Rep Power: 0

Hi Everyone

This is my first post and I'm having issues with my 05 Civic EX with the D17a2:

I've had the car for only 4 months now and I seem to be going through oil like a big fella goes through potato chips (adding 3 Liters every 1-2 weeks) whenever the car is revved higher than 4000rpm, now this is the first honda I've had with VTEC (not sure if that's the problem or not) and was wondering if this was normal and if not how I would go about fixing any possible issues.

I'm taking an automotive apprentice course in college and this seems to be a crazy amount of oil for a 1.7L 4-banger, I've asked other guys in my class but none of them have hondas so this is pretty much my last hope for this thing before I rip the engine out and put a non-VTEC in, but I don't really want to spend that money.

any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks - a 19 year-old noob

 
Rep Power: 210

that is a crazy amount of oil for ANY engine,

i don't even burn a 1/4 liter in 5,000 miles (4-6 months)

if its not leaking the oil then its most likely stuck piston rings, or bad valve seals,

is it smoking out the tailpipe at all?

have somebody follow behind you and floor it from a stop, with that amount of oil consumption you must be smoking

 
Rep Power: 518

It's not the VTEC causing the issue.

Oil consumption is usually caused by stuck oil rings.
Common issue on just about any engine from any brand car maker, with high mileage and sketchy maintenance.

 
Rep Power: 0

Hi Mike,

I though that it might be smoking out the back and did have my Dad follow me around for a while to find that it's not smoking at all. I was on my way home today actually and the damn thing went into limp mode again ie: wouldn't go past 4000Rpm. the Oil rings were never checked when I had my mechanic check it over when I bought it initially so that definitely could be an issue but I still need to have it checked to be sure.

Thanks for the quick replies

 
Rep Power: 518

If it is so low on oil that it sets VTEC code and goes to limp in mode......you need to refill oil a LOT sooner than this.

VTEC code P1259 (Is that the code?) most frequently sets because oil pressure is too low. That's bad.
There might be only a half quart of oil remaining in the engine when the code sets, and every time the oil gets that low even more wear happens and oil can then be consumed even faster. It's a vicious circle.


Nobody can see them without a complete teardown.

 
Rep Power: 211

My son own's a 2007 Mazda 3 and it's 2.3L engine suffered from high oil consumption. We researched online and found several threads involving high oil consumption with the 2.3L in particular. Researching further for reason(s) why high oil consumption starts lead us to a few items:

1) Clogged PCV valve
2) Stuck piston oil rings
3) Worn, leaking valve stem seals
4) Worn engine internal clearances as described here: https://www.amsoil.com/techservicesb...onsumption.pdf

We concluded for my son's engine it was most likely worn bearings that caused clearances to open and burn oil quickly without seeing external signs such as oil leaks, smoke from exhaust, burnt oil on spark plugs. Wasn't long after dealing with high oil consumption that it developed rod knock. It now has a 2012 Ford 2.5L (45k miles) swap in it that's running very well.

As far as I know high oil consumption is not an issue with a particular Honda engine, as it is for the Mazda/Ford 2.3L duratec. However, it's an issue that needs to be addressed sooner that n later if, there's any hope at all.

1) Start by inspecting and or replacing PVC valve: I'm not sure but, if it has a ball in the valve you can shake it and if your hear rattling it's functioning properly and you don't hear rattling it's stuck close. Try cleaning it out with brake cleaner spray either way and shake again (listen for rattle). Most likely not the source for oil consumption but easy to do.

2) Marvel Mystery Oil (MMO) piston soak: http://honda-tech.com/forums/tech-mi...rings-2767274/ I have never tried it so I can't personally comment on it. IMO it's very inexpensive to try and worth a go before deciding on repair or engine replacement. Hopefully others will chime in one way or the other.

3) If you decide on trying 1 & 2 and neither help then you may want to try Lucas oil stabilizer: https://www.amazon.com/Lucas-10001-H.../dp/B000AS1XYO to help slow down consumption. It's just a band-aid at best and may buy you a bit of time before proper repair or replacment. Again, I haven't used it myself however, it is inexpensive and has mostly good reviews online.

 
Rep Power: 211

OP... where did you go? Where did you go now? ayee, ayee, ayee, ayee, ayee, ayee, Yiiiieeee. Yowza!...lol

 
Rep Power: 0

I'm still alive, just been to busy with life to respond

 
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ok, so today I had the civic up on some stands and I noticed that the oil pan was covered in oil, so I suspect that the gasket might be blown, still don't understand though that there isn't a giant oil stain in the driveway. so next oil change I'm gonna drop the pan and redo the gasket and see if that stops the loss of oil, hopefully it does. will get back with my findings afterward whether it's sloved or not.

once again thanks for the replys and suggestions, they're much appreciated.

 
Rep Power: 518

Because the pan having oil all over it isn't necessarily the problem. Each oil change dribbles an amount down the back of the engine when the filter is removed too.

If there were a bunch of oil leaked from the pan there would be a HUGE mess, not only on the ground but blown all under the car from the engine compartment back toward the rear bumper.

Pour a quart of water on the ground and see how big the puddle can get. How about 3 quarts? If this has been an ongoing problem, maybe 30 quarts?
Does the oil pan mess look like it dumped that much oil?

 
Rep Power: 211

As Ezone stated it may not be the oil pan gasket leaking even though there is oil on the bottom of the pan. Other areas that are more typical to leak are:
1) valve cover gasket
2) Vtec solenoid
3) Cam plug cap w/o-ring
4) rear main seal

While the engine is cold cover the alternator with aluminium foil and spray engine with Gunk brand or similar engine cleaner. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and gently hose off and then use a shop rag to wipe dry. After the engine is dry use baby powder and compressed air OR partially fill a turkey baster with baby powder and blow through it to spread baby powder on engine. Start car and check for oil leaks

 
Rep Power: 0

so I managed to find where all my oil was going: coolant reservoir. so would the headgasket being blown cause this? I only ask because the kid I bought it from had suspected that it was blown, but my mechanic told me he thought it was fine(he didn't pull it apart) so could that be the cause?

 
Rep Power: 518

Does the reservoir LOOK like it can hold 3 liters of engine oil per week?
3/week x 18 weeks.....that would be about 54 liters of engine oil.....

Got pics?
What do you see in the reservoir? A film of black all over the sides? (that's kinda normal for the cars)

What's in the radiator?

Is it spewing oil out of the reservoir? If it had 13 gallons of oil pushed through it, there should be one hell of a mess.....and all the cooling system hoses would be mushy.