Celica Drinking Oil (Is this even possible)

I'm a young driver, I know some but not a lot about cars. I got a
celica about 3 months ago. It has 150K miles ago, the owner said he had
to add a quart every once in a while..and we believed him..apparently
were idiots. The car drives perfectly, I am very happy with its
performance but I have had a serious problem with the car loosing oil.
I checked it last week and it was the dipstick was halfway between the
bottom and F. I HAVE NOTICED NO SMOKE. I filled it up, today it is
halfway down again. I dont understand how a car can loose half of its
oil in 100 miles without it breaking down, spewing oil all over my
driveway, or blowing smoke clouds the size of a small elephant. please
help!!

p.s. i know we need to take it to a mechanic, i'm waiting to finsih up
school this week since i have a 2 mile commute..im just tryin 2 get sum
ideas in the mean time

thanks

So you have no oil leaks, and the motor isn't smoking? If the motor is
burning oil it will usually come out bluish in color, beyond those two
indicators I have no idea where the oil would be going. You might want
to take it in and have it looked at.

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adam wrote:
>
> I'm a young driver, I know some but not a lot about cars. I got a
> celica about 3 months ago. It has 150K miles ago, the owner said he had
> to add a quart every once in a while..and we believed him..apparently
> were idiots. The car drives perfectly, I am very happy with its
> performance but I have had a serious problem with the car loosing oil.
> I checked it last week and it was the dipstick was halfway between the
> bottom and F. I HAVE NOTICED NO SMOKE. I filled it up, today it is
> halfway down again. I dont understand how a car can loose half of its
> oil in 100 miles without it breaking down, spewing oil all over my
> driveway, or blowing smoke clouds the size of a small elephant. please
> help!!
>
> p.s. i know we need to take it to a mechanic, i'm waiting to finsih up
> school this week since i have a 2 mile commute..im just tryin 2 get sum
> ideas in the mean time
>
> thanks

The engine could be burning the oil. Since about 1974 cars do not
smoke very much because the catcon breaks down the HC - until they
get overloaded and burn out.
It's probably a combination of leaks and burning.

First, how much mileage are you actually getting per quart? Your
description of "half the dipstick" is a bit nebulous.
What kind of shape is the air cleaner in? Is it full of oil? That would
be a tip off that perhaps the engine was badly worn.
Let the car run at idle for 15" and check underneath. Some leaks drop
the oil along the road, but not so much when parked.
Oil loss that great should be easy to find. And, as said, it probably
is a combination of causes.

adam wrote:
> I'm a young driver, I know some but not a lot about cars. I got a
> celica about 3 months ago. It has 150K miles ago, the owner said he had
> to add a quart every once in a while..and we believed him..apparently
> were idiots. The car drives perfectly, I am very happy with its
> performance but I have had a serious problem with the car loosing oil.
> I checked it last week and it was the dipstick was halfway between the
> bottom and F. I HAVE NOTICED NO SMOKE. I filled it up, today it is
> halfway down again. I dont understand how a car can loose half of its
> oil in 100 miles without it breaking down, spewing oil all over my
> driveway, or blowing smoke clouds the size of a small elephant. please
> help!!
>
> p.s. i know we need to take it to a mechanic, i'm waiting to finsih up
> school this week since i have a 2 mile commute..im just tryin 2 get sum
> ideas in the mean time
>
> thanks

At this point you have to figure out how much of a problem you really
have. First off, has the oil been changed in the last 3,000 miles? If
not get it changed. Then do the following:

1. Check the oil on the dipstick when the car is on a level surface
and after the engine has been off for at least 5 minutes.
2. Top it off to get the oil level to full.
3. Check the oil level every two days using the same procedure in 1.
If you really lost half the oil in a week it will become obvious very
quickly.

If the engine lost half the oil in 100 miles you would have either a
plume of smoke coming out the tailpipe or the underside of the engine
and the parking space would have a thorough covering of oil. Even if
you replace a quart every 500 miles that may be cheaper than a full
repair. So take it easy and figure out how big the problem really is.

adam wrote:
> I'm a young driver, I know some but not a lot about cars. I got a
> celica about 3 months ago. It has 150K miles ago, the owner said he had
> to add a quart every once in a while..and we believed him..apparently
> were idiots. The car drives perfectly, I am very happy with its
> performance but I have had a serious problem with the car loosing oil.
> I checked it last week and it was the dipstick was halfway between the
> bottom and F. I HAVE NOTICED NO SMOKE. I filled it up, today it is
> halfway down again. I dont understand how a car can loose half of its
> oil in 100 miles without it breaking down, spewing oil all over my
> driveway, or blowing smoke clouds the size of a small elephant. please
> help!!

When you say "half its oil," I suspect you mean "half a quart." Was the
dipstick halfway between the "full" and "Add" lines? "Add" is usually
just 1 quart low.

