Oil Loss......

[CAP-E-TAN]

I changed my oil today and noticed i poured out 4 quarts
when i changed my oil before i put in 5 quarts
so i burned about 1 quart
is this common....or do i have a problem
i have been using mobil 1 5w30 and changed it after 4500 miles
and i do alot of highway driving where my tach is always between 3 and 4k.
thanks

[SD_GR]

How do you know you burned 1 qt?

Assuming you did (nothing you've stated leads to that conclusion, but just for the sake of discussion) given your drain interval and the type of driving you describe, I don't see anything too extraordinary.

Your hypothetical use rate is about 750 ml per 3000 miles or less. This is about the same as mine with similar driving habits, but I use a less volatile oil with a narrower W spread (I use 10W-30 while you use the wider-spread 5W-30).

Going only from what you've posted, I strongly suspect you use even less oil than you've stated so far. Did you replenish the oil as you went along in the drain interval? Did you add a full 1 qt during that time?

[CAP-E-TAN]

okay
regardless how the oil disappears
1 quart every 4500 miles is not bad
............
i looked at some other posts.......and it seems like this is pretty normal
does the turbo burn some oil to??
i am still learning about this and how it works
thanks for everyones help

[SD_GR]

In and of itself the turbo shouldn't burn oil -- as in, the oil should not get past the turbo's seals. However, oil (as a slimy goo) in the plumbing to, say, the intercooler, does occur and is normal.

Other ways oil disapperas is through the rings (a little is normal, a lot is not), through leaks (none is normal) and because of its own volatility (a little is normal, a lot and the oil isn't suited for the application).

I've noticed that with a lot of highway driving between 3 and 4 K (and the closer you get to 4K...) my oil use goes up a bit. So, a 5 hour trip at fast highway speeds on cruise control will burn more oil over the same miles than going to work at lower speeds for a month etc. Maybe you're seeing the same pattern.

If you make a note of how much oil you added and at what mileage, and then check the oil every week or 500 miles or so, and keep a record of how much you add to stay at the same level on the dipstick, you may get a more consistent useage number. The problem with that is that the dipstick isn't always straightforward, and it's sometimes hard to get a true reading etc.