source of oil burning?

[CyFi6]

So i have a 7mge with about 86k original miles and it seems that whenever i run the car hard i tend to lose some oil. This weekend i drove about 150 miles to an autocross averaging about 3300 rpm for about 2 hours, then i had 4 ~1 minuet runs in which i drove it very hard and redlined it a few times, and between runs i let it idle. Then i had the same 150 miles back (No bhg ftw:biglaugh: ) Now when i check my oil level its about a half quart less than it was before the trip. I have 10w-40 dino oil in it and as far as i can tell i have no leaks nor any signs of burning oil. I had done a compression test and they all seemed to check out although i dont remember the numbers off the top of my head. The only sign i see is when i very initially start the car i get a small scent of burned oil, but you cant even see any smoke, which i guess would indicate valve guides or seals but it doesnt seem like enough to cause that much oil loss. When i rev the car there is no sign of any smoke, and i dont have a cat so everything should show. So i was wondering where can i look and what can i test for oil loss. Ive looked all over the engine and theres no signs of wetness from oil leaks and no drips. Thanks a bunch.

 

[Setheroo]

That was a pain to read without any bullet points or anything. But I will try to give you some advice.

First of all, if you are smelling the burnt oil, even if it is just a faint smell of it.. you are still smelling it - which means it's being burnt. Somewhere, and somehow.

A lot of times there can be a leak towards the back of the cam towers that will leak down right onto the exhaust manifold. I know that you looked over your engine and everything, but sometimes things can be overlooked.

Valves guide seals commonly go bad on our heads, and I have a feeling that their life is dependent on use... I think highway miles will wear them a bit faster - especially if you have the 4.30 differential. (I believe this because I drove mine on the highway a lot, and my seals didn't last very long.. I could be wrong on this theory).

When my valve guide seals went bad - I would burn a LOT of oil, so much to the point that I was putting in about 3 quarts a week. My engine blew shortly after the second I forgot to monitor it... yep, all my fault.

I have done quite a bit of SCCA in some other cars, and it is real punishment on most engines if you truly race hard. So there could be quite a few things going on that is causing your oil loss.

Oh and I probably won't be the only one to say this - but try using a different weight of oil.. I use 0W-30 German Castrol... and I highly recommend it - but to each their own I suppose. To me a 10W-40 just seems a little too thick.. plus it being a dino oil I don't believe it could hold up as well as a synthetic.

Good luck with finding the problem - and keep a good eye on your oil - that is most definitely the life and blood of any engine.

 

[supramacist]

Oil leaks and high speeds can tend to make a minimal leak hard to find.
Double check it. Go to your local parts store and get the flourescent dye oil additive.

Add the dye to the oil system and top off. Drive normally all weekend and on sunday night after dark, break out the tweeds and the black light and crawl all over the cars under belly. If you're leaking you'll find it. The die is about 10$ and you should get 2 bottles. So it's cheap and easy. You should hose the under carriage down at a reputable automatic carwash. Before adding the dye.

Now for no signs of oil leaks.
Check your over flow tank. Check your spark plug galley.
If all else fails. Drain the coolant. Into an open container and screen it for contaminants.
Check your air filter. If it's oily. You may have blow by.

I bet your leaking into the plug galley from your cam covers.
Or it's in your coolant..., and that's not good.

If you still can't find it. My engine uses 10w 40 just like you're saying yours does.
It's just part of owning and operating a 15 year old engine. Start checking the oil every time you fill up or top it off. Start carrying a few qts of oil. Until you solve the riddle.

 

[supramacist]

LOL..., you're everywhere I'm trying to be Setheroo.

Ok I missed burning oil. If something that uses oil is shucking it's lifes blood.
The upside is that it will make it self known, sooner than later.

You won't be searching long.

Chances are if you smell it, you probably wont find it in the coolant.

You could be leaking onto the back of the block onto the tranny.
At high speeds the oil will spread and there will have to be alot of it for you to see it begin to drip up inside the tranny tunnel.

 

[AJ'S 88NA]

If you are autocrossing then you will burn a little, redlining, etc, normally you will even on a somewhat fresh motor. I used to do some autoxing, and the same thing happened. I've done some running at Sebring and always bring a couple of extra quarts. That's not normal driving on the street. When you run above normal driving it's best to get in the habit of checking regular the oil, especially hard braking and cornering, the stock oil pan and oil setup will not accomodate those types of braking and corning. Wouldn't be suprised to see you posting a thread titled "Is this rod knock". Add a extra quart when you are running hard, you might have it last a little longer.

 

[Setheroo]

LOL..., you're everywhere I'm trying to be Setheroo.

I am sneaky sneaky.

 

[CyFi6]

Thanks for the tips. BTW my car had a quart over but after i was done it had half a quart less or so. Theres no coolant in the oil and no oil in the coolant at all visually but i havent done a test. Im not too concerened with a bhg at this point as theres no signs of any. I guess i will keep looking for leaks etc