Is this normal oil consumption

[trendkilllx]

Just wondering if this is normal but I have a 2003 cobra I bought new, now has 74k miles. The surprise is that it does not loose any oil between changes, every 3k miles. I think this is the first car that I have had that has not used or leaked even a little oil after around 50k miles or so.

 

[Brutal Metal]

I have to add about a half quart during the 4K interval!

 

[metaman]

104K on mine, pullied, no oil separator and never once had to add any oil on my 5k interval. Yes I go 5K because I drive out of boost a lot and synthetic viscosity is good to go for at least 8-10K these days.

I run 5 qts. mobil one 5w30 plus one qt. Lucas Synthetic Oil Stabilizer. I have been running that combo for 80k miles and have been pullied since 60k.

 

[HISSMAN]

104K on mine, pullied, no oil separator and never once had to add any oil on my 5k interval. Yes I go 5K because I drive out of boost a lot and synthetic viscosity is good to go for at least 8-10K these days.

I run 5 qts. mobil one 5w30 plus one qt. Lucas Synthetic Oil Stabilizer. I have been running that combo for 80k miles and have been pullied since 60k.

That lucas oil stabilizer is bad ju ju on these cars. These heads hold a lot of oil, and thickening it will only make it worse. I used to be a big fan of it, until a few years ago when I really started doing research on using it. I assume that you have seen the tests that Bob the oil guy did using LOS?

-Jeff

 

[fiveoh2go]

I assume that you have seen the tests that Bob the oil guy did using LOS?

I haven't, got any links?

 

[HISSMAN]

What about Additives?

 

[fiveoh2go]

What about Additives?

:thumbsup:

 

[zankylen]

That just dosnt seem accurate. I would hope lucas has spent lots of money in development of there products. It would be hard for me to compare what that used vs what lucas may have.

 

[HISSMAN]

That just dosnt seem accurate. I would hope lucas has spent lots of money in development of there products. It would be hard for me to compare what that used vs what lucas may have.

Go a a Lucas display and crank the gears on it. It does the same thing. It fills up with tiny air bubbles.

 

[TVSCobra]

DO NOT put Lucas oil Stabilizer in anything, waste of money. The oil chemists know what they are doing. The only time I would add anything to my oil would be if I had a flat tappet cam that needed the extra zinc/phosphorus. Hell BMWs spec is 1 quart per 1000 miles.

 

[metaman]

That lucas oil stabilizer is bad ju ju on these cars. These heads hold a lot of oil, and thickening it will only make it worse. I used to be a big fan of it, until a few years ago when I really started doing research on using it. I assume that you have seen the tests that Bob the oil guy did using LOS?

-Jeff

Yeah, I have seen those "tests". He takes two gears that are not in a zero atmosphere sealed system like the oil system in our cars. He then spins them up to an unknown RPM and whips bubbles into the oil and says "look, if you use this stuff then you will have bubbles in your oil"

That test is total B.S. unless you where planning on using it in the blower snout. If you get air bubbles inside of a pressurized hydraulic system you get instant failure from components because air compresses where as oil does not. The only way that would happen in an engine is if you where either pushing more oil into the engine through the oil pump than the motor could take. Or the oil pump was pulling more volume than the intake for it could scavenge.

If this stuff is bad news for these cars then why does mine still run perfect at full power, no smoke on start up, no piston slap on start up, no oil though the pcv system, and get 25 mpg on the highway? All this after 80k daily driving with the stuff in the motor? If it was a problem, I would have had problems a long time ago.

I personally believe that this stuff drastically prevents cold start wear on things like cams and piston rings. Perhaps it is total snake oil, no pun intended. However, even if it is I think that my long range testing of it proves that it does not cause any harm to these motors.

Edit: In edition if there where bubbles in the oil, after I got her up to operating temp and checked the oil, it would be milky in color from the bubbles. Guess what? Crystal Clear, no bubbles.

 

[zankylen]

I agree bud!
I used to use the stuff in my ls1 cars and you never heard any piston slap on cold starts. PLus it really helps seals.

 

[Jefe]

Never added any to mine after the initial 7 qt fill. Im at 6400+ miles on this oil, gonna change it this week and send another sample to Blackstone for testing. German Castrol 0w30 FTW

 

[RAPTOR5V]

Just wondering if this is normal but I have a 2003 cobra I bought new, now has 74k miles. The surprise is that it does not loose any oil between changes, every 3k miles. I think this is the first car that I have had that has not used or leaked even a little oil after around 50k miles or so.

damn thats great man mine has 30k, running synthetic since like 13k, pullied at 17k and pretty well taken care of in general no track or hammering it too bad and I burn oil maybe 1/2 to 1 qt every couple/few thousand miles.

