ninothing

Really interested in hearing how this works out for you. I have considered this at different points but never gone through with it. I presume you ran a can of spray through the throttle body with the car in idle. Did you put any in the crankcase/oil before changing it out?

mrphilipanderson

How often should be we checking our oil levels?
What is a good standard of consumption?
And does our cars tell us if oil levels are low in addition to telling us oil life %?

My oil life percentage drops RAPIDLY.

6SpeedTL

I did not put any in the crankcase. Seafoam makes a can with a special straw for this method. I had another guy in the car keeping the RPMs arnd 1800-2000. I let it hot soak for abt 10 mintues and then drove it fairly aggressively.

6SpeedTL

In the 3.7L you should check every 1K miles. According to Acura the industry standard is 1 quart per 1000 miles which we all seem to agree is a bit excessive. Once your car tells you the oil level is low there may be damage already occurring.

mrphilipanderson

Got it. I do know my engine oil light countdown is rather quick. But from what I understand that determines how and how much one drives. Thank you guys.
I love this forum, especially when car savvy guys are present. I learn so much. So Thank Each and every one of you for participating and making us simple folk smarter.

PR_TL

Mine has been holding steady, hopefully it won't take a turn for the worse!

6SpeedTL

So after 2000 miles the oil level on the dipstick was down a little over half. It took 1/2 a quart to get it back to the line. Previously after 2K miles the car would have consumed 1-1/2 quarts of oil so an improvement of one quart. I dont know why this works but it did.

JM2010 SH-AWD

One thing you should consider is that many that report some oil consumption also report that it's not linear. In other words, there's little consumption over the first 1000 or 2000 miles after an oil change, but consumption tends to increase as the car gets up to 4000-5000 miles on the oil change. Good luck.

6SpeedTL

Ive been tracking my consumption for close to 15000 miles now. As stated in my post, my car would consume 1-1/2 quarts during the first 2000 miles after an oil change and now its consumed 1/2 a quart.

rlx015

Way to go with BBB man... all steps taken in appropriate order will result in the wanted outcome that will benefit you, that is for sure!

acuraboston

I am new to this forum but my 2013 TL has about 47K miles on it and it burns about 2 quarts of oil every oil change. I too got the Oil Consumption test and my Acura dealer in Massachusetts told me that Honda will not think about replacing the engine unless it burns more than 1 quart every 1,000 miles. Since my car does not do that, I will have to just add oil as needed. THIS CAR IS VERY FUN TO DRIVE, but the fact that on the 1st day of every month I have to check my oil and add (as well as the 15th), makes me never want to buy another Acura/Honda vehicle in the future. This is a deal breaker for me.

rlx015

I get what you are saying, but keep in mind issue exist only with 3.7L engine ...

kjpantano

I purchased a 2012 SH-AWD TL back in December of 2016. I had no idea that these vehicles, along with the other models that include the J37A engine, had an issue with oil consumption. A little while after owning the vehicle I randomly decided to check all of the fluids one day. Upon checking the engine oil I noticed that it was very low, almost to the point of not even appearing on the dipstick. Fast forward to July of the next year and I have just had the problem resolved. I took my car to the local Acura dealership and had them replace the pistons and rings under warranty (goodwill). I am writing this now just because I would like to communicate with other TL owners to see how they feel about this issue and what they have had done to get this problem resolved. I have done research and understand that some people have had their engine blocks replaced while some get the pistons and rings replaced like I've had. I cannot comment on whether or not the replacement of the pistons and rings has resolved the issue yet because I just got my car back as I am writing this. I would like to hear feedback from others about how they feel about this issue and what repairs they have faced. I know Honda is dealing with a lot right now when it comes to issues with oil consumption as many of the Honda models face the issue too. It leads me to believe they have not created a campaign for the TL and other Acura model's yet just because they have a lot on their plate as of right now. I personally feel that this is a major issue that Honda/Acura needs to address ASAP. I know they have had a history of their vehicles burning oil for a long time but nothing as serious as whats happening right now.

the_razor

I have read some where ACEA A3/b3 type oil is what this J37 motors need, has any one tried that rating oil?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

they didn't address the issue by spending money to re-engineer the block or the pistons. instead, they shuttered and discontinued the J37 engine. cheaper to keep her, kinda deal.

with that being said; keep an eye on your engine oil level.
also, it's up in debate on whether or not how you break in the engine had any effect on oil consumption.

