|
Vehicle Beginning to Burn Oil? Here are the facts of engine life: An early warning sign of engine wear is excessive oil consumption. Usually accompanied by blue-black exhaust smoke. A common reason for this condition is worn valve guide seals. The valves in a typical engine may open and close as often as 100,000 times per hour at highway speeds. The stem of the valve, sliding up and down in its guide, is fitted with a special seal designed to permit only a limited amount of oil to pass (some oil is necessary for lubrication). When these seals wear and harden, oil burning begins. Many of the conditions which cause an engine to burn oil prematurely are due to vehicle neglect. Piston rings, for example, can wear out prematurely because of the owners failure to change the oil and filter regularly. Worn rings lead to excessive oil consumption. There's only one satisfactory cure for worn piston rings. Major engine work, which normally is accompanied by replacement of bearings, timing belt or chain, valve guides and other worn internal components. At that time, valves are ground or replaced. This procedure, combined with a complete tune-up, usually will return the engine to nearly new performance. With proper maintenance, an engine should go well beyond the 160,000 Km mark with out needing an overhaul. Check engine oil regularly. If oil is over-full or smells like gasoline, it may be diluted with gasoline, thereby having lost some of its lubricating qualities. If you have to pump the accelerator to keep the engine from stalling, you may be pumping raw gasoline into the crank case. This situation can be avoided by keeping the engine in tune. Misfiring spark plugs can aggravate a situation such as this because they permit raw, unburned gasoline to wash into the crank case. Not only does this create hard starting, it also accelerates wear due to diluted engine oil. Another factor in oil burning is a malfunctioning positive crank case ventilation (PCV) valve, which is intended to route oil vapours through the combustion chamber rather than permitting them to escape into the atmosphere. If the PCV system is not in proper working order, it can be the cause of burning oil. Remember excessive oil burning is a condition that gradually worsens and can affect other aspects of the engine. Like so many other vehicle troubles, early detection and correction are essential |
|
|