My valve seals leak, I puff on start-up. early build 03.

 

[zankylen]

put some of that oil stabilizer in there and get back to us! Watch it work its wonder.

 

[TVSCobra]

put some of that oil stabilizer in there and get back to us! Watch it work its wonder.

You know this stuff is pretty much an oil thickener right? A thicker oil will make oil consumption go down depending on what is causing the issue.

 

[metaman]

I know it comes out of the bottle like syrup. However, I am not so sure about it causing the viscosity of the oil to increase. It is more like it changes the cohesive properties of the oil. It helps the oil keep a thin film on parts like cams and what not between start ups. I would think that if it made the oil thicker that they would not be able to claim that it keeps the oil within SAE specifications like the do. Someone would have made them stop claiming that long ago if it made the oil thicker.

 

[metaman]

damn thats great man mine has 30k, running synthetic since like 13k, pullied at 17k and pretty well taken care of in general no track or hammering it too bad and I burn oil maybe 1/2 to 1 qt every couple/few thousand miles.

My valve seals leak, I puff on start-up. early build 03.

You are probably sucking oil though the PCV system and into the motor. The cams actually atomize the oil a little bit. Then when the motor is running, the vacuum pulled on the PCV valve and the other hose that goes from the intake tube to the passenger cam cover pulls this atomized oil into the intake and into the back of the blower.

This is why people install oil separators between the PCV and the back of the blower. Most of the oil is pulled through this line because the vacuum on the PCV coming out of the back of the blower is significantly higher than it is on the line that goes from the passenger cam cover to the intake pipe.

The reason why the Lucas SYNTHETIC oil stabilizer stops this from happening is because it changes the cohesive properties of the oil. Cohesive properties meaning the way that the oil molecules link together. The oil never atomizes as a result of the cams spinning. Or at least that is what I have come up with in my mind as to why the oil consumption is so much lower and my car does not smoke on start up.

You see the smoke on start up is caused by the intercooler under the blower being constantly soaked with oil. Then when you start the car up, you get a quick shot of that oil that is soaked all over the intercooler and a puff of white smoke along with it. Your valve seals are probably all fine.

 

[HISSMAN]

Yeah, I have seen those "tests". He takes two gears that are not in a zero atmosphere sealed system like the oil system in our cars. He then spins them up to an unknown RPM and whips bubbles into the oil and says "look, if you use this stuff then you will have bubbles in your oil"

That test is total B.S. unless you where planning on using it in the blower snout. If you get air bubbles inside of a pressurized hydraulic system you get instant failure from components because air compresses where as oil does not. The only way that would happen in an engine is if you where either pushing more oil into the engine through the oil pump than the motor could take. Or the oil pump was pulling more volume than the intake for it could scavenge.

If this stuff is bad news for these cars then why does mine still run perfect at full power, no smoke on start up, no piston slap on start up, no oil though the pcv system, and get 25 mpg on the highway? All this after 80k daily driving with the stuff in the motor? If it was a problem, I would have had problems a long time ago.

I personally believe that this stuff drastically prevents cold start wear on things like cams and piston rings. Perhaps it is total snake oil, no pun intended. However, even if it is I think that my long range testing of it proves that it does not cause any harm to these motors.

Edit: In edition if there where bubbles in the oil, after I got her up to operating temp and checked the oil, it would be milky in color from the bubbles. Guess what? Crystal Clear, no bubbles.

I guess I didn't realize that our oiling system was in a complete vacuum...

 

[metaman]

I guess I didn't realize that our oiling system was in a complete vacuum...

It is not in a complete "vacuum". However, just like all properly functioning hydraulic pump set ups there is zero air entering or exiting my oil pump. If there where air anywhere near the inlet of my oil pump I would have zero oil pressure. I am not just talking out of my ass. I went though an entire semester or hydraulic theory and diagnostics while I was in school for turf equipment maintenance.

If there are air bubbles in the pressurized oil system of any car, or reel mower, or front end loader, or what ever, the oil pressure gauge will read zero because the oil bubbles will compress where as the oil does not. I dare you to prove me wrong.