So I'm not sure what to do. After about 2,300 miles on average, I'm burning a quart of oil and that gets expensive with full synthetic oil. My car now is 175,000 miles on it. I've cleaned the EGR valve, and the PCV valve is brand new. There are no visible oil leaks under the car, I have checked vigorously throughout the undercarriage. I definitely think a compression test is in order, and I'm unsure how much longer this motor will last.

In the event that I'm losing the compression, I have 2 queries for everyone. 1. Do you think this is worth rebuilding? The body is in 100% perfect condition, the motor still sounds smooth and solid, and the transmission is in good condition. Should I consider rebuilding it?

My second query is that should I keep it 100% stock, or should I add things that could increase the overall efficiency of the motor and add more lower-end torque?

I love this car, the interior is great, suspension is good and I got it for 4.

 

I have the same issue, check your rear bumper and see if you're exhaust is burning the rear bumper. Chances are you're having the same issue that I'm having, and I honestly do feel that the piston rings are gone. I have absolutely no idea that there is a rebuild kit for our cars. However, the cost of any rebuild kit would probably be the same as a used motor. Check car-parts.com and find some near you.

 

I don't see any sign of any black marks around the perimeter that encompasses the muffler area. I'm not sure what's going on.

 

what oil r u using

 

Hey reviving this thread since it is burning a quart of oil every 1,000. I'm not sure if it's burning, but oil is disappearing. There isn't ever any massive drips under the car, but my oil pan is always oily and the same goes for the valve cover. I'm thinking about having these redone anyways.

I have done a compression test today. At 232,400, the results are the following.

160 150 160 155
1 --- 2 --- 3 --- 4

As it appears if you were looking straight at the engine. Very minuscule difference. Now that we have this compression data, what should they be at? Obviously the difference is small.

 

They should be higher HOWEVER since they are all very close I am going to go ahead and say its just due to age and amount of miles. I am going to guess that its happeneing from one of two places. Either bypassing the rings and getting burnt up OR its going through the valve seals in the head. Mitsu engines have a knack for bad valve seals in higher mileage engines.

 

What should they be closer to?

 

I did mine last week and im at 202 000km and i had 170+ in all cylinders....you should do a leak test too to see if you have bad valve seats and seals. bad valve seals can cause pretty high oil consumption depending on how bad they are...

 

I'll look up how to do a leakdown test.

 

So lets say that the leak down test fails and that I have bad valve seats and seals. Let's say I consider the repair to be "worth it." What is my next move to fix it? I have never done this before.

 

Assuming you have mechanical ability it may be worth it although with your amount of miles I would tear it down and build it up for power :-). If you are not mechanical and have no plans for power then I would suggest getting a low milage replacement motor maybe from a salvage yard somewhere that can guarentee the engine.

 

I agree with 03lances. If you decide on ever building the car. I would buy one from a junk yard, tear that one down and start building it. That way you could take your time on the build and do it right. But if you just want the car to last for the next yr. Just keep running it the way it is. blow by isn't the worst thing in the world, just make sure to keep oil in it. I had honda's do that from 100k til 200k when i got rid of them still running strong. But check really good under the car and make sure it isn't just leaking somewhere. Just because you aren't leaving a puddle doesn't mean it isn't leaking when your driving. I been leaking about 1qt every 1500 miles on my lancer out of the oil feed connection. No puddle, just a bunch of gunk all over the damn place under there.

 

probably leaking past rings with that many miles

 

The min got your compression is 170 and the max is 145 so your rings are shot and that's why your burning oil

 

so would it be worth having a valve job done and new valves and seals, or should a new head be purchased and built up? I just had a valve job done one a head swap a few years back and have noticed I had to go to higher weight oil to keep it from getting in my coolant...and have noticed I burn about a quart of oil every month or so (40 miles per day daily commute)...