

pull off the engine cover and at the top of the engine on the back side there is a plastic L shaped valve in there, just pop it out and remove the hose attached to it

01tl4tl

see engine smog diagram under hood- over rear valve cover towards driver side of car

depending on how you drive- it can use 1 qt in 7500 miles,,run really hard and in need of ring cleaning via seafoam or your brand choice to clean oil gallies and the rings and where they sit, Its amazing what comes out the first few times you do this cleaning

thats why we throw in 5 qts, it will still be above minimum at oil change time,,never have to worry about it then

TLer trash

I've had problems with aftermarket pcv valves and not just on hondas. A pcv is a calibrated vacuum leak, and being slightly off either way can cause oil consumption, oil leaks, running problems, check engine lights, etc. The oe ones aren't all that expensive.

rich9

Hello,
I am not very familiar with this. Let me please ask a stupid question. What exactly do I need to remove to get to PCV valve. Is there a procedure. Here is a picture looking from the front end of the car.



Thanks for your help in advance.

brnm8brn

just take those 4 10mm bolts off to remove the engine cover, and then you just need a pair of pliers to loosen the clamp thats on the hose, pop out the valve, and then rinse and repeat, after you get the engine cover off just look at the back of the engine top side towards the drivers side and there is the pcv valve, just pop it out

01tl4tl

go buy a new one-less than 10 dollars
as long as the engine cover is off and the car is 10+ years old,,
its a fair bet the pcv has crud in it

Same for the egr ports, but thats a different DIY I dont think you are ready for-skill level wise

use some wd40 or similar on the throttle cable return spring assembly- you will see it with engine cover removed

01tl4tl

hey Rich--
did you ever remove the inspection cover under the trans/engine connection
to ck for rear main engine seal leak?

rich9

01tl4tl,

Thanks, this will be just the four dark colored bolts. Aterwards, I will have access to PCV valve.


I appreciate your ideas. I dont want to make the system worse.
If there was a leak in the rear seal, wouldn't there be oil drops on the garage floor.


Thanks,

01tl4tl

depends on how good a seal is on the inspection cover

its only 2 bolts to remove that and look inside
its going to have oil loose inside,,or its dry

rich9

Hello,
Is this the correct item to remove to obtain access to PCV valve.
Are there any other items necessary



Thanks.

01tl4tl

thats it--just the top plastic cover for the engine and everything will be visable

rich9

Hello,
Here is a picture with the top plastic cover removed.
I still can not see the PCV valve.

Please help.

sammy95

See the sensor at the top right? It's just under that. Black plastic ninety degree pipe that goes into the top of the valve cover, the other side goes into a hose I think gray or black in color.

fsttyms1

rich9

Thank you very much.

01tl4tl

We should have mentioned it goes into the valve cover--to release internal pressures

RC99TL

Between blow-by vapor and what burns past the rings I have seen about 1/3 qt less at drain then fill. No big deal -it is the difference between the top mark on the dipstick and just above the bottom mark. Way normal.
AND I change old school, every 3K. With Mobil-1 10w-30. Bosch filter.
Just 3 changes till I hit 200k!
A pcv valve is exactly what it is called: positive crankcase ventilation valve. Under load or constant rpm the valve allows oil vapor from from the crankcase- aided by combustion pressure getting past the piston rings- to exit the engine. On my '73 455 firebird formula it was a valve cover cap venting to the air. On modern cars the oil vapor is routed back to the intake manifold to be burned during normal engine operation. Either way there always some oil being burned or vented during normal operation. As our TL's get older it is just more.
No worries - just monitor.