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

You probably should have done your research on the car before you bought it. Then you would have known about the oil issue

Having said that, not all SH-AWD owners have had the issue. I have a neighbor a few houses down from me who has a '10 SH-AWD and I talk to him on occasion. He hasn't had any trouble and he has nearly 80K miles. Many on the board haven't had the issue either. There have been mixed reviews on whether the repairs (block or pistons/rings) have solved the problem. One guy on here had his engine replaced three times IIRC and it's still consuming oil. But I've also heard of a few that had the repair done and haven't had trouble since. Others had it work for 20K-40K miles then the consumption issue came back.

Frankly, I'd stick with it and just accept that you'll have to add oil occasionally. I haven't heard of the issue fouling up spark plugs or sensors or plugging catalytic converters. I'd probably get in the habit of checking it at the gas station while you're filling up or something like that. It really is a great vehicle other than that. But don't expect Honda to come up with a permanent fix for this. Like Justin said, they've discontinued the J37. It's very unlikely they're going to invest time and resources in a discontinued engine. They'll continue to repair/replace the ones out there under warranty as a "general business expense", just the same as the cost of recalls, other warranty work or goodwill repairs. Companies have an entire budget for that on their ledger.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

the hard part is finding out how those people with no oil-consumption issues, broke-in their engines.
Did they drive it like they stole it? or did they follow recommended break-in procedure? Did they change oil at 500 miles? or did they keep it in for 6500-7000 miles?

kjpantano

It doesn't bother that much (the oil issue) since it is covered under warranty and I was glad that I figured it out before it was too late. I'm going to be very cautious of how I drive the car for the next 500 miles as to make sure the pistons and rings are broken in properly. I thought about not getting the repair done and just dealing with having to add oil but since I figured I'm going to be stuck with the car for awhile I might as well have the repair done. I will probably change the oil and filter myself over the next 500 miles to remove the dirty oil from the repair being done and will then keep an eye on the oil level.

the_razor

question: how do you tell if the engine is warm enough, do you go by the gauge needle or distance driven ?

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Warm enough for what?

CruzanTLSH-AWD

And no there a few 3.5L guys I know have this issues as well. Pilot, Accord and FWD TL. One of the main things some guys have done is add thicker oil. Nowadays 5w-30 & 5w-40 are being use with great results. Also type and brand of oil as well. In Euro the 3.7L (Legend) RL uses 5w40... I started using 5w-30 and so far no burning after being in Mexico a few times. Honda oil and Mobile 1 has been the biggest culprits so far with whom I'm around and talk to to burn oil.. Pennzoil Ultra (One guy still burn trying 5w40 now.... others who did 5w-30 did not) , Liquid Moly (5w-40) and Motul (5w30-5w40) so far has been the few brands guys went to that was burning to some not burning at all. Just my 2 cents.

CruzanTLSH-AWD

Temp Gauge usually a car oil system take 12-15 mins most of the time.

Lee C

Interesting

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

I did this on my '06 with the mindset that it would provide a bit better protection than the thinner oil. I found that it impacted mileage by up to 10% or so, usually closer to 5% which is difficult to measure accurately. I've heard it may cause additional heat as well due to a higher viscosity of oil. Probably not a big deal but something minor to consider. Personally, not experiencing any oil consumption issue on my 3.5, I just stick to the recommended 5W-20.

the_razor

Which 5w30 are you using now ?

