So just got a little disturbing update from my dealer. Took the car in this morning as i noticed the "Check Oil Level"light flash for a split second.

Turns out, the Tech descovered that my oil level was almost empty. The car has 58,000km on it, and no leaks or residue anywhere. They said it's the first they have seen. The oil level was at 20%, so they went ahead and did an oil change. But now they have started an Oil Consuption test on the vehicle. Every 1500-2000km i have to take it in so they can check the level, and record it. Honda apparently has a threshold on what they consider to be a normal amount of oil buring. So they need to document, and check to see if it falls outside of the "normal". If it does, then the engine will need a rebuild.

Very disapointing, never had an engine issue with my Nissan & Infiniti V6 engines, and i've owned more than 3 of them in the past.......this is the first Honda i've owned, and thought they were to be superior to the rest of the Japanese automakers. But my brother has had a similar issue with his 08 Accord Coupe (4cly), and now mine.

Anybody else experience any oil burning issues with their TL?

 

Weird. What weight oil is being used. 177K so far and my car doesn't burn any oil. The J motors have been really awesome. I do have oil shearing issues with 0W20. 5w20 is pretty resilient.

Are you pretty aggressive with your driving and what kind of temperatures have you been seeing weather wise?

 

To be honest, i'm not sure what oil is being used. I just take my car into the dealer when the minder system pops up, give them the key, and let them do what they do. So i am assuming they are using the recomended oil. As for driving habbits, i actually am really easy on my vehicles. Usually shift at about 3k RPM.....even on my spirited runs, never hit any higher than 5k RPM. The weather is starting to shift, but still above freezing here in Ontario.

Maybe i'm just the "Unlucky" one?? BTW, i'm the original owner, bought new, and followed all service at the Acura dealer.

 

Yeah that's abnormal. Based off what you've told me that should not be happening. The stock oil that is recommended is 5W20. That is pretty tough and doesn't really shear a lot. Takes some really high temperatures for that to happen. Your car will be fine even with hard driving and its good that the dealership is checking in on your car.

That being said make sure that the rebuild doesn't eat into your pocket. That's part of their warranty I'm assuming. So if there isn't any oil leaking check to see if there's any smoke when you get on the gas when the car is warmed up. Check under the hood to see if there are any leaks. You'll notice since there will be dirt buildup since oil attracts dirt.

Those are some of the signs typically. Its natural to have a car that may have some issues. Hopefully the dealership will keep a track of that and make sure you're taken care of.

 

Yeah, the 3.7 is a little oil thirsty it seems. I check my oil level once in awhile. It has never gone past the lowest marking on the dip stick, but it does drink a little oil between changes. Of course, I do have a manual and like to wring it out once in awhile.

 

Usually if it drinks more than a quart of oil between services it may be drinking more than it should.

 

Just saw this actually.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/10/23/h...wsuit-engines/

 

Wow, I am not the only one burning oil. I have to add 1 liter between oil changes. I got the car over a year ago and already went for 2 oil changes. Had to add 1 liter ever time. First time I caught it by coincidence when the dipstick was already dry, second time I was watching it and approx. at 50% I am out. Now I am at 50% again before 3rd oil change and for the 3rd time I had to add more oil.

The frustrating thing is that I sold by previous care because of oil consumption issues, and here I am again.

 

Was going to post that.

 

There is an oil level sensor, or was it an oil pressure light?

 

I also have the Manual, so is it possible our Manual's burn more than usual?

 

Interesting find, that's quite disapointing. The honda 3.5L V6 i assume is the same engine that's in the Base TL 2wd. Now the SH-AWD has the 3.7L, but the egine design is the same. Suprised that Acura is not included in this lawsuit.

 

I see your in Mississauga, i'm from Kitchener. What yr and model do you have? Who does your service? I think it's in your best interest to bring this up with the dealer, and have them also start an oil consuption test. You may be in the same boat as me.

 

I believe it was "Check Oil Level", and not the pressure switch. It only came on after making turns and the remaining oil in the pan shifts to trigger off the sensor. That's the only way i cought it.

 

I don't think the manual itself makes it burn more. But the manuals are usually driven more aggressively and reved higher.

 

What brand oil are you using?

 

OEM Acura Service department brand, whatever it is.

 

I've read that most Acura dealers carry two types of 5w20; fully synthetic and a blend. Have you confirmed you're getting fully synthetic?

 

I have been using 5W-20 synthetic oil in my 3.7L since the first oil change. No matter the brand, it uses 1 quart per 4K miles. Doesn't seem to matter time of year, city or highway. Actually I drove 1K miles to Myrtle beach in the dead of summer (98+degrees) at 75-80 mph much of the way. No use of oil. Go figure.

