1997 Saturn burning oil

I have a 1997 Saturn SL2 that I bought new. It now has close to 78K miles
on it. It has started burning oil. There are no leaks. I took it in to
the dealership for an oil change and told them about the problem. They
told me it was likely to be the rings or valve pipes and that they will
have to tear the engine apart. They said the repairs would be around 4K.
I dont have that type of money to put into a car that is about that price
for resale. Anyone else have this problem or any suggestions?

 

Anyone else have this problem

Yes, mine burns oil too.

Add oil.

My '94 has used oil since I bought it new. In most cases, it's not an
indication of impending doom. Make sure you check it often, and don't
neglect your oil changes. It's cheaper to add a quart here and there than
to rebuild the motor - which isn't even guaranteed to fix it. Especially if
the car is running perfectly otherwise.

Lane [ l a n e @ p a i r . c o m ]

 

Find a different dealer! There's about 5 different things they should
check/try before they tear apart the engine. Do a Google groups search on
this newsgroup for burning oil and you'll find multiple discussions on the
subject.

 

How much oil is it consuming. Many vehicles consume a little oil and have
very long lifespans. If you're leaving smole trails than perhaps you have an
issue. BTW on the Saturn I just acquired there was some oil consumption but
I found 2 issues (both easy and cheap). 1. Leak in valve cover 2. PCV valve
replacement. So far so good and it has 138000 miles and for the last 2 years
of it's life had been treated quite roughly. Keep in mind though that even a
fairly normal engine of this type will consume a little oil (qt. between 800
and 1500 miles) and is not cause for alarm. Also a change in brands, or
driving habits can have a temporary effect on it. So don't jusmp to harsh
conclusions.
Larry

 

Saturns are supposedly infamous for burning oil, but I wouldn't condemm
it just yet.

* Are you leaveing a blue clound?

* Is it excessive (say, a quart every 500 miles)?

* Has the engine performance, or milege drastically changed recently?

* Is it increasing in compsuption?

* Do you fail emission tests on high hydrocarbons?

If you answered 'no' for all of this, then I'd just keep an eye on it
and not worry. FWIW, I don't think you need to tear apart the motor to
find a ring or valve stem seal problem, w.r.t. oil consumption, and if
it's the latter, you don't need to tear apart everything anyway...

 

How much oil does it burn?
I've had my Saturn since it was new (1992). It has now 260K miles on it
and it burns about 1.5 quarts every 5 months.
I've been feeding it Castrol Syntec 5W50 ever since it was about
70K miles old.

Alex

 

Keep putting in oil or there are local garages that well do the work for
cheaper. I would also get better rings and stuff put in. try
www.saturnmotorsports.com for information about parts. Dealers just put in
crappy dealer parts.