My P5 burns a lot of oil

[Fryman]

first off its an 02 p5, and it burns a lot of oil. If I drive it aggressively the oil just disappears. Could this be a gasket problem, or something else? Just normal everyday driving it still burns a decent amount of oil. When I start it cold a puff smoke comes out the back exhaust. When I rev the engine cold puffs do come out.

Hoping this problem is fixable without an engine rebuild. Can't afford that just yet.

I am letting the car warm up then I am going to redo these tests.

 

[oldskool3]

How much is a lot? It is normal to burn around 1.5L every 5000km/3000miles. If the smoke from your exhaust is blue your car is burning oil. Can also be seen on plugs if there is a deposit/ sludge on the plugs. You will have to replace the valve seals and rings if you want to fix it properly. Until then check the level frequently and make sure it's always topped up.

 

[Fryman]

I'll start calculating how much oil I burn and how much I've driven and give you some numbers. I am going to be driving it for 4 hours straight this weekend so I'll write down what I am burning.

 

[Protephile]

Welcome to the FS-DE Oil-burning club. I use about a quart every 5-600 miles. I also have 157k on the engine.
But other than that it still runs great. I agree with oldskool3, it's just the valve seals and rings.

 

[Fryman]

haha thanks! and is this an easy fix or something that would take some time?

 

[THE Phen]

Yeah, they just kinda do that after a while. You get used to it. Mine doesn't necessarily burn it much, or leak anywhere, but it just disappears. I don't drive it hard because I'm afraid it will fall apart due to rust. Welcome to the club.

Oh... believe it or not, the car will run on 1 qt of oil remaining in the pan... I don't recommend finding this out on your own tho...

 

[JDMJNKY]

it's just the valve seals and rings.

I agree on the valve seals just picked up a set of 16 from the dealership myself.But in order for it to be the ring's also woudn't it have to smoke all the time? Wot,shifting etc.

 

[Signature Sound]

Check your PCV. Take a look at the hoses coming out of it. Its a common entry point.

one of these will help:

 

[oldskool3]

Both valve seals and rings involve getting into the engine. Seals are much easier than the rings. If you removed the head you could get a shop to replace them for a couple of hundred dollars or try it yourself. It's definitely doable with some instruction. Rings would be more labour intensive and would cost a little more.

 

[JDMJNKY]

^^ If you have the head already off a machince shop could put in the seals for $85 buck's I got quoted that with the spare head I have.I'm doing mine myself with the head still on the car bought a special tool for all that I think it might be my pcv valve tho I bought one of those cheapo's.

 

[Donas64]

mine does the exact same thing. Aggressive driving, oil gone, puff of smoke on startup. And I'm going to VIR in 3 weeks!

 

[Signature Sound]

PCV is a huge culprit MOST of the time. Before I went turbo and the car was relatively new, it was burning. Then went turbo and got worse. The Millenia S PCV helped, but was still bad. Now the catch can has the system isolated and even at 400hp, no smoking.

 

[oldskool3]

Sig Sound, does it come with mounting hardware? Is there enough space to mount them with the stock airbox in place?

 

[Signature Sound]

Sig Sound, does it come with mounting hardware? Is there enough space to mount them with the stock airbox in place?

Yes it comes with an aluminum "L" bracket and a stainless steel clamp. Depending on which style fittings you want, the hose barb style come with hose and clamps for a complete install kit. If you want th "AN" style fittings, then you will need to purchase the hose and hose ends.

People have used the battery tray bolt to mount the can. Its a great spot since it allows proper routing of the lines. There are a ton of pictures in my thread if you want to see more. I also just designed a "MINI" if you are interested. Its one of a kind, internally baffled and just needs the fittings of your choice. For $39 shipped, it comes with everything needed. Perfect for extra tight spaces. Heres the photo of it waiting for fittings to be installed. If hooking up to the stock system, I recommend 3/8". Dimensions are 2" diameter and 8.25" tall.

 

[Tzar177]

How do I buy one of the new mini ones? Got em in yellow?

 

[Signature Sound]

How do I buy one of the new mini ones? Got em in yellow?

sending you a pm now

 

[pasadena_commut]

Check your PCV. Take a look at the hoses coming out of it. Its a common entry point.

one of these will help:

Sorry for being dense, is that an oil catch can? The little one in a later post too? (A ruler in the picture would help us judge how big these are. It is not a standard part so we can't just go out and look under the hood.)

Do these need to be emptied periodically, or is there a tube that lets the oil drain back into the motor?

 

[Signature Sound]

Sorry for being dense, is that an oil catch can? The little one in a later post too? (A ruler in the picture would help us judge how big these are. It is not a standard part so we can't just go out and look under the hood.)

Do these need to be emptied periodically, or is there a tube that lets the oil drain back into the motor?

Yup. Its a catch can. Isolating the blow-by that our motors produce so much of is a great way to get rid of the smoking problem. The mini catch can is the only one of its kind. I posted its dimensions but here it is again: 2" diameter x 8.25" tall. It is baffled inside for greater effectiveness than the cheap eBay crap out there. Comes with "L" bracket, clamps and hoses shipped for $39.

The metallic blue one was made for another customer that has a Lazer Blue Protege. He also got the matching coolant tank. The dimensions for that one is: 3" diameter x 8.5" tall. Thats the standard size. The supplied "L" bracket, clamps and hose makes it a complete ready to install kit all for less than $50 shipped.

The breather style can does not need to be emptied nearly as much as the sealed ones. It does allow the gasses to escape just as good, but doesnt collect a bunch of oil unecessarily. I put about 5k miles on mine and its collected a few ounces of sludge so far. When the motor is running after a good drive, you can see the vapors escaping the breather filter. Allowing the crap oil to go back into the motor is very counter productive. The can collects moisture as well, so letting it recirculate is not a good idea. The drain on bottom is convenient enough to just get rid of it anyway.

Click on the "catch can" link in my signature if you want to see more. There are some really good photos, and even some articles about the competitions products.

 

[Signature Sound]

 

[pasadena_commut]

Thanks for posting the information.

The breather style can does not need to be emptied nearly as much as the sealed ones. It does allow the gasses to escape just as good, but doesnt collect a bunch of oil unecessarily. I put about 5k miles on mine and its collected a few ounces of sludge so far. When the motor is running after a good drive, you can see the vapors escaping the breather filter. Allowing the crap oil to go back into the motor is very counter productive. The can collects moisture as well, so letting it recirculate is not a good idea. The drain on bottom is convenient enough to just get rid of it anyway.

I'm old enough to remember cars before PCV valves, which were added specifically to prevent crankcase gases from venting directly to the atmosphere. If the can does that I don't see how the car could ever pass a smog emission check, at least in California.