What are the methods to check if a car is burning oil?
2 Answers
Methods to check if a car is burning oil are: 1. Check if the exhaust pipe emits blue smoke when starting the engine; 2. After turning off the engine, check if there is sticky black sediment inside the exhaust pipe; 3. Inspect the spark plugs for carbon deposits. The reasons for a car burning oil are: 1. Poor fuel quality; 2. Corrosion and aging of the valve oil seal. Solutions for a car burning oil are: 1. Replace with higher-quality fuel; 2. Replace the valve oil seal. Burning oil in a car causes the engine to produce a large amount of carbon deposits and gum, leading to increased fuel consumption, insufficient power, difficulty starting, severe wear, and affecting the engine's cooling system, which can result in cylinder scuffing.
Here's my experience sharing on checking for engine oil burning. After starting the car each time, first check the exhaust pipe for smoke color – blue smoke indicates serious trouble. Regularly record the oil dipstick level; if it drops more than half a liter before the oil change interval, be alert. After driving 5,000 km, pull out a spark plug – sticky electrodes mean oil is leaking into the combustion chamber. Pay special attention during cold starts when piston ring sealing is weakest and blue smoke is most likely. Weak acceleration, poor throttle response, and high fuel consumption are also warning signs. Don't ignore these signals – my old car ended up needing a new engine costing tens of thousands because I delayed. I recommend checking the dipstick twice monthly, especially before/after highway trips.
