Honda - Accord :: 2003 - Excessive Oil Consumption
May 11, 2011
I bought this car off the showroom floor with about 1,200 miles on it. Since just past 70,000 miles or so, this car has been using more and more oil between changes. It now appears to be up to about 1 quart per thousand miles, maybe just 800 miles. I don't see any sign of a leak. There now are 201,000 miles on this engine. The V-tech solenoid had to be replaced about 30,000 miles back. Timing chain has never been replaced; nothing else major has been repaired. Last new PCV valve was put in about 30,000 miles back. It didn't seem to slow down oil consumption. This oil problem is the only problem with this car, except for the V-tec before, and some rattles. Otherwise it is as reliable as any car I've ever owned, and I've been around a while.
I've read many blogs and other web pages on this, and it's a common problem with this particular Honda engine. Is there any chance that this oil usage is something besides worn piston rings? Some people seem to think it might be worn valve seals, and/or worn camshaft seals? how expensive is that to get fixed? If it's any of these things, is there really any practical solution other than a new engine, or maybe a rebuilt?
Short of thousands of $ in repair costs, would a different type of oil reduce oil consumption? I read some people saying to stay away from synthetic (why would that matter?); some talk about oil treatments; one honda service manager says he puts good old STP in a high mileage, Honda, he owns. I tried that with this car, just one application, and I didn't notice any drop in consumption, but I drive a LOT, in all types of conditions, so I don't know that I gave it a real chance to work. In such an old engine, if I experiment with these, is there any chance of doing further damage to the engine? For that matter, would switching to 5W-30 or maybe a 10-weight, possibly slow down this excessive oil usage? I really don't want to buy a new car.
View 12 Replies
Advertisement
I have a 1999 Honda Accord. It consumes oil but is not leaking, the compression is good, and there is no sign of burning. What could it be? Might sludge result in the problem?
View 19 Replies
I have a 1992 Honda Accord with 270,000 on the odometer. Recently, I noticed little oil drops on the driveway floor where the front of the car is parked. What does this mean? The car consumes about a quart of oil every 2k to3k miles. Cause for concern?
View 9 Replies
The dealer recently replaced the front and side motor supports. Since then I've noticed that the car idles high when first cranked and I smelled excessive exhaust fumes. One time it idled really high and would not idle down when I hit the gas. Then it started idling up and down when my foot was not on the gas. Could there be any connection between this and the motor support installation? Could linkage to the gas pedal have been bent during installation? 2002 6 cylinder Honda Accord EX.....
View 3 Replies
Prius start consuming excessive engine oil.
View 5 Replies
What is considered to be excessive oil consumption in regards to the TSB issued by Toyota for the 2.4L engine. Mine is using 2+ quarts per 5000 mile interval. It isn't leaking, so it has to be burning it somehow. It doesn't smoke visibly, but that is a lot of oil IMO (my Harley doesn't use nearly as much).
View 3 Replies
Jeep Wrangler Owners excessive engine oil consumption [URL] .... Caused engine failure with my Jeep. Chrysler aware of problem. Local dealership stating Chrysler may not honor 100,000 mile warranty due to 1missed oil change.
View 5 Replies
I have an old (fourth generation before 2005) and low performance bmw 316 at its 40 000 km (its been in garage for some time after it's done 19 000, then i bought it, so everything rubbery is problematic), i feel like it burns more fuel then it should considering its performance , since its almost 20 sec. from .naught to 60 , it has a more noticeable engine braking compared to my 2005 passat 1.6 (almost twice as effective), and a higher fuel consumption, when i stop the engine when idling, the rpm needle (or whatever it is, not a native speaker) drops to 0 immediately like in a millisecond or so.. no inertia no nothing, oil and everything is regularly checked up but i think there is something deeper going on.
View 1 Replies
So I have 95 1 liter 5 speed, it runs fine and smooth first thing, but once it gets warm it idles rough, poor mpg 33-37 and eats a lot of oil have to say a quart every 300 miles does not leak oil, does not smoke, need new muff and resonater.
Check engine light is not on. can i hook it up to hand held code reader .? 95 is it obd 2?
View 3 Replies
I have a 2001 Jetta GL 2.0... For the past could of months I have had a mysterious oil problem. I constantly have to put oil in. I have changed it. Always put in the correct amount, right around 4qts. I have changed the head gasket, no leak there anyways and there still isn't a leak. I checked the exhaust and I'm not burning oil. I am completely stumped. What else could be happening to the oil? I just changed my oil about 1200 miles ago and I have already added another 2qts. That is just insane. I have gotten to the point where I am checking my oil every single time I drive to work and back, daily. I do all my own work and have never once noticed any leaks of any type. Something is sneaking by me though.
View 4 Replies
I have a 2001 oldsmobile aurora 78,000 miles on original motor. the car misfires , backfires underhood,and excessive gas consumption, also sounds terrible at the rear exhaust. 3.5l motor issue stated after i filled up at cheap gas station.
View 7 Replies
I'm in the market for a Prius and I read on carcomplaints that the 2010 model has excessive oil consumption issues. When I searched for more info about this issue, it seems that it occurs in the other model years as well. I'm wondering if I should avoid the 2010 model when looking for a used Prius, or if the trend on carcomplaints is incorrect and this issue is no worse on this model year than others. Did Toyota switch to a different piston ring in this year or are they all the same in the gen 3s?
