87 supra using oil.

[Rob1]

ok i have been driving my supra for about 2000 miles now, i changed my oil just before i started driving the car, im running valvaline synthetic blend 10w30 oil and i checked it after changing and it was slighty over full, today i checked it and it is a little above the low line so even though its pretty slow it is still using.it is non turbo i have an exhaust leak where manifold meets pipe leading to cat. when i rev the motor under the hood and watch the exhaust leak i see no smoke and i cant find a leak anywhere, im at a loss i dont know where the oil is going anyone got any ideas?? thanks in advance.

[cre]

What color is the smoke you're seeing?

Blue smoke at start up means you've either got bad rings or bad valve stem seals. Do a compression test... twice. The first time just do it normally and the second time add a little oil to each cylinder as you test (When you add the oil use a small tube to get the oil pouring down the cylinder wall and not just on top of the piston or it won't do any good. The pistons are dished and the oil won't reach the rings where you want it otherwise.). If the compression test results are hicher after adding some oil to the cylinders the rings aren't sealing well; the valve stem seals could also still need replacing. If the compression test turns out within specs then the seals are one of the first things I'd address.

To verify that this is where the oil is going clean the inside of the throttle body thoroughly. Then over the next couple days keep checking it. It's natural for some oil to enter it via the PCV system, but there shouldn't really be much accumulating in just a few days.

Lastly, when you pull the spark plug wires out to do the compression test check and see if there's oil pooling around the spark plugs, leaking valve covers often leak oin into here causing misfiring.


EDIT: Compression testing proceedure: http://www.cygnusx1.net/Supra/Librar...ection=EM&P=20

[Rob1]

I actually dont see any smoke coming from exhaust and today i realized that i think it is leaking out somewhere but hitting something hot before it can hit the ground which would explain why i dont see any on the ground because when i get out of the car i can destinctly smell burnung oil i thought it was my power steering cuz i had a leak in it but i took my ps belt off and i still smell it shortly after parking. is there any place you have seen it leak from that that could happen?? can oil leak from head gasket without mixing with coolent or getting into cylinders?? im at a loss:/

[Krem]

Was there synthetic oil in the car before you put some in there? Synthetic oil is thinner than conventional oil and can slip past seals till they get used to the oil. I haven't put synthetic oil in my supra for partly this reason, other reason is I pref. high mileage oil since I'm getting close to 140k miles.. However, I have seen this first hand w/ my stepfather's Buick Grand National when he went from conventional to AMS Oil synthetic... the next morning the car had dropped most the oil from all the seals..

[Bill UK]

Check under the distributor for any oil on the exhaust manifold heat shield, a very common problem is the distributor O-ring needs replacing. Probably won’t account for the oil usage but defiantly will produce a strong oily smell under the hood. Unusual for the head gasket to leak around the oil path, they are some distance away from the combustion chamber and coolant gallery’s, I doubt if it’s the head gasket. If there is no evidence of a leak then you could assume its burning oil due to piston rings or valve oil seals, not uncommon on a high mileage engine, just check the oil frequently. Oh! and I agree with Krem synthetic oil is not recommended in the UK, most owners use semi- synthetic.

[Rob1]

well i am only running synthetic blend not full synthetic

[Rob1]

would you recomend just running conventional?? and the

[Bill UK]

I used Duckhams for many years in my first Supra in 1986.5 managed to do over 250,000 miles with no engine repairs apart from the odd BHG and a few puffs of smoke on de-acceleration now and again (you would expect a little burnt oil with 250 K) I've had two Supras since then, the current one being a 90 Turbo. Duckhams although still available over the Internet and a few small auotoshops isn't an oil that you hear mention now days. Come to think of it; I'm not sure why I changed to Castrol Magnatec 15- 40 part synthetic I think the lack of availability and probably the recommendation by other supra owners to use part synthetic.

[Rob1]

yeah im running the 10w30 synthetic blend part synyhetic you think i could be burning it up slowly cuz its to thin oil??

[Krem]

Originally Posted by Rob1

yeah im running the 10w30 synthetic blend part synyhetic you think i could be burning it up slowly cuz its to thin oil??

could always add some more oil and see if it holds better this time... be it no loss or at least slower rate of loss.. if there is noticable diff, I'd repeat the process till all your seals, rings and gaskets are working with the blend.. If it's the same rate of loss, or worse, you probably have a more significant problem.

Dunno how much weight this carries, but I've heard of oil getting past the valve plugs in the head covers.. have you checked the tops of your spark plugs (between the cams) to see if you've got oil building up in there? Tho I'd imagine you'd be aware of it by now if you did...