I have 2010 TSX with 93k miles, with 30% oil life left my check oil level light came on during sharp turns and downhill driving, checked the dipstick and it was barely registering.

Since my last oil change was at the dealer I called and explained the problem, went in for another oil change, it was found to be 2qt low, and instructed to come back in 1k for a consumption test.

Fast forward to 1k miles and the dealer says they are unable to replicate the problem and its fine. They said it was probably because my last oil change was 9k miles ago, when we asked why the maintenace minder would not request service we were hit with "i dont know, keep an eye on it".

When i bought the car i bought a 100k bumper to bumper warranty, im worried the warranty will expire and ill be stuck with a oil burning car on its way out or a hefty bill for repairs.

Looking for some advice on how to proceed, thanks!

 

I would keep an eye on it first.

After your next oil change, make sure the oil is right to the top of the dipstick. Check again after 1000 miles. Honda/Acura will only deem your engine as needing a replacement if it burns 1 quart / 1000 miles or more.

Of course, you can be shady about it and drain some of the oil before going back in to see them. I would only do that if the car is down a quart after like 1200 miles. It's outside of Hondas spec, but let's be honest, that's still some crazy consumption.

I believe that warranty you have is an aftermarket warranty and not from honda itself. If it is a legitimate honda warranty, like I said, I'd be draining a bit of that oil. If your car was down 2 quarts after 9000 miles, although shitty, it's not that bad.

I assume you have a TSX with the k24 engine, correct? High revving engines begin to consume oil as they age. Honda engines have been doing it for 30 years (thinking of the D series and b series engines). They'll last forever though, as long as you keep adding oil.

 

So you are advocating that the OP commit warranty fraud - a very bad idea that can result in criminal prosecution.

If I understand the OP's post correctly, then he was down 2 quarts of oil in 9000 miles - or about 1 quart every 4500 miles - pretty good for a car with 90k+ miles.

The other issue of why he was at 30% oil life at 9k miles is a bit more perplexing as oil changes are generally at the 6500-8000 mile interval but that could be based upon his driving style or perhaps the system was inadvertently reset at some point.

Committing warranty fraud is never the correct answer. If my reading of the post is correct then there isn't even a problem.

Just because the car tells you when to change oil doesn't relieve you of the requirement to check your oil level but a quart or two between changes on an engine with 90k miles isn't unusual or indicates that there is a problem.

 

Are you absolutely sure it's not leaking?

 

Your OIL LEVEL should never be allowed down more than one quart. EVER. it is the owners responsibility to keep it full. The minder only tells you when its time to change it. The level should be checked every fill up MANUALLY BY A HUMAN BEING.

RTFM.

 

You didn't mention the mileage between oil changes. Personally if it's down to 1000 miles and you are a quote low you are in trouble. I've had older turbo cars use a quart every 500 miles and it's obvious, smoke out the tail pipe, fouled plugs, oil in the intake etc etc.

 

Shouldn't the car read the manual for you? Top off fluids without intervention and make your car payments for you? Sheesh, why buy an Acura if you're expected to check things like oil level and tire pressure? Next you'll tell me I have to pump my own gas.

 

Actually I think he did. In his post he said

..."Fast forward to 1k miles and the dealer says they are unable to replicate the problem and its fine. They said it was probably because my last oil change was 9k miles ago, when we asked why the maintenace minder would not request service we were hit with "i dont know, keep an eye on it"...

That would tell me that he is down 2 quarts in 9000 miles.

 

I'm kind of an old and not too bright, I would like the guy to say "I'm using a 2 quarts every 9000 miles"

 

Yes, positive there are no leaks.

No other car I have ever owned and taken over 100K miles has ever burned a noticeable amount of oil including honda accords civics and a 2004 TL

As a commuter I drive mostly freeway, but I drive aggressively, often taking 1 lane backroads through the mountains, So I am sort of surprised it would let me go that long without recommending an A1 service

WTF have a maintenance minder for?? I should just be changing the oil at 3 or 5k then and disregarding whatever it tells me.

 

You could do that, but that may be overkill. Sorry about your consumption problem. I had that problem on my old Audi.

 

The maintenance minder works as intended giving you a pretty close estimate of oil life. It is not intended to give you information on oil quantity - you'll need to measure that yourself.I've had an oil change interval of as much as 10k miles on a modern Honda and as short as 5500. My current intervals are around 7000 miles.

It is possible that you or the dealership reset the minder inadvertently. That would also give you a very long interval between oil changes.