I attribute this to the aluminum/silicone cylinder liners versus the cast iron liners in the 3.5L engine. Not sure why, though.

31K on this engine.

 

Oil use is can be high is this vehicle (mine is tight as OJ's glove), but OP's complete lack of oil hints at anoher issue.

 

The article says the engine in question is the 3.5L with the 1st generation of VCM. The base TL 3.5L doesn't have VCM. The new 3.5L engines found in the new RDX and MDX (with direct injection) have VCM 2nd generation.

 

^^^^^

Just wonder how does VCM cause the engine oil burning problem ?

And also wonder why does the 3.7L-V6 (without VCM) also suffer from engine oil burning problem ?

 

Thanks for the input guys. I guess at this point there is not much i can do. Just have to drive it and let them check to see how much it's drinking every 1500km. At this point, i do hope it's drinking enough to warrant an engine rebuild to fix the problem. I wouldn't feel very comfortable or confident knowing that it's burning that much oil, but just not enough for them to fix under warranty. Looks like i'll also be letting the car go after the lease is up in 2 yr, if this is a problem persist. It's a shame, becuase i had all intentions on buying it out, but problems out of warranty will scare me.

 

Drain a little oil out or suck some out of the dip stick hole before you bring it back. (I do not condone this lol)

 

I remember when I was car shopping, I found a TL SH-AWD 6MT listed for sale and I was hesitant to go for it because the Carfax revealed and engine replacement (heads and block replaced). That concerned me.

I wonder if Acura either didn't get their break-in procedure correctly or the break-in procedure wasn't properly followed for the cars with oil burning issues.

 

I have the 2012 Tech with 6 speed manual. I do all service at a dealer. I will definitely mention to them on my next change that is is happening. I have few aftermarket thing like J-pipe and exhaust, so I do worry a bit that they will try and blame the mods.

Did they tell you what is acceptable? Or what would happen next if they do find an issue?

 

This has been almost identical to my experience. 1-2 quarts over the 6,000 to 8,000 mile range that the MID recommends oil changes. 48,000 on my engine now, and it seems to have gotten slightly better, maybe closer to 1 quart this last cycle.

Annoying for sure, as my old CL never burned a drop with its 3.2L engine. The good thing is it doesn't seem to affect anything other than the pocketbook and time, just keeping up with it and making sure it doesn't get low. Obviously the OP's experience seems worse. Hopefully they make it right for you.

Interesting class action suit. We have a 2007 Odyssey with the VCM. It burned some oil initially but has completely stopped losing any oil now that we have over 130k miles. Of course it appears only the 2008+ model is covered. Wonder what they changed from 2007 to 2008 in the engine?

 

How many miles on the interval when you took it in? I am assuming 5-7k given the 20% oil level indicator.

Not to say that you are at fault here, but you should be checking your oil level yourself at least every thousand miles or so... every gas fill up would be best. Depending on how low the oil level was there may or may not be damage, you probably got extremely lucky. A dry dipstick doesn't mean completely empty, hopefully it was only slightly past the dipstick level which would likely not starve the engine of oil. Your best bet is to follow up with the dealership and hope it either doesn't burn oil at all or does enough for a rebuild.

 

They said that Honda's acceptable limit is it's ok to burn less than 1L per 1500km. That's the threshold. If it burns more than this, then an engine rebuild will be done. I still feel 1L per 1500km is quite aggresive to be considered normal in my opinion.

Funny enough, i checked the oil level yesterday. It's only been about 100km since the last oil change, but it was still full. I'm optomistic that it's not burning oil. I'm hoping that the previous oil change the tech screwed up and maybe didn't fill it up with enough oil. I'm hoping that when they do the consumption test, that it will come back not burning anything, and then i can blame the last service and instill my confidence back into Honda. Let's hope for this scenario.

 

Ok, here's my two cents. I've got a similar issue as OP. Another similar thread exists here on AZ. Search for "oil consumption". Mine burns oil slightly and has been since around 15k. I've got 32k on it now. I've used Royal Purple synthetic 5W-20 since the first oil change around 7k and switched to Honda/Acura OEM 5W-20 dino oil at the last change. The 3.7L burns oil and can be noticed after 1.5k to 2k after an oil change. Honda/Acura considers oil consumption normal if it does not exceed 1qt/1000 miles. The car is driven with revs under 3k for the majority except for a spirited run once in a while. All that being said, none of the other Honda's in the extended family burn any oil. Although no one does this with Honda's and Toyota's these days, the manual does say to check oil at every fill up. I've had this issue checked out by the dealer and they've done an oil consumption test, but the consumption is not enough for them to do anything about it under warranty (1qt/1k miles).

