Normal Oil consumption.

Hello all, wondering what is considered "normal oil consumpition" changed the oil around 1700 miles ago, filled the oil almost to the top of the line on the dip stick just above it. Now I am below the first line from the top on the dipstick. Seems a little quick no?

yea that does seem a little abnormal. however ever car is different. My 06 uses about half a quart in 10k miles. some people report no usage. I would check the oring on the oil filter and make sure that it is not leaking.

I would also look over the engine bay for any abnormal leaks. check the valve cover bolts and make sure that they are tight.... one last thing to check would be pull the lower intercooler hose and see how much oil is in there.... anything more than a cup and I would think that the turbo seals could be leaking.

This addresses a mystery to me. My 2003 Jetta uses no oil at all between changes. I've never had a car before like this one. Yes, it is low mileage still but no oil?

Well I see nothing on the belly pan, nothing around the filter cap. Also changed the o ring with the filter. Have been meaning to check the intercooler and the flat pipe. I saw a you tube videos where the guy drills a hole in the intercooler to drain the oil. I don't want to do that. Just take the two clamps off?

A lot of cars will use more oil near the top of the range on the dipstick than they will down lower. I usually only fill to the middle of the range.

Went another 1000 miles and now I am at the half way point. Ugh. Don't like that it is wasting oil. It is no of leaking it. Nothing on belly pan. Not much white smoke either or any for that matter, sometimes on very cold start . Still haven't had a chance to remove the flat intercooler pipe.

Dannyboy, so if I use 0w-40 my oil consumption should be lowered? And Why is the thinner oil consumed less? if that's the case we should all be using that weight. Any draw backs of using 0w from now on On?

Oil consumption in these cars varies widely. My wagon didn't use oil to speak of in the first 150K, but consumption is higher now. My son's A3 has always used about a liter in 5K, and my B4 seems to do about the same, but both have over 250K on them.

Oil selection makes a big difference. My wagon loves 0W30, drinks it up. But the 15W50 that's in it now reduces consumption dramatically. And my M-B liked to consumpe 5W40 synthetic, so I switched back to Rotella white bottle 15W40 and consumption is way down.

Oil is relatively cheap. Look for leaks, look for evidence of a worn turbo. After that most common consumption point on these cars is leaking valve guides and seals. You can buy a lot of oil before refreshing or replacing the head.

wagontdi82 said:

Hello all, wondering what is considered "normal oil consumpition" changed the oil around 1700 miles ago, filled the oil almost to the top of the line on the dip stick just above it.

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My old ALH didn't consume any oil between changes.

Have you verified the snow screen is clean and the air filter in good shape?

Have you checked the I/C for oil?

wagontdi82 said:

Dannyboy, so if I use 0w-40 my oil consumption should be lowered? And Why is the thinner oil consumed less?

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0w-40 is thicker than 5w-30, hence less consumption from slipping through seals, rings etc

dieseldorf said:

My old ALH didn't consume any oil between changes.

Have you verified the snow screen is clean and the air filter in good shape?

Have you checked the I/C for oil?

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You drove it what, 30K? It wasn't even broken in.

wagontdi82 said:

Went another 1000 miles and now I am at the half way point.

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So what? Find how long it takes to get to the add mark, thats really the only time you need care. As long as theres enough oil the actual level doesn't matter one bit. More than the minimum doesn't give you any improvements.
When it needs oil added then put in half a quart. We are talking about an 11 year old car after all...

You may find that consumption is related to the type of driving you do. My wife running my '98 back and forth the 10 miles to her office uses very little oil. My flogging the car the 56 highway miles to my office will burn a quart in 2,000. The difference between 60mph and 80.

Like the man says, "drive more, worry less"

I have 330k on our pd and oil consumption is next to zero between 10k oil changes.

Our driving is 98% highway, so perhaps that has something to do with it.

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have been keeping an eye on the oil level. at this point it seems to be consuming 1 qt of oil every 5,000 miles.

my guess is, I have a ticking sound so I think it is the lifter (not 100% sure tho) so I might have a bad lifter, some of the oil might be slipping through the valve. I still have not checked the inter cooler for oil yet, but that could be another possibility.

1 qt every 5K is way better than industry standards. Most OE's are fine with a quart every 1000 miles.

Not "fine with." Most manufacturers use that as a threshold before they'll tear an engine down under warranty. I don't think anyone is fine with a quart every 1000 miles.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Not "fine with." Most manufacturers use that as a threshold before they'll tear an engine down under warranty. I don't think anyone is fine with a quart every 1000 miles.

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Never said it was acceptable.