View 19 Replies
I have a 1996 Geo Prizm, with about 126K miles. I bought it last May, at around 120,000 miles and had no problems with it until recently, other than some minor issues with the power steering in November. In November, it started making a squeaking or grinding noise whenever I went around a sharp turn. It turned out that the power steering fluid was slightly low, so I added more and that was the end of that problem. But I also found out that the previous owner had put the wrong kind of power steering fluid in. Starting about 2 weeks ago, the car started making a squeaking or squealing noise. There would be no squeaking when I started the car, but then it would start when I turned. It is only audible when the engine is idling, and I'm not sure if it is squealing at other times, too.
I figured it was probably one of the belts, probably the power steering belt. However, I checked it and it seemed to be tight enough and did not appear cracked or glazed. A friend of mine who knows much more about cars than I do also checked the power steering, alternator, and A/C compressor pumps for me, and he said they seemed fine. About the same time the squeaking started, I noticed the car seemed to be burning a lot more fuel than usual. I have filled up the gas tank twice since then. Typically, throughout this winter, the car has gotten 33-36 miles per gallon. But on the last tank, it only got 25 MPG and it got 29 MPG on the tank before that. There has been no change in my driving habits to explain this. The engine also sounds slightly rough when it is idling, almost like a diesel engine, but no louder than the car usually sounds. My friend who checked the belts listened to it when it was idling, and he thought he heard a slight knocking sound, which I heard too.
I noticed no decline in performance: the car accelerates just as quickly as ever, and performs the way it always has. The power steering seems to function just fine, despite the squeaking. I thought that perhaps there was something wrong with the timing belt, and that might explain both the squeaking and the increased fuel burn. But I looked online at a few websites, and it sounds like timing belts usually don't show any symptoms when they are wearing out, they usually just fail without much warning. Also, when I bought the car, the previous owner said the timing belt was replaced at around 90K, so it should be fine for a while. I am at a loss as to what might be wrong with the car. I wonder if the squeaking and the increased fuel burn are caused by the same problem, or if there might be separate problems causing each.
View 1 Replies
Actually I bought a used Corolla 2002 with 120K which seemed fine and the driving is fine. After I bought it, I just found out that the seller has removed the check engine light. When I read the ODB codes, It shows three codes of 0171, 0420, 0441. Also I have recently found out that the engine burns excessive amount of oil. (about a quarter per 200 miles). Actually the driving of the car is fine and as long as I add oil engine it seems fine.I think all of these errors might be just due to a small problem like a broken valve (since it's not high mileage). It seems that there is no vacuum leak from hoses as well.
View 8 Replies
I replaced the valve cover gasket set and that stopped the oil leak. A few months later it looks like the vtec valve assy. is leaking. Should I replace the vtec valve assy. or just the gaskets?
View 1 Replies
AC went out on 2003 Honda Accord with 120k miles. Mechanic checked and found bad compressor. Do they usually go bad after 8 years or that mileage? (I live in humid hot South, so AC gets used a lot.) Putting in a used compressor costs $470 with labor, 6 month guarantee, versus new compressor for $700 with labor, 12 month guarantee. Since it's the start of summer, a 12 month guarantee doesn't much more. But will used compressor last for another 5-8 years or 100k miles? When new (or originally in the car) how long do they usually last?
View 3 Replies
I have a honda accord 2003 ex. I bought the car over a year ago. A couple months in with the car i started to feel that the car vibrates while in idle. I replace the motor mounts and the shaking is still there. When i drive the car at night with the headlights on the shaking gets worse. If i put it in neutral sometimes there is no shaking and sometimes you can feel it a little bit. Also, in the summer when i turn on the ac the shaking gets so much worse, even if i put it in neutral the shaking is still pretty bad. One more thing, when i turn on the heat and put the car in neutral there is not too much shaking. I just don't know what to do anymore.
View 6 Replies
I have my Accord Automatic. Well when driving and the car goes like to a different gear, it slides. When this happens i let go of the gas and press the gas slowly again and go back up to my speed.
View 1 Replies
I recently left my car parked at a park and ride over the holiday weekend while traveling to visit some family, and when I returned the car would not start as quickly as it had been prior to me leaving it. The car is an '03 with about 165k miles on it, battery replaced about two years ago. I do travel quite often for work, but have never noticed a drop off in crank time until this past weekend.
I did have the serpentine belt changed almost three months ago. (not saying that is in any way related to my current issue, just giving a bit of history on car maintenance). What I should have checked, (starter, battery, etc)? Should I not leave the car idle for more than a couple of days with such high miles on the engine?
View 1 Replies
My 2003 Honda Accord radio will turn on while the car keys are not in the car. It's been happening for months now. If I leave the radio powered on while the car is off it will drain the battery by the time I try to start it again in the morning. If I turn the radio off before the car keys are out I can still see the radio receiving power (the clock on the display lights up).
I had a different issue about a year ago where if the radio was on it would make really loud popping noise then go silent. I could usually get it back by turning it of an on several times. I it to a car audio shop who soldered the connections in the radio and I haven't had the problem since. After this I also had an iPod/iPhone adapter installed. It seems as though the issue with the radio staying on may have started somewhere around that time.
What could be causing this? The guy at the car audio shop says that he thinks the radio is just bad and that Honda had a huge problem with radios in Accords from that year. However I don't want to spend money to put a new radio in only to have the same issue after.
View 10 Replies
I drive a 2003 Honda Accord and it shakes violently whenever I'm accelerating between 55 and 65 mph. If you put a shaker on the passenger seat, you'd have a martini. Approaching 55, it's fine, and then it shakes as I go up to 65 and then smooths out when I pass 65. If I am cruising, but not accelerating in between 55 and 65, it stops shaking, but once I hit the gas, it shakes.
The same phenomenon occurs in both third and fourth gears, so it doesn't appear to be related to what part of the power band the car is in. This model Accord had a recall on the engine mounts, which I had replaced at no small cost already.
View 4 Replies