Hello all,
I have an '01 CE with 150,000 miles and it's my wife's car. About 6 months ago, we were driving and I noticed a tapping sound when we accelerated. We pulled over and I discovered it was 2.5 quarts low on oil. It only takes 4 quarts total, so I was less than half empty. This was a shock because she never used to burn much oil before. Maybe a quart every 3,000 miles.
I topped it off and it quieted down. The tap is quieter, but still there. The '01 has no tach, but judging the sound, when accelerating above 3,000 RPM, I can hear the tap. We were using Mobile Clean 5000 conventional 5w30. After the tap, I've switched to Quakerstate or Pennsoil high mileage, which seems to be doing well on oil consumption, but the tap is still there. The only other concern I have is instead of burning a quart every 3,000 miles, it's now burning a quart every 1,000 miles. I've also increased the viscosity of the oil weight to 10w40 (now that weather's warmer in Pennsylvania), which has slowed oil consumption down a little, but still something I have to keep an eye on.
I know how an engine works, but have never ripped into one to know how to diagnose this one. The oil consumption sounds like a cracked ring or possibly a bad gasket somewhere. Oh, I should mention that there's NO oil drips on the floor of the garage. The tapping sounds like a valve. Possibly the timing?
Any help or ideas would be appreciated. The car goes in for inspection next month, but I'd like to know what to expect ahead of time before my mechanic (a good trustworthy guy) gets his hands on it. Any ideas all of you have may give me a heads up on what repair bill I can expect and give me some time to save some money for the repair.
Thanks!
Mike
