VW Oil Burner

Is your car burning oil or leaking it? If it's burning oil, does it happen after the engine is warm, or in the morning right when you start it up cold.

Burning oil after the engine heats up is indicative of worn rings, which would be unusual given the mileage on your car. You can spot this by driving at night on the freeway and when someone comes up behind you with headlights on the oil smoke will show up when it's back-lit. If you get smoke when you start up the car when it's cold and the smoke goes away as the engine warms up, that would be indicative of worn valve stem seals which would be much more likely given the relatively low mileage on your car.

Can't get a straight answer? Try finding an honest independent garage and see if they ask you questions like I just did. If you're burning a quart every 1500 miles there should be some noticeable smoke.

But also look at the engine and see if there is an obvious leak, a really oily area.



jc

[quote:139f833155="jbclem"]Is your car burning oil or leaking it? If it's burning oil, does it happen after the engine is warm, or in the morning right when you start it up cold.

Burning oil after the engine heats up is indicative of worn rings, which would be unusual given the mileage on your car. You can spot this by driving at night on the freeway and when someone comes up behind you with headlights on the oil smoke will show up when it's back-lit. If you get smoke when you start up the car when it's cold and the smoke goes away as the engine warms up, that would be indicative of worn valve stem seals which would be much more likely given the relatively low mileage on your car.

Can't get a straight answer? Try finding an honest independent garage and see if they ask you questions like I just did. If you're burning a quart every 1500 miles there should be some noticeable smoke.

But also look at the engine and see if there is an obvious leak, a really oily area.



jc[/quote:139f833155]


Thanks for the reply. Never have I seen nor smelled any smoke and my garage floor is dry. Im 100 % certain Im not leaking oil and I just dont have any indication Im burning it.

That oil has to be going somewhere. If you aren't leaking it, then you're burning it...even if you don't see the smoke. It may only burn oil when you're driving 60+ mph so the only way you'll see that is to have someone else drive and you hang out the back window...or do the thing I suggested, driving at night and let a car with headlights on get up close behind you and watch for smoke back lit by the headlights. Or have a friend drive behind you watching for oil smoke.

Also, try putting your fingers in the exhaust pipe and rub the insides (after a hard drive) and see if they come out smelling of oil.

Same goes with checking for valve stem seal oil leaks, check the first time you start the car in the morning...have some one give it a good rev while you watch the tail pipe...but on the first start, you want the engine to be cold, the problem can disappear quickly as the engine warms up.

jc