sr20bet

I called my local Acura Dealer and told the service rep all the issues I was having with my car burning oil. (If you read my other treads you will know about my issues, also told him last time I changed the oil there was only about 1 liter of oil coming out, it's just nuts the amount of oil this thing is burning).

They told me to bring the car in for an oil change and that I would need to bring the car back after 1000km to see how much oil was consumed.

I asked what is normal and abnormal. He said if it consumes more than 1 liter of oil, it is not normal and there is something wrong with the engine.


QUESTIONS:

A) Now I drive a little more aggressive in the summers than the winters (up in Canada) due to the colder weather and snow. I'm going to be taking off my summer tires and putting on my winter tires. Do any of you think this will affect oil consumption?

B) Have any of you done an oil consumption test?

Professor

What's your mileage? These engines are made so tight... but I don't see the rings wearing out before 200K miles. And if you have no visual signs of leaks like on the ground or around the engine block, I do a compression check on the cylinders.

What weight of oil are you using?

potmilkz

tires dont have anything to do with oil consumption..

do you do your own oil change before you did the last recent one?

regardless your car should not have 1 liter of oil if you empty it.

follow the dealer instructions, have them do the oil change, drive it for 1000 miles then come back to see the difference.

alpha2beta

What year is your TSX? It seems that the 2011-2012 burn oil more because of the new piston and ring setup. I posted this in the 9th gen civic Si forums.

There is a TSB for some of the 2012 civic Si for oil consumption, and the fix is to put the 09-10 TSX Piston and rings in the car, and according to the TSB the failed part is the same exact part number for the 2011-2013 TSX for the rings and pistons.

http://www.9thgencivic.com/forum/tec...tml#post144584

Acura_Dude

So will this be an issue with the 2013 TSX?

TrojanTSX

I have an 11 and have not had any oil consumption problems yet. Tho I only have 16K on it and drive it like a baby for the most part.

I will say that when I used Mobil 1 in my Hondas/Acuras I would burn some oil. Royal Purple never burned in those cars but did burn in my WRX (had to go to Rotella to keep that car from burning so much!!).

I am using what the Dealer uses in both the 09 and 11 TSX that we have.

Puppetmaster

Good information, thanks. So what is the cause of the ring failure? It doesn't specify in the TSB. I assume faulty rings since the solution is just to replace them with an older version. I wonder if it is related to anything else like engine break in. In other engines, I've seen oil consumption from "weak" rings not seated right where the problem was exacerbated because of improper break in of the engine. Just curious is all. My 2011 has no oil burning, and I've taken it almost to redline many times.

stan_t

I have a 2012 and also don't have an issue (fingers crossed). Though the car has only a bit over 9K on it and I'm getting close to doing a second oil change. I do it myself and use the Honda oil from the dealership, and OEM filter. I changed the oil around the "40% oil life left" mark the first time, and will probably do the same this time around -- that's around a 5K OCI, which I'm comfortable with. I watch the oil level closely and top it off when needed, consumption seems to be around 1 quart or under in 5K so far, which I'm fine with.

I rev the **** out of the car, and did not break it in gently at all.

Stan

optimusaccord

I broke my engine in with "normal" driving. Loading the motor, taking it all the way up to red line. Multiple times on each trip. My car now (09) has 50k miles on it, I run royal purple, change it every 5k miles, and I burn 0 oil. I also changed the first oil at 2k miles, no way I'd leave break in oil that long.

Slade037

Any chance that it only happens with manny's? I don't know why they would be different. But from whom I've seen on the boards with this problem, it's with the 6spds like mine...

alpha2beta

http://estore.honda.com/acura/parts/...n=&b=E++16&dl=

Part Numbers are the same on the 2013 for the rings and pistons

2009-2010 TSX
http://estore.honda.com/acura/parts/...n=&b=E++16&dl=

Failed Part on the 2012 Civic Si is the same parts that are on the 2011-2013 TSX, then in the TSB they say to replace the pistons and rings with the exact same part numbers from the 09-10 TSX.

Acura_Dude

Thanks for clearing that up.

optimusaccord

manny here.

stan_t

6MT here as well.

Stan

alpha2beta

Same engine parts just different computer programming.

BlackTSX6MT

I'm also having the same issue. I have 09 TSX 6MT with 99,000 miles and I've been noticing that I get "Low Oil" indicator light instantly coming up when I make sharp turns, sudden braking, or going up hill. It starts at about 60-70% oil life. The indicator light comes up more frequently as I put more mileage after the oil change which probably means the oil is getting lower and lower.

