Questions and Answers

How Much Is Normal? Q. Vince, A friend has a truck with 35,000 miles that uses a quart of oil every 2,500. The dealer says this is normal and within the company operating guide. The warranty will expire at 36,000 miles. Is this oil consumption normal for a relatively new truck? Driver is middle age man.

Besides an obvious leak from the engine what would be the cause of the oil consumption?

Ellis

A. According to American car makers, for a car or truck to use a quart of oil every 2,500 to 3,000 miles is normal. With Japanese cars it's about one quart every 7,500 to 10,000 miles. I think the reason for this is that Japanese engines are built to closer tolerances and are of better quality than American cars.

There are only two ways oil can leave an engine, it either leaks out or is burnt in the cylinders. Bad valve seals will allow oil to enter the cylinders. Oil can also enter the cylinder past weak or bad piston rings. You can tell if a cylinder is burning oil by looking at the spark plugs. If there is a black, oily deposit on the spark plugs, it's a good bet it's burning oil.

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