Engine oil consumption is a sign of a sick engine?

Although many people believe engine oil consumption should be zero in a healthy engine, the truth is that all engines consume oil. Most handbooks will cover what the manufacturer deems to be normal – this could be 500ml/ 1000km’s or even 1lt/ 1000km’s, depending on the vehicle.

This is a very simplistic method of stating engine oil consumption, and it’s probably better to relate oil consumption to fuel consumption: ml of oil consumed
per fuel used for 1000km’s. This takes into account the operating conditions under which the engine is working – an engine that’s revving high under load will consume more fuel as well as oil.

Why should there be any engine oil consumption?

There are many reasons for engine oil consumption:

• Engine design. Some engines consume oil from day 1. The consumption can be as high as 1 liter per 1000 kms. 
• Driving style. RPM affects oil consumption. The higher your usual RPM is the more oil will be consumed. That’s because you put extra pressure on the piston rings and some of the oil finds its way around and gets burned away in the combustion chamber. 
• Higher-than-normal engine temperature. The hotter your engine runs the thinner your oil will be. Once again it will be simpler for a thin oil to reach the combustion chamber and get mixed and burned with the fuel. 
• Too-low viscosity motor oil. If you use an oil with a viscosity below the recommended by the engine manufacturer than you will experience oil consumption for the same reason as presented in the previous section. 
• Low quality motor oil with high volatility. I mention this as the last one because this is not very common. 
• There are also numerous other reasons including but not limited to high oil level, the damage or clogging of different engine parts and the fuel contamination of the oil, engine oil's exceeded it's life .

How do I check engine oil consumption?

• Firstly it’s best to check oil levels with the engine cold and the vehicle standing on a level surface. 
• Make sure the oil level is between the high and low level marks 

• Record the exact position. 
• Record the mileage of the vehicle. 
• It’s also a good idea to start off with a full tank of fuel. 
• Now drive as you would normally – it’s better to cover about 2000km’s – it’s easier to measure the amount of oil consumed over a longer distance. 
• At the end of the trial measure the oil level again (Under exactly the same circumstances as you did initially) 
• If required add oil slowly, until the level comes up to the original mark. (Give the oil time to drain into the sump so that you get an accurate reading) 
• The amount of oil you added divided by the km’s you did will give you the engine oil consumption in ml/ km. So just multiply by 1000 to get the consumption per 1000 kms.

What should you do if engine oil consumption is high.

The bad news is that if engine oil consumption is excessive you may have to rebuild the engine. However there are a few things you could try before you do this:

• Make sure all breathers are open and working correctly. 
• Make sure there are no engine oil leaks 
• Make sure you’re using the correct oil as recommended by the manufacturer 
• Switch to a quality synthetic engine oil such as that supplied by Habot Synthetic Lubricants. Synthetic lubricants have a lower volatility so this can also have an impact on the oil consumption. 

Although excessive engine oil consumption is often an indication that things are going wrong, you need to measure the consumption correctly before taking any decisions, and it’s always advisable to use a good quality engine lubricant to ensure the best performance and durability of your car’s engine.