Even so, half a quart in 100 miles is 1 quart in 200, and the generally
accepted rule of thumb is that anything more than 1 quart per 1000 miles
is "excessive oil consumption." I would imagine that you're losing the
oil multiple ways. First, its probably burning a good bit past the rings
and/or valve stem seals. Second, it may have a number of small leaks
that don't drip, but leak enough to make a difference while the engine
is running. When you're driving, most of that oil just gets misted out
behind the car, but there will probably be a telltale film of oil on the
undercarriage.

> I dont understand how a car can loose half of its oil in 100 miles

Well, it could (but would probably be most unacceptable to drive!) but
that isn't what's happening to you. See, in most engines the
dipstick doesn't go all the way down to the bottom of the oil pan so as
to take a total measurement. It just protrudes far enough to measure
the uppermost quart or even less.

A typical Japanese four-banger contains a total of four quarts,
including an allowance for what's in the filter (the owner's manual
gives a more exact figure). If the reading was halfway between the
tip and the F mark, you probably were some large fraction of a quart
low -- no worse.

Note also that the angle of the car can make a big difference in the
reading. Ideally always check it on a level surface; if not, at least
check it in a consistent position so as not to compare apples to
oranges.

Whoever suggested changing the oil as the first step had a good idea.
When an oil change has been neglected for a large number of miles, the
"oil" actually comprises some volatile contaminants, which burn off on
your first long trip that gets the engine good and hot. (Their path to
combustion is probably through the Positive Crankcase Ventilation
valve.) This lowers the oil level. So do an oil change -- no flushes
or anything like that, just a change of oil and a quality new filter --
and monitor its performance.

BTW, some cars (like my wife's older model Camry) burn more oil under
circumstances of frequent RPM/engine vacuum changes -- city driving --
than in steady state highway driving.

I like the "higher mileage engine" oils that have come on the market
the last few years for this sort of thing, and would not suggest a
synthetic.


The key facts in your situation are that the car "drives perfectly" and
you are "happy with its performance" and "NO SMOKE" and apparently no
big leaks. All this suggests that at worst you have a more or less
gracefully aging engine, and if it consumes a quart every few hundred
miles through some mechanism that does not compromise performance or
result in visible billows of smoke or an oil slick in the driveway...
well, just carry a couple quarts in the trunk and check it every week
or two.

Cheers,
--Joe

You may have an oil leak that only occurs when the engine is running.
When stopped the oil drains to the oil pan.

Have a good look around the air cleaner, crankcase vent tube, etc for
any leaks.

You might consider a compression test.

If you are losing 1/2 qt of oil every week thats only about 50 cents a
week. (ok I buy cheap oil from Walmart). It may run that way for a long
time.

I would check the oil level daily and see if you continue to lose oil
past the halfway mark on the dipstick.

So let me get this right.....

You drove it for 3 months and it only used 1/2 a quart of oil right?

You then filled it, drove it and checked it right after shutting it down
correct?

If so, the missing oil is in the engine. The full mark is for a cold
off engine that has let the oil all drip down into the pan so the stick
reads correctly.

I always check my vehicles first thing in the morning before starting
them up.

As others have mentioned, if the oil is old the engine will start to use
it. On my Jeep when I am down a quart of oil, I have put enough miles
on (3000) to be needing a change. If I don't change it, then it will
start to use oil, faster as the oil gets older.

Meanwhile if it isn't a smoker or bad leaker, oil is cheap.... 'If' it
keeps on using it after an oil and filter change, then you might want to
go one grade thicker. Use 10W30 rather than 5W30 idea.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
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adam wrote:
>
> I'm a young driver, I know some but not a lot about cars. I got a
> celica about 3 months ago. It has 150K miles ago, the owner said he had
> to add a quart every once in a while..and we believed him..apparently
> were idiots. The car drives perfectly, I am very happy with its
> performance but I have had a serious problem with the car loosing oil.
> I checked it last week and it was the dipstick was halfway between the
> bottom and F. I HAVE NOTICED NO SMOKE. I filled it up, today it is
> halfway down again. I dont understand how a car can loose half of its
> oil in 100 miles without it breaking down, spewing oil all over my
> driveway, or blowing smoke clouds the size of a small elephant. please
> help!!
>
> p.s. i know we need to take it to a mechanic, i'm waiting to finsih up
> school this week since i have a 2 mile commute..im just tryin 2 get sum
> ideas in the mean time
>
> thanks

I'm a little bit more educated then I was last nite lol...ok so now I
re-pose my question..

Ive reached the conclusioon it burns almosta quart ever 100 miles...so
I figure I have a minimum wage job, I can afford the extra 3.00 a
week...but (watch out stupid quesrtion alert)...

realistically, how long do you think this will last?

am i putting myself in any danger

when my car finally does break down..wat kind of costs am i looking
at...i hear like more tehn the car costs :-D...

ill repost when i get it looked at this weekend thanks for the help