green antifreeze in my 93 civic

[Tegger]

too late. you oughta hear it creaking and groaning.

how'd your engine swap ever turn out?

Never did it.

I have been keeping extremely close observation of my oil consumption over the last year or so. Excessive oil consumption was the primary reason I was considering an engine replacement, so I wanted to perform a rigorously controlled study of just what was getting sucked though the motor.

Well.

It's been roughly 1,500 miles per quart for a long time (I determine this after correcting for an earlier error in interpreting dipstick markings).

Very lately consumption has been DECREASING.

In November it was 1,500 mi/qt.
In December it was 1,800 mi/qt.

I just checked it now, the proverbial bell having rung to indicate it was time for another reading. I checked, then checked again. And again. I even went pessimistic on my dipstick reading.
It's 2,500 mi/qt. At least.

I do not know what's going on here. Each year there is a decrease corresponding to the winter drop in ambient temperatures, but this is the most consumption has declined in several years. And this has not been a particularly cold winter.

Some time ago I posted a query to rec.autos.tech about this, and it was suggested to me that I probably had a collapsed oil control ring spacer. In such a case, there would be sudden increase in oil usage, then the piston groove would eventually carbon up and usage would decline. Maybe this is the explanation.

Without having X-Ray vision and being able to see inside the engine, this is a real mystery,

 

[jim beam]

Never did it.

I have been keeping extremely close observation of my oil consumption over the last year or so. Excessive oil consumption was the primary reason I was considering an engine replacement, so I wanted to perform a rigorously controlled study of just what was getting sucked though the motor.

Well.

It's been roughly 1,500 miles per quart for a long time (I determine this after correcting for an earlier error in interpreting dipstick markings).

Very lately consumption has been DECREASING.

In November it was 1,500 mi/qt.
In December it was 1,800 mi/qt.

I just checked it now, the proverbial bell having rung to indicate it was time for another reading. I checked, then checked again. And again. I even went pessimistic on my dipstick reading.
It's 2,500 mi/qt. At least.

I do not know what's going on here. Each year there is a decrease corresponding to the winter drop in ambient temperatures, but this is the most consumption has declined in several years. And this has not been a particularly cold winter.

Some time ago I posted a query to rec.autos.tech about this, and it was suggested to me that I probably had a collapsed oil control ring spacer. In such a case, there would be sudden increase in oil usage, then the piston groove would eventually carbon up and usage would decline. Maybe this is the explanation.

Without having X-Ray vision and being able to see inside the engine, this is a real mystery,

you've changed oil though haven't you? my 89 civic used to burn regular oil but that's dropped dramatically using mobil 1. and it continues to drop too.

i have two theories.

1. there's less volatile fraction in the base oil of m1 to evaporate. [regular oil is a mix of weights. the light ones are easier to boil off.]

2. i read about piston aero engine oil not having viscosity modifiers because they tend to ash around the piston rings. if this is the case, and m1 is proving to be a very effective cleaner of my previously resined up engine, i can see it getting rid of piston ring deposits allowing them to seal better again.

i'm basing 1 on what i know to be fact about the mix and basic chemistry. 2, i'm guessing, but i don't buy the collapsed ring spacer - that would make consumption go to heck, and it wouldn't start to seal after time - it would just continue to deteriorate.

but for sure, my experience of m1 is the same as yours.

 

[z]

:

Never did it.

I have been keeping extremely close observation of my oil consumption over the last year or so. Excessive oil consumption was the primary reason I was considering an engine replacement, so I wanted to perform a rigorously controlled study of just what was getting sucked though the motor.

It's been roughly 1,500 miles per quart for a long time (I determine this after correcting for an earlier error in interpreting dipstick markings).

Very lately consumption has been DECREASING.

In November it was 1,500 mi/qt.
In December it was 1,800 mi/qt.

I just checked it now, the proverbial bell having rung to indicate it was time for another reading. I checked, then checked again. And again. I even went pessimistic on my dipstick reading.
It's 2,500 mi/qt. At least.

I do not know what's going on here. Each year there is a decrease corresponding to the winter drop in ambient temperatures, but this is the most consumption has declined in several years. And this has not been a particularly cold winter.

Some time ago I posted a query to rec.autos.tech about this, and it was suggested to me that I probably had a collapsed oil control ring spacer. In such a case, there would be sudden increase in oil usage, then the piston groove would eventually carbon up and usage would decline. Maybe this is the explanation.

Without having X-Ray vision and being able to see inside the engine, this is a real mystery,

you've changed oil though haven't you?  my 89 civic used to burn regular oil but that's dropped dramatically using mobil 1.  and it continues to drop too.

i have two theories.

1. there's less volatile fraction in the base oil of m1 to evaporate. [regular oil is a mix of weights.  the light ones are easier to boil off.]

2. i read about piston aero engine oil not having viscosity modifiers because they tend to ash around the piston rings.  if this is the case, and m1 is proving to be a very effective cleaner of my previously resined up engine, i can see it getting rid of piston ring deposits allowing them to seal better again.

i'm basing 1 on what i know to be fact about the mix and basic chemistry.  2, i'm guessing, but i don't buy the collapsed ring spacer - that would make consumption go to heck, and it wouldn't start to seal after time - it would just continue to deteriorate.

but for sure, my experience of m1 is the same as yours.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

could be just plain old chemistry. oil contains various 'seal swellers' and undoubtedly every brand has its own concoction, maybe the brew in Mobil 1 just happens to suit what your engine needs better than other brands. just handwaving here, but given mobil 1's ability to creep and leak, could be they even put in a more powerful sweller to keep things under control, relying on the increased lubrication of the oil to keep the seals from wearing more when swelled.

 

[z]

Never did it.

I have been keeping extremely close observation of my oil consumption over the last year or so. Excessive oil consumption was the primary reason I was considering an engine replacement, so I wanted to perform a rigorously controlled study of just what was getting sucked though the motor.

Well.

It's been roughly 1,500 miles per quart for a long time (I determine this after correcting for an earlier error in interpreting dipstick markings).

Very lately consumption has been DECREASING.

In November it was 1,500 mi/qt.
In December it was 1,800 mi/qt.

I just checked it now, the proverbial bell having rung to indicate it was time for another reading. I checked, then checked again. And again. I even went pessimistic on my dipstick reading.
It's 2,500 mi/qt. At least.

I do not know what's going on here. Each year there is a decrease corresponding to the winter drop in ambient temperatures, but this is the most consumption has declined in several years. And this has not been a particularly cold winter.

Some time ago I posted a query to rec.autos.tech about this, and it was suggested to me that I probably had a collapsed oil control ring spacer. In such a case, there would be sudden increase in oil usage, then the piston groove would eventually carbon up and usage would decline. Maybe this is the explanation.

Without having X-Ray vision and being able to see inside the engine, this is a real mystery,

well, even 1500 miles isn't too bad. i'm going through a quart of oil every gas fillup or two, but that's just because my vtec solenoid is spraying oil like a texas gusher.