Since you didn't correct my assumption about the 9000 miles then the dealer is right - you don't have an oil loss problem. Check the oil level at every thousand miles or so and top off as needed using the correct oil. 2010's, IIRC, used 5w20 oil while newer models use the 0w20. Using 0w20 in your car (if indeed it was designed for 5w20) could result in higher oil consumption but either way - a quart every 4500 miles is nothing to be concerned over.

 

There is a low oil level warning, but as you have noted it's more of a "out of oil" warning. This is common with many cars, better to check the old fashion manual method and be glad your car still has a dip stick.

 

The oil level light will warn of impending catastrophic failure if not checked - but - that is when it comes on and stays on.

In this case, the light came on during hard cornering so the car probably wasn't critically low yet where engine damage would occur.

Periodic manual checks are vital.

I'll say it again - a quart every 4500 miles is nothing to be concerned about. They might not have even topped it off at the last oil change. We don't know what oil was used or if the minder was reset.

 

So, i'm pretty sure I have a similar issue. The oil light comes on during hard cornering sometimes but quickly goes away. I checked the car when it had been sitting off for an hour since running and the oil was right below the first dot. But now my car has been sitting in the garage for like a day and a half and it's above the first dot (by just a little)..

I drive my car pretty hard so I guess it must be consuming some oil? There are no leaks at all.

I just don't get this. Is it normal? So, if the light comes on but quickly goes away no damage has been done i would hope.. The car has been running fine though with no problems.

 

OP is worried about 2 quarts in 9k miles?!?!?! You'd be hard pressed to find a car that doesn't burn 2qts of 5W20/0W20 in 9k miles.

The oil life minder is for oil life. Not oil quantity. The manual states that you should check your oil periodically.

Most other cars have a 5k mile service interval even if they have a 10-15K mile oil interval. This is so a technician can top off the oil.

Honda does it with a "check oil level" light.

 

Check the connection at the sensor...it may be loose or corroded. If the sensor connection is fine, and If the oil lamp light (not check oil level light) is turning on, that's very bad news. The lamp is an oil pressure light. Not an oil quantity or oil quality light.

 

You should have just left your car outside last night. That would have resolved all of your issues.

No, the oil pressure light coming on during hard cornering is not normal and is an indicator that something is wrong. In most cases it is oil quantity but if that is OK then you may have some other issue.

If you can recreate the issue, then top off your oil and see if the light comes back on - if so then you have an issue.

 

It's all about perspective.

Pick up an old RX-7 and go through a quart of oil per tank of gas.

After that, it will not seem that you have an oil consumption problem, and you will be very accustomed to checking your oil level.

Problem solved.

As everyone already stated, a quart in 4500 miles is not even close to an issue.

 

No it's not the oil pressure light. Its the orange notification on the MID screen which says check oil level. Sorry i should have specified which it was.

 

Don't listen to this (people are acting like some how this is normal), Acura is denying a problem with this engine but meanwhile they admit it with a stick shift. As if the tranny was the issue some how lol

its all BS, My car has the same issue with 63k and has had this issue since 40,000 something miles.I guess until people are killed like the airbag coverup then something is done, no one dies you just need to add oil to a car like its 1975 again and your driving a pinto.

 

You clearly didn't read the thread.

While burning a quart every thousand miles is an issue (and I'd think something were amiss if my car burned a quart every 2k miles), here the OP was down two quarts in 9000 miles. Assuming it really was two quarts and not "a quart and some of the second bottle", that would mean a quart ever 4500 miles on a fairly high mileage car using thin oil.

 

V-tec crossover @ ~4.5k rpm

 

OK.... and....

 

I always thought vtec hondas had an oil burning problem

 

This not an oil burning problem - it is a high mileage car running very thin oil that uses a bit of oil. High mileage is considered over 75k miles even if the engine will easily go well over 200k. As engines age, things wear, as things wear, oil starts to be burned.

The OP needs to do a proper test. Change the oil and verify the oil fill level. Check the level under the same conditions every week until the next oil change or until you need add a quart.

You don't know if the oil change was done correctly, with what oil and to what level.

In a previous life, I closed down a garage for charging for services not completed - most often oil changes - and more recently I was responsible for the firing of the GM at a local Audi dealership for similar shenanigans.

This is what, an '09? IIRC, '09's used 5w20 while newer cars use 0w20. If the dealership used the thinner oil then that may contribute to a slight increase in oil useage.

 

Ceb is a bad a$s!

 

my oil light problem is gone... did the oil change finally. But it's clear my engine has some oil consumption issues so i will keep an eye on it. Probably has something to do with me driving the car so hard.

