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- 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege 1660, 2004 Winning Blue RX8, 2005 Mazda6
DISCLAIMER: I completely understand that I need to do a compression test.
My oil consumption is puzzling me- I had a sudden and huge decrease in fill intervals. I've been averaging 500 miles per quart, have been using T6 5W40 for almost 2,000 miles and suddenly, early last week I consumed a quart in ~275 miles. That's almost half of what I've been getting between fills. Now, I've checked it again and I'm going to be back at about 500 miles on this last quart. HOW!?!? PCV is new, no oil in charge piping, minimal oil film in intake/inlet. The smoking under WOT is also inconsistent and it's not terrible even at it's worst. I am getting a strong burning oil odor and faint smoking from the exhaust at extended idle now, but it's almost nothing and I have to be standing at the back of the car to even see it. Intermittently I'll get a strong sulfur order which I attribute to oil-soaked catalyst material causing it to breakdown. Maybe I should also do a backpressure test. That still doesn't explain the fluctuation in fill intervals... If it was a consistent decline, that I would understand, but to go from 500 miles per quart to 275 miles per quart and back to 500 miles per quart does not make sense. The car isn't organic, it doesn't heal itself. Only difference was a slight increase in temperature at the time the 275-mile quart went in, but it's been warm with the second soon-to-be-500-mile quart, so, again, there is a constant between these two, yet a vastly different mileage interval. Driving habits have been the same, and almost identical routes, roads and miles as I rarely deviate from my normal schedule. Ideas?
EDIT: I need to stop looking for unknowns when I have a known problem... I need to replace the turbocharger and go from there before anything else.
My oil consumption is puzzling me- I had a sudden and huge decrease in fill intervals. I've been averaging 500 miles per quart, have been using T6 5W40 for almost 2,000 miles and suddenly, early last week I consumed a quart in ~275 miles. That's almost half of what I've been getting between fills. Now, I've checked it again and I'm going to be back at about 500 miles on this last quart. HOW!?!? PCV is new, no oil in charge piping, minimal oil film in intake/inlet. The smoking under WOT is also inconsistent and it's not terrible even at it's worst. I am getting a strong burning oil odor and faint smoking from the exhaust at extended idle now, but it's almost nothing and I have to be standing at the back of the car to even see it. Intermittently I'll get a strong sulfur order which I attribute to oil-soaked catalyst material causing it to breakdown. Maybe I should also do a backpressure test. That still doesn't explain the fluctuation in fill intervals... If it was a consistent decline, that I would understand, but to go from 500 miles per quart to 275 miles per quart and back to 500 miles per quart does not make sense. The car isn't organic, it doesn't heal itself. Only difference was a slight increase in temperature at the time the 275-mile quart went in, but it's been warm with the second soon-to-be-500-mile quart, so, again, there is a constant between these two, yet a vastly different mileage interval. Driving habits have been the same, and almost identical routes, roads and miles as I rarely deviate from my normal schedule. Ideas?
EDIT: I need to stop looking for unknowns when I have a known problem... I need to replace the turbocharger and go from there before anything else.
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