My 2007 Sportage has been losing oil. Dealer says the engine is meant to lose oil (2.7 liter engine). Has anyone else heard this? It seems ridiculous to me.
How much oil is being lost? 1 qt/1000 miles, 1 qt/2000 miles, etc. The owner’s manual for my 2006 Sienna allows up to 1 qt every 1000 miles during break in. Most manufacturers consider 1 qt/1000 miles not to be a problem.
That said, the only vehicle I own with noticeable oil consumption between changes is a 2000 Blazer with 109k miles. It started using a quart every 3 or 4k miles at the 100k mark. I check the oil level on a regular basis and top off as needed. If your car is using oil between changes I suggest you do the same. Maintaining the correct level and adding a quart between changes is a lot cheaper than a rebuild.
Ed B.
Some consumption is normal hence the reason you need to check/top it every so often(usually every 3rd-4th fillup works).
The question is how much is lost over what mileage?
Were you really told, “the engine is meant to lose oil”?
Or, were you told that some oil consumption is normal?
There is a major difference.
Most engines–Kia’s included–are designed to not use oil when new, but the consumption of perhaps as much as 1 qt per 1,000 miles is considered to be within “normal” limits for oil consumption.
At most dealership service departments, the people with whom the public communicates are “service writers” who have little or no mechanical expertise.
As a result, sometimes customers are given incorrect and sometimes bizarre information.
While I would be the first to criticize misinformation, it is also important to know EXACTLY what you were told.
Were you told…“the engine is meant to lose oil”?
Or, were you told that the consumption of some oil is normal?
“Losing Oil” means “Leaking”. Fix the leak. “Consuming Oil” means the engine is burning it. Most vehicle manufacturers consider one quart every 1000 miles to be in the “normal” oil consumption range…
We were told that these engines were made to lose oil. The service writer is supposed to get back to us with a copy of the pages of the tech manual where it says that. (We are not holding our breath.) They are also having us come in for 3 oil changes so they can monitor the amount being lost. They overfilled this time and scratched a new mark in the dipstick. (so it doesn’t look like we are losing as much???)
You STILL haven’t told us how much you are “losing”…And YES, engines MUST burn a little oil. That “lost” oil is what lubricates the compression rings and valve stems…
All engine cylinders are designed to retain a minute amount of oil in controlled, systematically applied scratches (called “crosshatching”) after the oil rings have wiped the surface down. These scratches are applied via a process called “honing”. This film of oil lubricates the compression rings as they slide down the cylinder walls and gets burned in the combustion process. I found a good photo for you of a honed cylinder
In short, all engines with burn miniscule amounts of oil. Generally on a new car it’ll be a qt or less per 5000 miles, on an older car more. Manufacturers generally consider a qt every 1,000 miles or less to be acceptable usage.
You still have not told us how much oil you’re using or any other details. I find myself wondering why.
Its a quart every oil change, which according to you folks is normal, but something that I have never experienced unless there is something wrong with the car. Seeing that this vehicle is only two years old, we didn’t think it should be losing a quart every three months.
Thanks to everyone for their input.
Is that a quart every 3000, 4000, 5000 miles between oil changes? If so, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. Since most manufacturers consider 1 qt/1000 miles acceptable oil usage (personally I disagree), I don’t you’re going to have any luck getting the dealer to do anything about it.
Good luck,
Ed B.