1Lieutenant

I own a 2012 TL SH AWD with 45K miles. My normal driving pattern is a 10-15 mile commute to my offices 5 days per week with many shorter drives on the weekend. The car has consistently used one quart of oil per 4K miles. The oil usage is linear from the time I change the oil. One quarter of a quart per thousand miles no matter how far along in the oil change I have traveled. It does not change in the heat of summer or the frigid temps in a New England winter. I have used various 5W-20 synthetic oils and have found no difference in consumption. This is not complaint session for me. Just means an additional quart between oil changes.

I have noticed that if I use the car for an extended drive, the oil consumption drops to zero, zip, nada. Last year I drove to Myrtle Beach SC which is about a 900 mile drive. Outside temp ranged from 95-100. Speeds of 75-80 mph with only bathroom and refueling breaks. I checked the oil prior to leaving and it was exactly on the full mark after sitting overnight. Did some local driving down there to restaurants but not much. Returned home under the same conditions. When rechecked at home after sitting overnight, the oil level was exactly on the full mark. 1800 miles with not a drop of oil usage.

This year I did a drive to Cleveland for a family event. Ambient temp was 80. Speeds were 65-70. 1200 miles round trip and had the same result. Not a single drop of oil use!

Not sure conclusions can be drawn from this limited sample, but perhaps the oil usage occurs when the engine is cold and warming up. If so what might be causing it?

liquidneon

holy crap - that's insane. My oil levels have been consistent thus far. knock. on. wood.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

There is a acurazine member who took his car to acura. they had the okay to tear down the engine.
there seems to be a problem with the pistons and the ringland.
His piston and rings were replaced under warranty, however, he said he's still losing oil after the engine rebuild.

hddnav

One quart of oil per 1k miles, or 4k miles? Huge difference!

acupower

At this point I believe oil consumption is directly proportional to RPM. The higher I rev my car, the more oil I lose. I am in the same boat as you, although my consumption averages slighly less than yours. But I have discovered that I lose a lot more after spirited drives and almost none after lonh highway driving.

mynameisjacob

Sorry for the total noob question... but how do you detect and keep track of the quantity of oil consumption? Regularly check dip stick? How do you determine exactly how many quarts you're losing?

1Lieutenant

I check the dipstick after letting the car sit overnight in my garage.

mynameisjacob

To clarify... how many quarts are equivalent to the delta height of 'full mark line' and 'add mark line' on the dipstick?

Also... there are different 'ring' levels where the dipstick handle goes into the hole. I can stick it all the way in or I can stick it in up until the plastic ring and feel it clip. Which is the accurate way to get a good measurement, all the way in or partially in? Thanks in advance!

php007

This seems to only happen on the 3.7. I had my short block replaced under wranty at around 65,000 miles. There is a oil consumption thread on here already.

Here you go.
https://acurazine.com/forums/4g-tl-problems-fixes-297/oil-consumption-784028/

ucf_bronco

iTrader: (1)

You misread what he typed...1/4 quart per 1k miles, which comes to 1 quart per 4k.

1Lieutenant

From top to bottom of the cross hatched area is one quart. I push the dipstick in all the way to fully seated. When I change my oil I check the level the next day to see exactly where the full line is.

Mr Marco

Yep, same issues with many GM engines as well. Owners also complain about rough running conditions as well...
The moral of the story is TRADE IT OFF. If you are so unlucky as to receive/buy a car with one of these major issues (or weird tranny, electrical, etc problems) get rid of it.

hddnav

You're right! Sorry, my bad...

For the record, I have 13k miles, and I've had to add about 1 quart of oil every 5000 miles or so.

shurik74

My dad gets dash computer notification like "low oil..." on his '09 3.7L, then he ads half quarter...

So... any real details on why it's happening? Did Acura say anything officially?