I've also noticed a rattling noise during cold start up recently. I thought I got this taken care of when the dealer replaced the VTC actuator (TSB 10-024). It's only been about a year since I got this replaced. Can the low oil be associated with this rattling noise at cold start up?

EzeE1o

you mean to tell me that you do not check the oil level/ add more oil to bring it up to the dot in between oil changes?

Professor

Are all these ring issues with the 4 cylinders only?

BlackTSX6MT

I took my car to the dealer today and the oil was indeed very low. My last oil change was 6000 miles ago and the oil life was 40%. I got synthetic oil change today and they told me to come back after driving 1000 miles. The rattling noise was also gone after getting the oil changed.

I really hope someone has a solution for this. ANYONE????

optimusaccord

Has a leakdown test been completed on this motor? Have you pulled the spark plugs to to check for oil on them? Is there black soot on the rear bumper?

Does it burn blue when you first turn the motor on and it's "warming up"? If it's like that it can be valve seals.

ecko508

Brought my 09 to the dealer for the same low oil problem. Dealer did an oil change and advised me to return after driving 1000 miles to check the oil consumption. What a PITA! Ill check back in when I return after 1000 miles and let you guys know. But the rattling sound is gone on mine as well.

cyberbro

I'm just starting to see I might have the oil consumption issue. I have an Auto 09 with 47k (oil at 50% used) on it.

I have had the low oil light happen twice, once recently and once a year ago (both around tight turns then off). It does seem to have started when I got synthetic motor oil for the last 2 oil changes. I wonder if the oil is blowing past the seals because it's slicker oil. I always use 5-20 oil. I think I used about 3/4 of 1qt in 5k miles, sounds like I'm going to get the dealer saying it's normal to burn that. I bet it's slower with conventional oil but that sucks since I want to use synthetic for the better properties of that oil.

Now I will watch it myself. I need to check the oil after the next change to see where I'm starting out, to rule out the station that changes my oil (but these are very good guys and I do enough myself to tell. so I REALLY doubt they did shorted me twice on oil).

Tsx780

i have a 09 2.4l tech and I think my rings a gone, I burn about 3L's of oil on 5000kms oil change intervals. Does not burn any oil out of the exhaust but I start to notice some valve cover sweat near the fuel rail.

Also my oil gets black really quick!!!


any advice on this?

Tsx780

o ya sorry 115xxx kms on it and bought it at 75xxxkms and has burnt that much oil since Ive had it, so I wonder how long did it start on the previous owner..

000djn

I found the TSB number for this problem for Acura TSX. It is 12-042. I checked the TSB thread and is not there. Does someone know who to talk so it can be put on the TSB thread?

imran025

I apologies for making this my first post and bringing back an old thread. Just a quick intro, I have an 09 6spd TSX, bought it from a dealer up here in Mississauga (Canada) last year.

I saw the oil level light come on when I was at 60% life remaining, within the first few months of owning but I didn't think of it much and got a regular oil change, I thought maybe they reset the counter around the time I purchased and it was due for an oil change. I took it back to the dealer the second time it happened and they started the oil consumption test.

I have been doing the test for a few months now and they said that the car is consuming 1 liter of oil every 3000 kms which according to them is normal. I on the other hand feel that this is not normal and they are also possibly mixing up numbers to avoid repairs. So the question is:

Do you know how low the oil level goes down before the oil level light comes on? And did the oil consumption test lead to a fix from the dealership. The car was still under warranty at the time I reported the issue but it seems like they are trying to avoid fixing it by saying that it is normal.

It would be great if you guys could shed some light on this, as I am feeling a little helpless, the car itself feels heavy when it is low on oil and ofcourse the knocking when I start the car is present.

Thanks alot !!

Simba91102

Interesting that you're in Canada, since for the most part, it is/was the Canadian 1st generation TSX's that experienced oil use issues (not all of course). All I'll add to your misery is that my 05 TSX had 178K miles on it when I sold it, and it didn't use a drop of oil between changes (which varied from 5K to 10K miles). My wife's 07 TSX has 220K miles on it, and uses maybe 1/4 of a quart between 7K mile oil changes. My 010 is at a little over 30K miles with no oil use. I think Acura is shining you on. There seems little that's "normal" to me about using 1 litre of oil (a bit over a quart) every 1900 miles, but they can tell you whatever they want and say it's "normal". I have no experience with an oil level light, and don't even know where it is. If you mean just the oil idiot light, then I would guess that it comes on when it's too late. Kind of like the depth finder in my boat that tells me how deep the rock was that I just hit. . .

