Ok, I posted about 2 years ago about my 2015 6 consuming oil. I haven't found that thread to add to it, so I am starting a new one.
My 6 was consuming oil at a rate of 1 quart about every 2500 miles. No visible oil leaks, no smoke or sooty deposits from the tailpipe. What was causing my oil consumption?
I posted the question at that time and received a lot of possible causes, but none that solved my problem. So I continued research and this is what I came up with. It is the low tension piston rings that a lot of manufactures use today. They are getting gummed up with carbon deposits as the engine ages and gets dirty. This prevents the rings from making a good seal against the piston wall and prevents them from 'scraping' (my word) the excess oil from the piston on the cylinder wall back into the crankcase. Thus leaving a little bit more oil on the cylinder walls, which burns, during the power stroke. But not enough oil is burned to create enough smoke or soot to make it past the catalytic converter and out the tailpipe. Hate to look at the intake to the converter to see how 'dirty' that is.
Anyway, this is the evidence that I used to reach my conclusion.
Date Milage Service
06/30/2019 59806 Change oil and filter with Royal Purple 0W-20 and K&N HP1008
01/18/2020 66042 Add 1 quart Royal Purple 0W-20 oil (Commuting 110 miles/day so 10,000 mile change interval)
10/20/2020 69109 Change oil and filter with Royal Purple 0W-20 and K&N HP1008
04/23/2021 71179 Add 1 quart Royal Purple 0W-20 oil (Commuting 30 miles/day so 5,000 mile change interval)
11/07/2021 74728 Change oil and filter with Royal Purple 0W-20 and K&N HP1008
04/17/2022 79168 Add 1 quart Royal Purple 0W-20 oil
06/12/2022 79839 Change oil and filter with Royal Purple 0W-20 and K&N HP1008
02/18/2023 82769 Add 1 quart Marvel Mystery Oil (Don't want to get into an argument. I've used it for 40 years
in different applications with good results. So I tried it here)
07/21/2023 84932 Change oil and filter with Royal Purple 0W-20 and K&N HP1008
I've been travelling quite a bit since I have retired, so I am at about 87,000 miles. I've checked my oil and I do not see a reduction after 2,000 miles.
So, my conclusion. As miles get put on the skyActive engine, it becomes dirtied up with carbon (not that big of an Eureka!!). The low tension piston rings get gummed up and do not seal against the cylinder walls. Causing more and more oil consumption as the engine ages. Running a cleaner, such as Marvel Mystery Oil (or whatever your choice), to clean out the carbon deposits allowing the rings to become unstuck and seal against the cylinder walls. Thereby, wiping the cylinder walls clean and reducing oil consumption.
My 6 was consuming oil at a rate of 1 quart about every 2500 miles. No visible oil leaks, no smoke or sooty deposits from the tailpipe. What was causing my oil consumption?
I posted the question at that time and received a lot of possible causes, but none that solved my problem. So I continued research and this is what I came up with. It is the low tension piston rings that a lot of manufactures use today. They are getting gummed up with carbon deposits as the engine ages and gets dirty. This prevents the rings from making a good seal against the piston wall and prevents them from 'scraping' (my word) the excess oil from the piston on the cylinder wall back into the crankcase. Thus leaving a little bit more oil on the cylinder walls, which burns, during the power stroke. But not enough oil is burned to create enough smoke or soot to make it past the catalytic converter and out the tailpipe. Hate to look at the intake to the converter to see how 'dirty' that is.
Anyway, this is the evidence that I used to reach my conclusion.
Date Milage Service
06/30/2019 59806 Change oil and filter with Royal Purple 0W-20 and K&N HP1008
01/18/2020 66042 Add 1 quart Royal Purple 0W-20 oil (Commuting 110 miles/day so 10,000 mile change interval)
10/20/2020 69109 Change oil and filter with Royal Purple 0W-20 and K&N HP1008
04/23/2021 71179 Add 1 quart Royal Purple 0W-20 oil (Commuting 30 miles/day so 5,000 mile change interval)
11/07/2021 74728 Change oil and filter with Royal Purple 0W-20 and K&N HP1008
04/17/2022 79168 Add 1 quart Royal Purple 0W-20 oil
06/12/2022 79839 Change oil and filter with Royal Purple 0W-20 and K&N HP1008
02/18/2023 82769 Add 1 quart Marvel Mystery Oil (Don't want to get into an argument. I've used it for 40 years
in different applications with good results. So I tried it here)
07/21/2023 84932 Change oil and filter with Royal Purple 0W-20 and K&N HP1008
I've been travelling quite a bit since I have retired, so I am at about 87,000 miles. I've checked my oil and I do not see a reduction after 2,000 miles.
So, my conclusion. As miles get put on the skyActive engine, it becomes dirtied up with carbon (not that big of an Eureka!!). The low tension piston rings get gummed up and do not seal against the cylinder walls. Causing more and more oil consumption as the engine ages. Running a cleaner, such as Marvel Mystery Oil (or whatever your choice), to clean out the carbon deposits allowing the rings to become unstuck and seal against the cylinder walls. Thereby, wiping the cylinder walls clean and reducing oil consumption.
