Going through oil fast

[slamedp5]

I have a mazda protege5 5-speed with 135,000 miles. It is going through oil very fast but it is not smoking and there are no signs of any leaks. There is a small vibration in the pedal sometimes it happens when taking off and when getting on the gas but doesn't happen all the time. I have looked on the forum and can't find any threads similar if you have any ideas on what it is I would appreciate them. Thanks.

 

[Protephile]

How much oil are you burning? It's not an uncommon problem with the FS and higher mileage.
Could be blow-by or your EGR system...

I burn through a quart every 500 miles or so, been like that for a long time. I am 99% sure it's blow-by
with almost 208k on my car.

 

[slamedp5]

I filled it two days ago and I'm already down half a quart

 

[Flav]

I know you said there are no leaks, but did you check your valve cover? I recently had a problem with losing oil.. found the source of the problem where my valve cover sits.

 

[wildcrazyjoker8]

I had the same problem on my P5 which has a blown motor now. The culprit was the PCV valve. I ran it low for 2 days and it developed a tick. I assumed it was a lifter, but that was not the case. So change out your PCV if you haven't already.

 

[slamedp5]

Alright thanks, i'll change my PCV valve and I will check my valve cover and probably just replace the gasket on that as well. Hopefully that will fix it and thanks for the help

 

[Installshield 2]

if replacing the valve cover gasket, might as well check the valve clearance while you're at it...You use a feeler gauge under the cam lobes to check lifter clearance...if out of spec, its a pretty simple job of putting in new lifter shims...which can be done with your next timing belt change...improper valve clearance can cause over saturation of the valve seals, which in turn can leak oil into the combustion chambers...and resulting in oil consumption...

Valve covers, like mentioned, can also cause a very 'fast' leak (where you'll notice the oil level dropping in only a couple hundred miles), but that doesn't result in dripping under the car...the oil will usually wash out over a large area...onto a very hot cylinder head, that will quickly gunk up on the outside of it...and just look like dirt, rather than fresh oil...

so when you redo the valve cover gasket...you're able to check a lot of areas at once...check the cover's gasket itself, the valve clearance, as well as the cam thrust caps (1st cam caps on passenger side of the head), and the cam seals themselves...all of these things will be right in front of you when you remove the valve cover...