Slade037

For me, the oil consumption test revealed an issue. They replaced my piston rings under warranty and I have not had the issue since.

BlackTSX6MT

Same here but not under warranty. It was a huge job and took the dealer two weeks to do. To prevent this issue in the future, the key is to put oil with higher viscosity not the recommended 5W-20 at least from what I heard.

imran025

Thank you gents, for the support and the input. I will be contacting the dealership later this week for them to tell me what the solution is to this problem and if they will be fixing it or not. If not then I will start using high viscosity oil.

magicfan3

6 spd 09 here as well, original owner, purchased in Florida. My engine eats oil like crazy. I drive spirited so that may be a factor. I have 70k on the engine. And about 10k miles ago I started hearing a funny chatter at cold start up and have not been able to have the issue resolved though everytime I do an oil change it doesn't happen for at least a few day, so I believe that noise to be directly related to the oil consumption issue. I even had the oil consumption update performed and it yielded no change. I've done all my oil changes and done them probably even more frequently than I should be due to the burning. I assume I am going to need to replace my piston rings more than likely?

BlackTSX6MT

The noise at cold startup is very very likely the VTC actuator. There's a TSB for this and is a very common problem for 2nd gen TSX. I got it replaced twice. This is a separate issue from the burning oil.

If you don't feel like re-filling the oil tank every 1000-2000 miles (which we shouldnt do!), get the piston rings replaced. The car will gradually burn more oil. Warning: It's a heavy job and will be incredibly expensive if you do it at the dealer (probably above $2000 incl. parts and labor). Hopefully your car in covered under the warranty.

magicfan3

I think I'm just under 70k so I should be under warranty and need to get this taken care as I don't have the 2000 or more dollars to pay for it.

robpp

iTrader: (2)

4 yr/50K factory warranty/

good luck.

briq456

6yr 70K Powertrain.

magicfan3

Correct and I beleive I have an extended warranty.

Chicosito

I had this issue when I purchased my 2009 TSX manual. I didn't expect a newer car to consume oil, but my Acura did. It consumed a quart every 3k miles. I called the dealer and they told me I had to do a software update to fix the problem. I did the tsb engine reflash that Acura came out to fix the problem and it hasn't consumed oil since.

Only problem I have, is that with the software update, it made my car noticeably slower on the lower rpm range between 1k to 3.5k. I first noticed this the first fifteen minutes of driving my car back home when the dealer returned it to me from installing the update. I was perplexed by the fact that I had to give it more gas to accelerate the way it did prior to the update. It still has the same kick at higher rpms, but I hate having to accelerate at higher rpms to get the same amount of torque that it had prior to the reflash. Called the dealer back to let them know that I wasn't happy with the change in power, but the service manager said that it shouldn't be noticeable. I asked if they can reflash it to the prior software and they said no.

Long story short, this is the one thing I wish I did not do to my tsx. I don't mind adding a quart of oil to keep the power I had before. I was used to adding oil all the time in my prior bmw's. One of the major reasons I bought my Acura, was for the amount of power it had. Now it feels sluggish and I'm quit irritated by this.

Have any other fellow tsx members done this update to their 6mt, and notice a difference in power?

magicfan3

I actually did the same update, and I don't believe it fixed the issue for me but the receipt said they performed it at Acura. I haven't noticed less power in the lower rpm range, but I did put on my takeda CAI just before that happened, and I didn't notice much of a difference after bolting that on either, so it may just be me.

Also, I'm 195 miles over 70k.

magicfan3

Just spoke with a service advisor here in Gainesville, he said piston rings wouldn't have been covered under warranty, anyway. He said that falls under the "wear and tear" category. Also suggested just getting a new short block as replacing the rings would be labor intensive, or just trading in the car, which I have thought about, the new tlx with SH-AWD caught my eye, though I haven't heard that it will have a manual transmission yet. However, my car was purchased in Sanford, FL and I believe I purchased the extended warranty down there. So I will be making a call down there as I tried to have them take a look at this issue at the start of this year.

Slade037

I'll try to pull out my warranty paperwork for my piston rings when I get home.