CruzanTLSH-AWD

Eneos Sustina

the_razor

Thinking of using Eneos Sustina next time, I have used Eneos 5w20 before good oil do you know what the difference are between Eneos Full Synt vs Sustina, based on their website their marketing claims they clean piston rings better then other GF-5 oils
I have been using Acura 5w30, and I am getting 1L/4500-5000 KM.

CruzanTLSH-AWD

I only used the Sustina but so far so good.

Qualified Man

apologies for bringing up an old thread, but wanted to add my tl to the list of oil burners. this one is a bit scary. the wife drives the 2010 sh-awd manual, and typically the dealer services it. i've done one oil change in the past, and decided to do this one, as well. car has 57k on it. when i saw how much oil came out, i thought something must be wrong. it looked like VERY little oil. i initially thought it was because the front was up on ramps, so i jacked the rear to level it out but nothing additional came out. when i measured how much was in the drain pan, it came to exactly two (2) quarts! 4.5 went back in. that means my wife has been driving with less than half the required oil for god knows how long. it could be 1000 miles, 2000, 3000? this oil change was done with 10% oil life remaining according to the oil minder.

now i'm not sure how to proceed. there could be substantial damage done to engine internals, or there may not be. i don't know. car seems to run fine before and now. i would not want an engine replacement. pistons/rings? maybe... getting rid of it and moving on is also on the table... did not expect this from acura, and it didn't even enter my mind to check oil level between service intervals. as i said, dealer has been performing maintenance per the service minder in the car, and has never indicated any oil consumption issues were present.

SkN012

Stealerships won't tell you if you an have oil consumption issue unless you're warranty as expired. If still under warranty ask them for an oil consumption test. The fact that you did your regular oil changes at your local dealer could help your case since oil consumption dosent occur overnight but yet again you never know with those stealerships.

altair47

Why is everybody so complain, but no one thought why 7-8 quart sof oil goes to the Audi and BMW, if there were 8 quart in 3.7 engine oil pan, then everyone had enough oil for the interval. What is the problem of changing synthetics every 3000 miles? This is a specific engine, Honda tried, understood that the error and does not make these engines ever.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

@altair47, uhhh, what? Can you try that again in English?

altair47

google translate always fucked up

altair47

I mean that the oil pan is very small for this engine, Audi burns no less oil, but it's enough until the next oil change

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Well, no, not exactly. Some Audi engines have larger oil capacities, but that in no way means they aren't running low on oil when more than a quart down.

As for the oil pan being very small for the J-Series engine; I would argue it is of an appropriate size for a car with a recommended oil change interval of about 7,500 miles (far shorter than many (most, all?) Audis).

The fact is, healthy J-Series engines consume very little oil; I'm almost 8,000 miles since my last oil change on my TL and the oil appears to be down maybe a tenth of a quart over that period.

altair47

Comparing the engines of the J series and the J37 is a big mistake. Audi V6 engine capacity 7 to 8 quarts

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

I have to disagree; to be sure there are many J37s which burn oil, but there are also many J37s which don't. That and running an Audi V6 a quart low can also be damaging to the engine.

altair47

Not true, absolutely all J37 consume oil because of aluminum silicon cylinder coating. But the amount of consumption depends on the oil and the run-in period. When I fill in my TL 0W20 then for 3000ml consumption almost 2 liters, at 5W20 for 3000ml 1 liter. I work with Audi, I have never seen oil on the dipstick V6 engine before oil change.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

I'm afraid you're misinformed; there are numerous testimonials on this forum from folks who have J37 engines which do not consume any oil.

Qualified Man

we’ll see what the dealer says. I plan to call them tomorrow and schedule a time to come in. Not sure on warranty status. I should be good on miles, but time...?

we really like the car, so would be a shame if they can’t get this resolved. At 58k miles, this Honda/Acura product should still have 3/4 life left.