How much is too much oil to be burning in 4,000 miles?

[surfingfreeman]

Hi All
So i have put 4,000 miles on my new/used 1982 Fiat spider that i bought about 4-months ago. When i bought it it had 34K miles on it provided there was no creative odometer work. When i had the car inspected prior to purchase they noted that cylinders 1-3 had 150PSI while the 4th only had 125PSI, my question is this in that 4,000 miles it looks like the engine has gone thru 1qt of oil if the distance between the MAX and MIN marks on the dipstick is 1 Quart? I will be bringing the car in to have it's timing belt changed per recommendation prior to 40K or 45K maintenance schedule. In speaking to my new mechanic he mentioned it not being "uncommon" for Fiats to burn a bit of oil. When i bought the car it passed the smog test. Another question, is it possible that the valve-job/tune-up i am going to have my mechanic do will help with the oil burn or is it more ilkely the it is from worn o-rings? What test can the mechanic do when in there to better isolate the source of oil loss? Oil is not on the driveway and i don't think it'd blowing smoke when i rev the engine???????? Thanks for the help!
Mike

[kilrwail]

He should do a leakdown test to isolate the reason for the lower compression. A spread of 125 to 50 is not out of spec - a variance of 15% from the max to the min is acceptable. One quart in 4000 miles is not that bad either. What weight and type of oil are you using. Use the "search" function to find dozens of threads on this forum about oil recommendations. Valves don't burn oil - unless the guides are badly worn - piston rings do.

[beachboy]

OK Mike, its time to pick on you. Sorry, its just your turn.
I seriously doubt that 34,000 is the correct mileage. Even if it were, the fact that you are following some sort of recommendation to change the belt at 40-45,000 is head shaking. Does the prior 28 years of age on the car not figure into the scheme? If it took you 100 years to get to 40,000 miles, you wouldnt change the belt for 100 years? I have seen plenty of guys that think the mileage is original and they have cracked dashes, worn seats, tattered carpet, worn pedals. That cant happen on low mileage cars. OK picking on you is done.

When every you buy an old car, it is wise to replace the normal replacable things, like spark plugs, wires, filters, oil, antifreeze, belts and hoses. Once you do that, then you know for sure when they need to be checked again. Make sure your mechanic is a fiat guy and not just a car mechanic. Since your car is FI, not much really goes wrong or needs adjusting. Usually it is a part that goes bad and need replacing. Yes, it is possible that the valve o-rings are cracked, but you see no smoke. I would check for leaks around the engine first. Take it to a hand car wash and spray clean the engine so that you can identify future leaks, especially exhaust manifold bolt leaks.

when your mechanic says its not uncommon for FIATs to burn oil, I would question his knowledge on Fiats. Good luck and keep us apprised of the situation and congratulations on the car.

[surfingfreeman]

Thanks for the reply Kirlwail. "Beachboy".......................gimme a break, i will deal with you when i get time to compose a proper email!
Mike

[Danno]

remind your mechanic that MG didn't make this car. It's not normal for a Fiat to burn oil. I'm not saying that it's worrisome for you to go through a quart in 4K, I'm just saying I'd be working on trying to fix it if you are gonna be driving it several thousand miles every year.

[So Cal Mark]

one qt in 4k miles is not excessive on any car. Unless you're blowing tons of smoke, you won't notice it from inside the car. If you don't have any leaks, I'd expect the valve seals to be worn and that won't show on a leakdown test. Even so, I wouldn't be concerned with the oil consumption you've documented

[beachboy]

Only trying to put a little humor in it, sorry if you didnt take it that way, it does get a little monotonous around here.

I mistook your writing to say that you have 38,000 miles on it now and your going to change the belt in a couple of thousand miles, at the recommended 40 to 45,000 mile change.

Now you've got me confused of what you meant by the recommended replacement.
You can save your composed proper email, my job forces me to "deal" with all kinds of people. We are all friends here.

[surfingfreeman]

Yes I know just kidding as well, but I need to pull together all the pics and stuff that better explain the car/it's condition/the mechanic who's been working Fiats for over 35 years etc. etc so stay tuned and of course only good vibes!

[majicwrench]

ALL engines burn oil, they have to.... to lube the piston rings. In a lot of cases, the oil "burned" is replaced by various other
by-products of combustion, thus it can appear as if the engine is NOT burning oil.
I would not bother with a leak down test etc, nothing wrong with a tiny bit of oil usage. Nothing really too wrong with that compression difference, although it might be tempting to check it again.
Keith