my car burns oil

Jeff K · Post by **Jeff K** » July 9th, 2005, 3:20 pm

what is wrong with my car if it burns oil and it only burns it when it hits 4rpm' most of the time what could be causing it?

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » July 9th, 2005, 3:37 pm

Blowby.. your oil control rings are shot..

Tunes67

Jeff K · Post by **Jeff K** » July 9th, 2005, 4:24 pm

is that almost fer sure what it is and how much dose that run?

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » July 9th, 2005, 5:08 pm

As sure as I can be without inspecting the car myself. See the thing is.. your likely not burning oil at just 4k RPM and above.. its burning all the time.. your catalytic converter is just burning off the smaller amounts so you dont see the blue smoke at the lower RPMS.. but as your engine speed increases.. more oil residue is being pumped out than the Cat can handle.. so it just gets pushed on out of the exaust system. If you are going through a quart of oil per week or so and have no oil leaks.. yeah.. its your oil control rings. Unless you have the tools and the knowledge to pull the engine and do a basic rebuild.. it would likely be far less expensive to just replace the engine altogether. Having a shop replace your rings would probably cost $1300 or more.. not to mention that if your oil control rings are bad.. there are numerous other issues that would probably need attention as well. If your engine is worn bad enough for the rings to go.. its usually toast. Replacing the engine would be less expensive than repairing it. Depending on what engine you replace it with.. you could get the entire engine swap done for around $1100 at a shop. Or under $500 if you do it yourself. Best of luck.

Tunes67

Jeff K · Post by **Jeff K** » July 9th, 2005, 8:24 pm

what engine could i swap for mine is there any that are cheep with hp gain and no real things to replace im only 17 and im not to rich

95 rs · Post by **95 rs** » July 9th, 2005, 8:34 pm

well what kind of engine do u have now??? V6 or SOHC inline 4 or the DOHC inline 4? i donno much aboput the v6 but for the SOHC 4 u can either do the bp or bpt swap and for the DOHC ur probably best off going with a b6t swap i hope that can help u out im like 99% sure im right about all that tho

Jeff K · Post by **Jeff K** » July 9th, 2005, 8:56 pm

umm i have a 4 soch or w/e umm do i have to order it or ware do i get them?

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » July 9th, 2005, 9:43 pm

The best thing you can do now Jeff is research.. Start in the 4Cyl FAQ forum and go from there.. You are going to need to increase your knowledge about this a LOT before you swap engines. This applies to you regardless if you decide to have a shop do the swap for you or if you decide to do it yourself. If you research beforehand.. you will know if a shop is trying to rip you off price wise.. and if you decide to do it yourself.. the knowledge you can gain on this site via the search function will be invaluable. Good luck man.

Tunes67

Jeff K · Post by **Jeff K** » July 10th, 2005, 4:46 pm

thanks for your help i really mean that i only no a little about cars and im in a really serious band so most of my money gose there i mean i have almost 5,ooo in just my amp and bass and effects so its hard to find time but thanks

azazel95 · Post by **azazel95** » July 10th, 2005, 4:57 pm

Yeah trust the site. I haven't been on here too long and I have found out a bunch of helpful info on my mx and I wasn't even researching, just browsing. Lots of helpful people on this board too (which is unusual as far as forums go) so I'm sure if you can pm someone who has done a swap they will be happy to help you or at least point you in the right direction.

But like Tunes said, it will be cheaper to replace the engine. It has to be pulled anyways I believe so its a good time to swap.

Try going to a mazda dealer and see if any mechanics want a side project. May be able to get it done cheaper that way, but could take longer.

Also if you know any mechanics ask them if they could help you do it.

I'm in the same situation as you money wise. It sucks. I lucked out in having a mechanic for a dad.

And if you have a mechanic do it make sure you are knowledgable somewhat of what is going on. Shops are always looking for suckers. Sad but true.

Jeff K · Post by **Jeff K** » July 11th, 2005, 10:39 am

do most mx-3s end up burnning oil or just all old cars because it seems like a farly commen thing i hear about on hear

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » July 11th, 2005, 3:29 pm

Burning oil is a sign of worn engine components.. thus it can happen with any car since all car engines wear out eventually. Proper maintenance and regular oil changes will prolong the life of the engine though. For example.. if you went and bought a car off the lot and just drove it.. never changed the oil.. no new oil filter or air filter or any other maintenance.. you could expect that engine to start burning oil at around 40k-50k miles or even sooner if the engine was driven hard. An engine that has been properly maintained can see 300k miles (maybe more) without significant oil burning. There are a lot of factors involved.. everything from the type and brand of oil used to where the car is driven (freeway miles are the kindest miles you can put on your engine). But what it all comes down to in the end.. is how well the engine was taken care of.

Tunes67

Jeff K · Post by **Jeff K** » July 11th, 2005, 3:39 pm

o ok thanks