Oil Consumption

[Paylrider]

I just purchased an MX-3 a month ago, GS, which in the last 7 months passed Ontario E test. The car works great with 210000 km on the engine, however I only get about 1500 to 1800 km to a quart of oil . The engine is quiet with no obvious extra noise when running and does not appear to be blowing blue smoke. I read somewhere that there is some sort of seapage issue with these engines when they get a lot of miles. Any input? there is no oil under the car and the bottom of the engine appears dry.

[Tunes67]

Pull your spark plugs and see what they look like. If you notice a white crusty substance around the insulator near the tip.. this is evidence of oil burning. You can have oil burning in smaller quantities that wont be evident from your exaust pipe.. smaller amounts of oil vapor will be burned off in your catalytic converter so you wont neccessarily see evidence of such from your exaust pipe. Let us know what you find out.

Tunes67

[Paylrider]

I pulled the plugs, the front ones anyway, and all three had a white flaky chaulk like substance you could pick off the center shaft and the outer contact. Additionally when I removed the front center plug there was a significant amount of oil on my plug wrench when I pulled it out. Is that not a one piece unit to the bottom, or is there a gasket in there somewhere?

[Tunes67]

If you had oil in the spark plug well.. your valve cover gasket needs replacing. Thats apparently pretty typical on the higher mileage engines. The white flakey substance sounds like you definately have oil burning in your cylinders.. likely your oil control rings are worn out. At this point you have a couple of choices.. drive it and continue adding oil to compensate for the increased usage or.. rebuild or replace the engine. You can probably get another couple of years out of that engine if you just keep running it. But other issues can result from burning oil.. like your catalytic converter may plug up. There are multiple choices for replacement engines if you decide to replace it. They range from $400 to $1000 or so US funds. Depending on what your direction with the car is.. the choice is up to you. If you utilize the search function here on this site.. you will be able to research all the possible engines that you can swap in if you decide to go that route. Best of luck man.

Tunes67

[Paylrider]

I think I would like to re-build, as you get a warranty from then re-builder, any idea how much it would be to re-build that engine?

[mxmaz]

I think I would like to re-build, as you get a warranty from then re-builder, any idea how much it would be to re-build that engine?

More then its worth.

Pick up a 2.5 and from a mx6, 626, or probe gt and throw that in. All you need is the engine, ecu, and vaf and its bolt-on.

[hgallegos915]

your rear valve cover gasket is leaking. Mine does the same. Also well do a compression test. Oil catch can will catch alot of oil that goes to your valves because the pvc valve does not filter all of it. I noticed a HUGE difference..my car wont burn oil anymore after the oil catch can..odd..

[Tunes67]

There are advantages to doing a complete rebuild.. you end up with a new engine when done and a warranty.. however.. a complete rebuild would likely run $1500 or more US. And that is assuming you pull the engine yourself and deliver it to the shop to rebuild and then reinstall the engine yourself afterwards. As mxmaz pointed out.. there are many different options as to what engine you can put in. K8 engines (such as you have) are relatively common and the least expensive to source. You can find them for as little as $400 US. If you are picky and careful about choosing your replacement engine.. you can often find an engine with low miles in good condition.. a lot more cost effective (if cash is an issue) than rebuilding. But the downside is.. you dont always know what you are getting and the warranty usually isnt as good as a complete rebuild.

If your car is a commuter/daily driver car.. My recommendation would be to source another K8 engine for it. If you are looking to upgrade.. look for a KLZE. If you do decide to upgrade.. be aware that there are other items you will need for the engine, VAF, ECU, etc.. searching the site will reveal what additional items you may need. Best of luck.

Tunes67

[Paylrider]

I am not sure mabout the oil catch, can you explain a bit more please.

[mdavis]

I agree with mxmaz. You should just buy and install a japanese KL-ZE or an american KL-DE engine. They're 2.5L instead of 1.8, and if you buy from a respectable engine reseller, it should be cheaper and easier than having a shop do a rebuild. You'll want to research the swap here on the board before you do it, though. You'll need a few things... a KLZE "KL31" or "KL36" ecu, and probably a new clutch while your at it. Make sure you get a "curved neck" KL01- cammed ZE from a Mazda Millenia. The MX-6 and 626 KL engines have a different intake manifold that won't fit in our cars, and if you buy one of their motors you'll need to get the Millenia manifold separately and install it (not hard). There are a few other little things, too, like re-wiring the knock sensor, but as long as you research it it's not hard. Good luck.

[hgallegos915]

klde it! But of course BEFORE taking anyoned advice... have a compression test.. and like i sadi my car was buring oil before that catch can crap..right now its been 3 weeks and hasnt burned oil...go figure. anywho...check the com pression. Maybe its just the valve covers or pvc valve, youd be amazed how much oil can get there in little time.