| Subject: | 94 Eclipse 1.8L manual tx - Using Oil |
| Question: | I've been getting smoke
out of the exhaust lately and the oil usage has gone up to about 2-3
quarts between oil changes. The engine has about 85,000 miles on it
and I was wondering if it could be the valve seals. Sometimes when
it's running, you can hear the valves clicking and then it will stop
and sound normal. I've tried several products to stop oil-burning but
they don't seem to help. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. |
| Answer: | John, The clicking valve you are hearing may actually be your lifters. Usually, you will hear them tapping on cold starts and the sound usually fades as the engine warms up. They usually click due to lack of oil; which is common upon start up especially with Eclipses. Many of those "stop oil leak/burning" can help if your engine has some minor wear on the valve seals, but unfortunately, they are not a miracle cure. You most likely have moderate to severaly worn valve seals, and you may even have one or more worn out piston rings. "stop oil-burning" problems can sometimes help recondition valve seals, but they won't help for worn out rings. For the age and mileage of your car, burning a quart of oil every 1000 miles isn't too bad. If you start noticing your engine burning more oil than that, you may be looking at an engine rebuild. A rebuild on the 1.8L engine is not too bad considering what the job would be on the 2.0L. You may be looking at anywhere from $300-$1000 for a rebuild. If you want to try one more cheap fix first to see if it at least
slows down the burning, change your PCV valve after every oil change.
The PCV valve is easier to change than your oil filter, and only
costs about $3. That will help relieve engine compression, and the
reduced compression will not force as much oil past the valves/rings. |