# Losing oil somewhere



## Shawn855 (May 25, 2016)

So I noticed that the dealer likes to overfill the oil when getting oil changes on my 2016 cruze limited 1.8L. And I remember reading that a lot of the chevy dealerships do this, and someone mentioning they do it because these engines like to burn a bit of oil. So I did my own oil change this summer and kept an eye on it. My car is actually losing 1 bar of oil (there's 4 bars on the dipstick) every month and a half. However i'm not seeing spots on the ground, and i'm not seeing blue clouds from my exhaust, and I'm not smelling it in the cabin. Also, there's no oil leaking from the filter housing either. 

I have 5000kms left of warranty but am curious as to what the dealer would do to troubleshoot where this oil is disappearing? Is 1 bar every month and a half considered a lot of oil being lost and would be found easily, or is that amount so low it will be very difficult for them to find the issue. I'm just trying not to waste their/my time and money ($150 a pop everytime they diagnose an issue). What are your thoughts guys/gals?


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## Shawn855 (May 25, 2016)

I found the article about oil consumption being normal to a point:








When Is Engine Oil Consumption Considered Excessive? James on Engines #6


In this latest post, James our Master Mechanic discusses when engine oil consumption is considered excessive.




www.bellperformance.com





Taken from the article:
"_It is a fact that most engines will burn some oil. The majority of manufacturers consider one quart of oil in the range of 1,500 miles to be acceptable. It should also be pointed out there are some performance vehicles that will consume a quart of oil in less than 1,000 miles and is also considered acceptable._ "

My car is losing about 2 bars every 7400kms. Half a quart would bring it back to the full mark.


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## Shawn855 (May 25, 2016)

Also saw this in another article talking about how it's normal with some car manufacturers and that: "In a tip sheet to fleet-vehicle operators, GM says normal consumption “can be in the range of one quart within 2,000 miles on a properly driven and maintained vehicle.” 

Well, I guess i won't worry then. Going to leave this information here in case somebody else is OCD like me and notices every stupid little thing in their vehicle.


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## BDCCruze (Jul 12, 2017)

Few things to try:

1) When checking, check the oil in the morning when the engine is totally cold. Our old Malibu with the 2.4 took about 30 minutes for all oil to drain back into the sump, which made the oil look low when checking.
2) When changing/filling the oil, fill it to about 1/2 way up the dipstick. If you overfill it, it's possible excessive oil is leaking/seeping out past seals.
3) Consider changing to a 0w-40/5w-40/10w40 synthetic high mileage oil (depending on what's available to you). Going with something a little thicker will help make up the excess in wear in the engine and the high milage additives can help recondition seals. I've seen manufacturers recommend heavier weight oil as a way to combat oil utilization.


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## JLL (Sep 12, 2017)

BDCCruze said:


> Few things to try:
> 
> 3) Consider changing to a 0w-40/5w-40/10w40 synthetic high mileage oil (depending on what's available to you). Going with something a little thicker will help make up the excess in wear in the engine and the high milage additives can help recondition seals. I've seen manufacturers recommend heavier weight oil as a way to combat oil utilization.


If your oil consumption is THAT bad, changing oil weights is like putting a bandage on a would that needs sutures. 

Some manufacturers recommend changing to a thicker oil to slow oil consumption to avoid tearing the engine down to fix the root cause.


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## BDCCruze (Jul 12, 2017)

JLL said:


> If your oil consumption is THAT bad, changing oil weights is like putting a bandage on a would that needs sutures.
> 
> Some manufacturers recommend changing to a thicker oil to slow oil consumption to avoid tearing the engine down to fix the root cause.


I'm not going to argue against having a new motor put in is the best fix, but not everyone can afford that. It would be hard to justify on a 4 year old vehicle unless it was under warranty, which in this case it wouldn't be.

I consider trying the things I listed as a 'can't hurt to try' fix. If it doesn't work, oh well, you needed oil changes anyways.

And BTW @Shawn855 -if you do try my recommendations, keep in mind it can take a few oil changes to notice a difference if it even helps at all. So don't give up after the first one.


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## JLL (Sep 12, 2017)

BDCCruze said:


> I'm not going to argue against having a new motor put in is the best fix, but not everyone can afford that.


It's not that expensive if you replace the piston rings, or whatever is causing the problem, yourself. But I understand alot of people don't have the mechanical ability, and/or the confidence, and/or the time to do that.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Check the PCV in the valve cover (yes, 1.8's have one too). It will make a honking/hissing noise on a 1.8, and cause lots of oil consumption.

UNlike the 1.4T, though, the "camshaft rocker valve" can be replaced independently of the whole valve cover and it's like $15-20.


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## Shawn855 (May 25, 2016)

Thanks. I'll check tomorrow for any whistling coming from the dipstick hole, and camshaft rocker. If it were this, wouldn't it throw out a code or wouldn't I notice misfires, engine running different? The engine is running perfectly with zero deviations or changes from when I bought it brand new. I would have noticed it immediately.


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## Shawn855 (May 25, 2016)

So i noticed a bit of vacuum when removing the dipstick but the main thing that stood out is the sludge on the top of the inside of the oil cap. I cleaned this out 7000 kms ago and thought it was from the dealer overfilling the oil, but it's there again, and supposedly that's a sign of a bad pcv valve as well. I'll book an apt and have the dealer check it out since i still have a little bit of warranty left.


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