Just as others have already said manufacturers are giving low mileage as normal oil consumption rate to prevent having to pay for warranty related engine repairs. My '88 Ford Escort didn’t start using oil until between 250-300K miles and has just in the last couple years got to the point of using a quart every 800-1K miles, but it’s got 518,700 miles. I had a Buick Regal I bought new in '77 that used oil from day one. I had to add 1-2 quarts between 3500-4K mile change intervals. I haven’t bought a GM product since. I know this is discouraging on such a low mileage car because I’ve been there. About all you can do is keep a check on the oil level every few hundred miles, refill as needed and see if the problem gets worse. If Honda won’t take care of you as a customer, next time go to another manufacturer. I’ve owned cars of various foreign and domestic manufacturers, but for the last 20+ years Ford has been my brand of choice for reliability.
The oil consumption thing never ceases to amaze me. I suppose it’s because all of the cars that I own (and have owned) and my family members cars get astronomical mileage numbers put on them and use no discernible oil at all in between the 3000-3500 miles change intervals.
The only oil consumer I’ve owned was an 87 Sable that went through a quart every 600 miles. Most of that was a leak at the rear main seal and at 400k miles I had no intention of dropping a FWD transmission to remedy this.
If a car around here blows through a quart per 1000 miles then it’s got a problem that’s not normal.
So far my '03Taurus well abused at 137k(knock wood) goes until I remember to change the oil. I only drive it in the warm months. But that may be 3k to 4k I just don’t ask ;-}
There is something wrong with a vehicle that uses zero oil,even motor oil has volatile componets that will evaporate after a while .Sometimes these things will go down a pint or so and remain there-do not over fill(a quart every 2000 miles isnt excessive)-Kevin
I agree with Uncle Turbo. Some brands do burn off more than others, and in my experience, some engines ‘like’ one brand over another. I would also suggest you try a full synthetic oil. My old 1994 used to use a quart or more in 3,000 mile oil changes. After switching to synthetic, it now uses less than half a quart at 5,000 mile changes, even with over 260K on the odometer. Even synthetics can have differences. I used to swear by Mobil-1, and I still think it’s great oil, but my newer car uses about ½ quart between changes with M1 in the crankcase, and none at all with Valvoline Synpower in it. And it seems a little smoother and quieter on the Valvoline as well.
Or you can try using a higher viscosity oil, like 10W-40, or a Castrol “high mileage” oil.
The dealers recommendation to use their oil is bogus, and bogus is not the real description that I want to use, but I don’t want to get kicked off the site by using the words I really want to use. However, if you have been getting your oil changed at a quicky lube place, they may not be using the correct spec of oil.
Check your owners manual, but I believe this car requires a 5W20 semi-synthetic oil. If so, I would recommend that you use a 5W20 FULL synthetic oil such as Mobil 1 or Castrol Edge. Have your mechanic check for leaks as well, this oil consumption is probably due to a leak more than a burning issue.
If you had the valve lash checked as part of the periodic maintenance recommended in your owners manual, then there is a high probability that you have some seepage from around your valve cover, especially at the front corners where the cam comes through.
One last thing, if this is a new and sudden problem that has arrisen since your last oil change, it could simply be the drain plug gasket or oil filter gasket.
Consumed oil will end up in one place for sure; on the O2 sensors and on the leading edge of the converter substrate.
Slicing open a converter from an oil user will reveal this pretty quickly.
Have you contacted customer relations at Honda. NO dealer I have ever worked with will take the bull by the horns on your behalf. It’s up to the customer.
Sorry but I have to disagree with you there, Caddy.
I’ve never had a car that dropped any oil that early in its life.
That is not unusual. Many cars will not use that much oil that soon but many will. It is mostly luck and some a matter of how the car was driven and cared for.
I tip my hat to Nevada’s post, but honestly, 1 qt every 2000 miles in a 4-year old car with 45,000 miles is well within acceptable for any engine. Most would consider twice that to be accptable, even in a new engine.
I’ve not personally experienced that level of usage, but if I did I’d simply monitor the oi level and not lose any sleep over it.
Two questions, Is this car a stick-shift, and if so, do you habitually force the engine to pull hard below 1,500 RPM. I know a lot of people who do this, and it is hell on the rings and bearings.
I have to disagree with double clutch on this one. Forcing the engine to pull hard at low rpms will help keep the rings seated. Light easy driving can cause the rings to glaze over and start burning oil. Anyway, this is the way I have been driving my Saturn for the last 150k miles and it does not burn much oil. Ditto for my Nissan PU for 170 k miles and it burns NO oil.
How recently did your Accord start using a quart every 2000 miles? From your original post, it sounds as though it just began doing this and wasn’t consuming this much oil when it was new. I wonder if a different viscosity oil or a different brand of oil was put in the crankcase.
I would like to know how recently this problem began. If it started with the last oil change, maybe a careless technician didn’t put in enough oil.
At any rate, I don’t think a quart every 2000 miles is a big concern. Check your oil weekly and keep a replacement quart on hand if needed.
For some reason,I’ve never had the compulsion or the time to slice open a catalytic converter to see what it looked like inside…
I do have a 1992 Crown Vic which burns a quart of oil every 600-800 miles…(valve stem seals) it’s our ‘Summer Car" (when it’s raining)…It runs fine, it’s CEL squawks about EGR low flow but no complaints from the Cats or o2 sensors…Mileage is a little north of 200K…But as long as it remains reliable and runs well, it stays in service! Oh, and it can pull a 21’ sailboat like it’s not even there…
Just as another data point, my early 90’s Toyota Corolla w/about 200K miles uses about a quart in 7500 miles. For a while it was 4000 miles, but that extra amount was because of an oil leak. I could see the drips on the garage floor. The leak turned out to be the valve cover gasket. I replaced that when I changed the timing belt at 120K, so no more leaks since and back to one quart per 7500 miles. I change the oil at about 6000 miles, so it works out ok.
GeorgeSanJose makes a good point. I purchased an almost new Rambler in 1965 that was still under warranty. On the first trip I made, I used a quart every 500 miles. I took it in and thre service manager took a look and said “You need a valve cover gasket”. He replaced the gasket and the Rambler oil consumption went to zero.