The oil consumption is really disappointing from Honda/Acura since their engines are a strong point. I'm glad I got the extended warranty on the car until 100k since this can potentially be a issue when the factory warranty runs out.

All in all, the ownership has been a pleasure. I'm hoping that the oil consumption goes away over time as one of the poster's above have mentioned.

 

Do you think the 5W-20 tends to shear after that many miles?

I know the general trend for manufacturers to spec lower grade oil is in the interest of fuel economy and EPA standards. Do you think running high grade oil (say 5W-30) might reduce oil burning?

Thinking about this a little more, I suppose there is no reason for Honda to care about engine longevity beyond, say 100k miles, because they don't warrant the car past that mileage.

Knowing that other owners are running their 3.2/3.5 TL/CLs past 200k with no oil consumption is an indication of how bullet proof those motors are. I wonder if the fault of the 3.7 lies in the motor itself (Nikasil-lined cylinder walls) or in Honda's oil specifications.

Coming from someone who plans on running his car well past 100k, this is the biggest concern I have with this car.

 

That is exactly what I was told! The dealership did the "consumption" test (aka change oil/check dipstick), they refilled it above the second line on the dipstick! I was told not to touch it by the dealership when I mentioned it to them. When I went back they said I only lost an 1/8th, within spec. Go friggin figure! I purchased the extended warranty too so I guess I'll just have to dump it for the latest TL when my warranty ends! My 2005 MDX never burns anything. And, you should not have to carry oil in the trunk of a $40k luxury car!

 

I don't think it's the 5W-20 oil shearing as I've had Royal Purple synthetic burning off as well and lots of other vehicles run this weight of oil. I guess you could use 5W-30 and see what happens, but don't recommend it as it would give Honda a reason to fault you. As you've mentioned, it very well could be the Nikasil lined cylinder walls (the 3.5L does not have this). I'm planning to run the car 100k+ as well. Hoping Honda/Acura owns up to their mistake during my ownership of the car. Funny how they're not equipping the 3.7L in their newer models... RLX, MDX etc

I agree completely!

 

Acura2010, can I ask whether Acura ever resolved your issue satisfactorily? I discovered the same issue when I first bought the car, and was told it was "normal" for its 1qt/1000miles oil consumption by the dealer. Long story short, I monitored the consumption every 500-1000 miles and kept topping it off using Mobil -1 5W-20, but now at just shy of 60K, it started making this really nasty tapping noise. Brought it back to the dealer and they told me I basically would need a brand new engine. My dealer has escalated the issue to Acura and now I am waiting to hear back from them.

Just wanted to know how your situation was resolved?

Any help advice would be greatly appreciated.

PS, I posted the same question on a different thread on this forum hoping to get a many feedbacks as possible.

 

I experienced oil burning issues with my 10' TL SH-AWD. (3.7)
I encountered the issue around 50k.
The dealer had ran an oil consumption test, as required by Acura/Honda.
My TL would burn anywhere from 1qt/ 500 miles and if I was lucky, only 1 qt/ 1000 miles.
In my case, it was certainly on the extreme side.
My dealer had no issue with replacing the engine.
The entire short block was replaced, as well as the starter, timing belt, and tensioner.

I would definitely press your service adviser to replace the short block.
It is especially easy if you have a strong "bond" with your dealership.
I did all my service there, so they didn't mind making good on the repair.

If your dealer refuses to replace the block, try another dealership.
If all else fails, contact Acura Client Relations.
However, I must warn you that the people there are the rudest bunch of a******s!

My dealer believes the issue lies with defective or unseated piston rings.
Also, the nikasil lined cylinder walls may play a part in the issue.

For what it's worth, I have ceased using synthetic oil since Acura replaced my motor.
I have found no oil burning issue/loss since using standard Acura motor oil.
It may be coincidental, who knows! My two cents.

 

I also have a 2012 TL SW-AWD with 63k miles. Tapping noise started at around 60k miles. Oil down maybe a quart at 5k oil change. Just started oil consumption test with no significant drop yet in 500 miles.

What happened with your TL engine? Do you still own the car?

 

"Warranty Extension - Engine Oil Consumption Exceeds Customer Expectations"
FYI: I found a new service bulletin (on this website) dated 1/16/2019 indicating a warranty extension and a notice to be sent out to owners (I have not received one yet). It appears this should cover our engine noise / oil consumption problem. I will be checking this week.

TSB 19-006 - Warranty Extension: Engine Oil Consumption Exceeds Client Expectations
Applies To: 2009-14 TL SH-AWD - Check the iN VIN status for eligibility
http://www.urvi.net/forumfiles/SB/B19-006.PDF
http://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/p...nu/B19-006.PDF