I have a 2008 Mazda 5 auto with about 47K on it. It goes threw a qt. of 5-20W between oil changes. I'm a Rotary guy so I'm use to it on a oil injected engine but this is the first piston engine I've used 5-20W in and figure this is some what normal for such a lite weight oil. What are others finding?
How much oil do you burn between changes?
- Thread starter Old Rotor
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I did have a pan leak when it was new but it was taken care of. No leaks since and I had the Mazda dealer check on it again. No smoke or coolant consumtion. I went to 10-30W on last oil change and it slowed some.....I bet 30w would help more.....
Jasonjames
Member
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- Mazda 2002 BJ Astina 323 1.8 L
I know modern engines use lighter oil to improve fuel consumption, and because of closer operating oil-clearances, but your vehicle is 4 yo and in the absence of any oil-leaks, shifting to an oil with more viscosity seems like a good move. Most manufacturers include a temperature vs oil-grade graph in the driver's manual. If it was me I'd increase the viscosity to the next level, provided the graph says it's OK.
There's 2 ways an engine consumes oil ie leak it or burn it. If the garage floor has no oil on it, try idling the car for 10 minutes. If there's still no oil on the floor, it points to burning it, and at least in the short term, a shift to a heavier oil makes sense. That way things like the cat(s) wont get damaged by carbon
JJ
There's 2 ways an engine consumes oil ie leak it or burn it. If the garage floor has no oil on it, try idling the car for 10 minutes. If there's still no oil on the floor, it points to burning it, and at least in the short term, a shift to a heavier oil makes sense. That way things like the cat(s) wont get damaged by carbon
JJ
phunky.buddha
Booga Booga?
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- DFW TX
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- No mo MZ5 want MX5
Pennzoil Platinum 5w20 synthetic, zero burn. Had the car (and on this oil) since 52k, sitting at 77k now- so 25k of HARD driving, and I only change every 10k or so. No burning, and the oil looks clean every time I check it (every 2-3 tanks).
Maybe take a sample of your oil and send it to Blackstone Labs for analysis to give you a clue as to what's going on inside the engine? You could have worn/damaged oil control rings, bad cooling, detonation- there are quite a few things that can torch your oil. But you know that from owning a rotary before.
Maybe take a sample of your oil and send it to Blackstone Labs for analysis to give you a clue as to what's going on inside the engine? You could have worn/damaged oil control rings, bad cooling, detonation- there are quite a few things that can torch your oil. But you know that from owning a rotary before.
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Same, before it got traded in.
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- 2008 Mazda5 GT
Question for the guys who stated their car doesn't burn any oil, how do you know? Do you actually measure what you take out?
I’ve never measured oil output but yy eagle eye best guest says I burn ‘some’, probably maybe half a quart, every 5K using Ford MotorCraft 5-20 semi-synthetic.
Oh, I recently noticed oil stain near my valve cover gasket. Look like I may need to keep any eye out and possibly replace the VC gasket. Miata all over again!
I’ve never measured oil output but yy eagle eye best guest says I burn ‘some’, probably maybe half a quart, every 5K using Ford MotorCraft 5-20 semi-synthetic.
Oh, I recently noticed oil stain near my valve cover gasket. Look like I may need to keep any eye out and possibly replace the VC gasket. Miata all over again!
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phunky.buddha
Booga Booga?
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- DFW TX
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- No mo MZ5 want MX5
Yup, dipstick level.
Jasonjames
Member
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- Mazda 2002 BJ Astina 323 1.8 L
Question for the guys who stated their car doesn't burn any oil, how do you know? Do you actually measure what you take out?
** It's difficult in cars that spend a lot of their driving, around suburbs, to actually know how much oil they're burning. This is because of water-vapor and unburnt fuel settling in the oil-pan. In such cars, that have spent considerabley time on suburban roads,.. if they are taken for a 100 mile cruise on a highway at 60 mph, oil-contanaments boil-off causing the oil-level to apparently drop. In fact the level on the stick after the higher speed cruise, is the real oil-level.
Ive never measured oil output but yy eagle eye best guest says I burn some, probably maybe half a quart, every 5K using Ford MotorCraft 5-20 semi-synthetic.
Oh, I recently noticed oil stain near my valve cover gasket. Look like I may need to keep any eye out and possibly replace the VC gasket. Miata all over again!
** To leak enough oil to drop a quart,..or even a pint,..would mean a considerable amount of oil-wetness on the engine somewhere. In this case, you often see the underneath of the car covered in a thin layer of oil. In fact in some bad leaks, you'll see oil on the rear window as the wind carries oil-mist out to the back,..especially in the 5 door models.
Cheers,..JJ
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- 2008 Mazda5 GT
Thanks, that's interesting to know.** It's difficult in cars that spend a lot of their driving, around suburbs, to actually know how much oil they're burning. This is because of water-vapor and unburnt fuel settling in the oil-pan. In such cars, that have spent considerabley time on suburban roads,.. if they are taken for a 100 mile cruise on a highway at 60 mph, oil-contanaments boil-off causing the oil-level to apparently drop. In fact the level on the stick after the higher speed cruise, is the real oil-level.
My understanding is that the range between the L and H point on the dipstick represent a quart; doesn’t help that the Mz5’s dipstick is terrible to accuratly gauge, IMO. I'm not very good about checking my dipstick -if at all unless I notice something unusual with the engine or from the last oil change. Also, I don't seek out a level surface to get 100% accurate reading as I don't mind and feel some lost is acceptable, though not a quarts worth. I’m just not sure any engine truly does not burn ‘any’ oil, hence I was curious. I would image a small degree is lost depending on condition of the engine internals, conditions you drive in, and to some degree the quality of oil you use and what frequency we are talking about.
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