Oil usage in 2006 M5 sport...problem?

C

csb1237

Member
I have an 06 sport with 28K and have been chasing an oil usage issue for some time now (the last 15K miles or so). Dealer says there is not problem and that 1 Qt. oil consumption per 1000 miles is OK.

I do not agree. That would mean that for the standard oil change interval of 5K miles, I would run out of oil in the car. I've added about 3 Qts. in the last 6-8 months. I am using Amsoil 0w20 for the car. There are no visible leaks. My guess is a bad ring, or a leak in the head gasket...but they will not do a leak-down test on the car. I am debating whether I should just pay them to do one, and then when (if) they find something tell them that I will not pay for the test or the repair, since I am still under warranty.

I have seen only 1 post on another board about this issue, anyone else having this problem?? (uhm)
 
No smoke...Amsoil only offers 0w20 in "premium synthetic" then they have 5w20 in the 7500XL variety, which I may go to now. I need to change it in the spring. I will also go to the spin-on conversion then. Will let you know what happens.
 
Hi I own a 08 MZ5 and with 25000km. I use AMSOIL 0W-20 since new(except the first 1500km).
I don't have any oil lost at all. 4qt. in and 4qt. out each time. I don't think the problem is because of 0W oil. Unless you just recently switch to use AMSOIL. AMSOIL use high oil detergent formula then other. It may really clean up any build-up around the ring and gasket and cost oil leak. New and Low km car will be nice to use AMSOIL. I think!!!
 
I started using the 0w20 oil at about 10K miles (9,939 to be exact). Not sure there would have been that much of a sludge buildup at 10K.

This is crazy...
 
10k is low and fine to use AMSOIL for sure. It didn't sound right to lost so much oil between oil change. Try to call up Mazda and let see what they say.
The only road car that I know it burn a lot of oil is Honda S2000 even from new.
 
38K miles in our '06 Sport. No oil consumption.

My Protege just passed 100K and burns no oil. I've had two Hondas past 100K that burned no oil. I haven't had a car that burned oil in the last 20 years.

I think it may be time to visit another dealer.
 
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I would consider that to be above average oil usage for a non-rotary car.(boom06)

Since vehicle is still under warranty, I would start at the dealer.

If you wanted to do it yourself, I would start with pulling the spark plugs, and examine each plug for abnormal deposits. Some fluro-dye in the oil could also help make certain there are no external leaks, however with that much usage, I would expect to see drips under vehicle when parked.

We have 50k miles on our 5 and the most I have seen it use is about a half quart between 7k mile changes.
 
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Checking spark plugs is a good plan to see if it's 1 specific cylinder or not.

Having said that, the very first thing to check/replace every time you start having oil consumption issues is the PCV valve. In your case (and not knowing what Mazda wants for one), I'd suggest buying a new PCV valve from the dealer and installing it. Don't check the old one, don't try to clean it, just replace it. Also check the PCV system lines to make sure they're not blocked.

It's fine to press the dealer, but I'm not aware of any manufacturer operating in the USA at this point that would deem 1 qt. of oil/1000 miles to be excessive. Even if you do a leakdown test, unless there's a cylinder that's out-of-spec, don't expect that to produce any warranty results.

The PCV thing will cost you a few dollars (should be under $10, maybe under $5) and 15 minutes of your time. Supposing that's the issue and you fix it? Dealer "should" have replaced it for you, but in reality it cost you less than the hassle of fighting with them.

Good luck, and let us know what you do and how it goes?
 
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I have a '08 Mazda 5 with 10K on it. I noticed the oil was a little low at 3K. I all so found a few drops on the floor in the garage. Told the dealer about it and they found a leak on the oil pan. He said there is no gasket it's just a sealant. They repaired it and I have not noticed any problems since. I too would not recommend 0-20wt oil unless I lived in a very cold climate.
 
bulwnkl said:
In your case (and not knowing what Mazda wants for one), I'd suggest buying a new PCV valve from the dealer and installing it.

...but I'm not aware of any manufacturer operating in the USA at this point that would deem 1 qt. of oil/1000 miles to be excessive.
Click to expand...


bulwnkl, Good idea on the PCV valve.