 

I read it very clearly. If you think a missing quart every 4500 miles is normal on any milage car , you need to stop the medical pot.
High Milage? so when the first tune up on a car is due, thats high milage? lol
Yes we all see the oil marketing people saying 75k is high milage lol don't you think thats just marketing to sell a product?
If you said 300k or 400k you then might have a point.

 

Most of us here on the forum will never see 75k miles on the car because we trade way too often.

There are generally (currently) still three significant hallmarks in a modern car's life.

The first comes when the tires need to be replaced or the factory warranty expires. That's either at 36k miles or (for us) 50k miles. Thereafter, we can expect a gradual increase is operating costs at about 60-80k miles. At that point we're adding brakes, belts, hoses, starters and so forth to the repair list AND we see an increase in wear - including increased oil consumption. The final marker comes at about 100k miles. At that point the car's value is no longer predicated by mileage or age but by condition.

I'd be very surprised to see with 93k miles not use a bit of 0w20 oil every 5k miles.

 

I'm just LOLing at the thinner oil comment (5w20 v 0w20). At operating temp, one isn't "thinner" than the other.

Honda only changed the requirements due to the CAFE regulations. Not because one was thinner than the other. 0w20 provides slightly more protection during cold starts due to its slightly lower viscosity. Its not "thinner" though.


Carry on.

 

VTEC doesn't have anything to do with burning oil. It's the fact that engines equipped with VTEC (real VTEC) usually have a high RPM rev limit.

At 6K RPM, your engine is moving at 100 times per SECOND. Some of these engines rev to 9250RPM. Combine that with the fact that most VTEC engines have high crank case pressures and use relatively thin oils.

The lift portion VTEC is actuated via a pressurized pin that locks the cam into high cam mode. So maybe there's a loose correlation that VTEC cars maybe have slightly higher oil pressures.

If you're constantly revving the car up high enough to actuate VTEC, you can probably put together why there would be oil consumption with Hondas.

You're incredibly misinformed. I have no idea where to start. Find me an engine that runs 5W20 or 0W20 oil that is known to consistently burn off less than 2 quarts between 9K mile oil change intervals. Are you insane?

Hmm....no.

While you're right that 0W20 and 5W20 are both 20 grade oils, your logic is a bit flawed:

-The change in viscosity is logrhythmic. Below operating temp, the 0W is significantly thinner. At that point, the volatility of the oil is lower...but the engine is not sealing the cylinders as well.

-Even within the same weights/grades, oils do have differentiating properties. Castrol Edge 0W30, for example, is very very viscous at operating temp. Almost as viscous as something else that would be considered a 40 grade oil. In fact, it retains viscosity more than Castrol's own 10W30 Edge formula. Because different oils are made for different purposes and end uses in mind. So...if you have a 5W20 vs. a 0W20, it is likely that the 0W20 is going to be thinner at operating temp, and everywhere in the temp range...EVEN WITHIN THE SAME BRAND. Reason? 0W20 is supposed to be used for fuel mileage. So a manufacturer finds it advantageous to have a lower HTHS, and a lower viscosity at any given temp. This usually means higher volatility.

Same grade number. But no way to tell whether an oil is thinner or thicker or the same as another oil without looking at quite a few material data numbers.

The OP probably isn't coming back. These threads don't go anywhere.

 

I said this already...but at 90k miles, if OP is worried about being 2 quarts low within 7000-9000 miles...he will never be happy. Because a modern car that burns 0 oil does not exist.

Regardless of what car anyone drives...the oil should be checked once every 1k miles or more.

We have owned cars that had 10k mile oil change intervals. The car came with free dealer spec'd maintenance. They wanted you to bring the car in every 5k miles. It was under warranty..and I hated that car...so I never checked the oil. But the technician would FOR SURE top it off at 5k mile intervals. That's why the service/check up interval was lower than the oil change interval.

In lieu of a service/check interval, Acura uses a "low oil level" light to warn you.

 

the "check engine oil level" is directly connected to the red oil can (low oil pressure) light, the check oil level light just happens to come on first and stay on slightly longer, but if you are watching you will see the red oil pressure light flicker at the same time.