Maybe it would be a good idea if you first ask the manufacturer, or repair dealer, "...what would be considered excessive oil consumption?", before you volunteer your figures.

Also thanks old rotor for reminding us about the oil pan sealant, however I have only heard of that issue happening on 2008's so far.(uhm)
 
mazdadude said:
bulwnkl, Good idea on the PCV valve.

Maybe it would be a good idea if you first ask the manufacturer, or repair dealer, "...what would be considered excessive oil consumption?", before you volunteer your figures.

Also thanks old rotor for reminding us about the oil pan sealant, however I have only heard of that issue happening on 2008's so far.(uhm)
Click to expand...

The dealer did volunteer to me that it happens on the Mazda 3 too(with the 2.3L).
 
It's been over a year and no replies, so I suppose it's time to update everybody on the ongoing saga of oil use in my Mazda5.

I have continued to add oil to the car, so it is obviously continuing to consume it (somehow). There appears to be nothing "wrong" with the car otherwise. I had a compression test done to rule out rings, and it came back good (195 psi across all cylinders); there are no visible oil leaks; I sent oil from last year's oil change for analysis and it showed a 2.5% fuel contamination, which tells me that somhow combustion gasses are getting into the oil.
Right now I suspect a bad valve seal, but have not done the "diagnosis" steps for this type of problem yet.

I recently (yesterday) changed the oil and filter (after ~9300 miles) and switched to a 5w20 Amsoil XL synthetic.

I intend to see how this goes, and if there is any change in the oil consumption by moving from the 0w20 to the 5w20. I do not expect a change, frankly, and to continue to build my case, I sent a sample off for an additional analysis, and we'll see what it shows.

If any of you out there are having a problem with your Mazda5 using oil, please let me know.
 
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If oil is lost, it has to go somewhere. maybe past the oil rings into the combustion chamber, gets burned out into the tail pipe. It should have visible residue at the inner wall of the tail pipe.

My mazda5 2006 that does not consume oil, has a clean tail pipe just like when it was new.
 
csb1237 said:
It's been over a year and no replies, so I suppose it's time to update everybody on the ongoing saga of oil use in my Mazda5.

I have continued to add oil to the car, so it is obviously continuing to consume it (somehow). There appears to be nothing "wrong" with the car otherwise. I had a compression test done to rule out rings, and it came back good (195 psi across all cylinders); there are no visible oil leaks; I sent oil from last year's oil change for analysis and it showed a 2.5% fuel contamination, which tells me that somhow combustion gasses are getting into the oil.
Right now I suspect a bad valve seal, but have not done the "diagnosis" steps for this type of problem yet.

I recently (yesterday) changed the oil and filter (after ~9300 miles) and switched to a 5w20 Amsoil XL synthetic.

I intend to see how this goes, and if there is any change in the oil consumption by moving from the 0w20 to the 5w20. I do not expect a change, frankly, and to continue to build my case, I sent a sample off for an additional analysis, and we'll see what it shows.

If any of you out there are having a problem with your Mazda5 using oil, please let me know.
Click to expand...

I'm curious where do you live that you are using a "0w" oil? How often are you changing the oil and filter?
 
Oil use UPDATE

To answer previous questions: my car is now out of warrranty as 4 years is up for us. (just had 44,444 miles the other day)

My recent switch to 5w20 XL 7500 Amsoil seems to have cured the oil usage problem. It is a mystery, however, as to why. (confused)

I had a long conversation with one of the Techs at Amsoil, and he really didn't have an answer for me as to why it burned the 0w20, vs. the 5w20. The 0w20 is actually NOT a thinner oil...if you look at the viscosity numbers, so the dealer claiming the 0W20 was "too thin" is completely wrong. I will continue to watch the level, perhaps do another analysis, this time of the 5w20, and see if the numbers tell us anything.

I am now holding to the 7500 mile change interval...more to come!
 
Well, the 0W means it has less viscosity at startup temps. Maybe you were burning it while warming up to operating temp.
 
I'm seeing if my dealer will even tell me mine is way low. Mine was almost empty at 7500 and smelling bad. I was using 5w20 valvaing endurance syn blend. I have 68k. On my 06 and I am the original owner. My car was made in 05/05 and I purchased it in June 06. It is a sport AT with preffered package.
 
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