The oil consumption woes, so I have the manual and I received a recall notice that said: BACKGROUND
The fuel injector timing and VTC timing at cold start may create deposits on the oil control rings that could contribute to increased oil consumption. incorrect valve timing can cause deposits that can led to excessive oil consumption. Every day, i drive 1 mile and then pull out onto a road whose speed limit is 50 MPH. Drive for about 3 miles to work and park the car, and then repeat in the opposite direction. Seems to me those are exactly the conditions that would lead to excessive oil consumption. I received this notice when the car had approximately 25,000 miles on it. I never saw the check engine oil light ever for the first 40,000 miles of this cars life. Now I cannot make it between oil changes without it coming on and then even adding oil, coming on again.

then there is this TSB:
SYMPTOM
The engine oil level is low on the dipstick, and the oil warning light may come on in rare high oil consumption situations.
POSSIBLE CAUSE
Under certain specific circumstances the engine may create deposits on the oil control rings, which may lead to increased oil consumption when all of the following conditions occur simultaneously on a regular and prolonged basis:
• The engine is cold (not warmed up to operating temperature)
• Hard acceleration while the engine is cold
• The fuel used has an unusually high concentration of particles - Acura recommends using Top Tier gas that contains detergents to prevent deposits. For more information about Top Tier gas, go to Top Tier Gasoline.
All these conditions happening at the same time are rare, but if they do occur, deposits may form over years of driving under these conditions. If the oil control rings begin to stick because of the deposits, the client may subsequently complain about excessive oil consumption.

The one above is separate from the previous issue. So seems like there are a lot of things working against my engine using a normal amount of oil.

I truly believe the damage was already done, and whats even more fun? The Acura Care warranty specifically states no repairs will be covered to reduce oil consumption. So basically Acura told me the way they had the timing programmed was incorrect and can result in deposits causing excessive oil consumption, the repair was performed but only after 25,000 miles of damage was done. Thanks Acura.

 

My 2012 has 50K on it now and I'll add a quart between my 7K OCI. It may have even been closer to 2 quarts at times, maybe due to switching oil brands. It's been that way since it was new, I consider it to be acceptable running 0w-20. I also drive on the freeway a lot and will be going over 80MPH for periods of time (keeping up with traffic, it moves fast in the morning).

Find a forum where some people don't complain about oil consumption with running these thin oils. Just check it every couple of fillups and add as needed, no big deal in grand scheme of things. Some people argue with "but, I've never had a car that burnt any oil at all!" -- okay.. that argument won't get you anything, times have changed. Did your old car make 200HP at the crank and average over 30MPG on the freeway?

I assure you, there is nothing wrong with my oil control rings (it's funny, that comes up on Subaru forums as well) and there are no deposits. It's just a nature of the beast with these engines designed for thin oils.

Stan

 

My Type r which made 195 HP at close to 9,000 RPM didn't burn oil between oil changes, hence why this car burning it, concerns me.

 

I'm not going to take apart this argument -- what oil, how long of OCI, what type of driving, etc? How heavy was the type-r, 1,000lbs lighter? Again, this argument won't get it you anywhere, either sell the car or live with it, or fix it yourself if you can. 2 quarts in 9K is under $20 and it would take less than 5 minutes to top off.

Stan

 

it's just that I don't drive this car the way I drove the ITR. And not getting even one ticket with this car, compared to numerous tickets in the ITR will attest to that. And the change interval was 7,500. And it used literarily no discernible oil between changes. It was at the top line when freshly changed, and it was dark but still at the top line as well. I hit VTEC more times than I care to admit given how that car sounded, I rarely do that with the TSX.

My 93 Accord with 3 times the miles of my TSX burned less oil. Thin or not, it's not normal to have to add two to three quarts of oil between oil changes. If the car is designed to run on thin oil, then the tolerances are supposed to prevent burning right? And had Acura not told me that there were not one but two different issues, one being a recall to reprogram the ECM, I would just say OK maybe it's because of the thin oil, but in the first 20-30K of this car it did NOT burn oil but now does. Something is obviously wrong if it started out fine and now burns oil.

And I don't want to sell it, nor live with it, nor fix it, Acura, out of its own admission via two separate TSB's says there's an issue, therefore they should fix it.

 

How many other new car forums are you actively on?

Substitute "Acura" with "Subaru" and you'll find exact same posts.

Look. I like the car, I'll take adding 1 to 2 quarts between changes considering all it's other advantages. I have plenty of more important things to worry about. If Acura won't fix it for you, what are your options?

Also, I don't know any "performance car guy" personally that would not check oil level in 9,000 miles.

Stan

 

I never had to in the other cars, why would I think I had to now? The only reason I knew a problem was developing was that a check engine oil light would come on when I would take a turn too fast, mind you, before 30,000 miles or so, this never happened, and when I would change my oil it was always pretty close to the top line when I changed it. Again why would I worry about it, but then the check oil light started happening more and more frequently. IF it burned the same amount from day one, OK.... but that's not the case.