Added 4 qts. of oil! Where's it going?

[Ldiggs910]

And had the oil separator valve changed last winter and the oil filter housing gasket and valve cover gasket changed just a few weeks ago. Have that mustard under the cap also. Love my X but i dont want to see the engine that often...

[Paydirtdog]

Originally Posted by Ldiggs910

I use a quart about every 700 miles. I get the oil changed as per the oil service life indicator on the dash. But I bought a case of synthetic oil from BJs because I was topping off so often and that case was done in about 9 months...

Wow, every 700 miles! Does your X smoke? Can you see smoke coming from the exhust other than when it first starts up?

[Ldiggs910]

Originally Posted by Paydirtdog

Wow, every 700 miles! Does your X smoke? Can you see smoke coming from the exhust other than when it first starts up?

No smoke at all and I changed the oil separator valve last winter so its doubtful its that.

[vivanov1]

after you changed the oil seperator valve, did the mustard dissapear? how much was it to change the valve?

[bgsquad]

I change oil every 3000-4000 miles, but my running conditions involve a lot of idling in traffic jams... I live in a city with occasional highways or mountains climbing, and i average a speed of 25-30km/h (15-20mph), and 6km/l (14mpg)... so basically, my engine burns fuel 1.5 times more than a car with 20-21mpg, so the 3-4 kmiles in my condition corresponds to 5-6K in "normal conditions"...

About burning, it burnt once 1qt after 4Kmile, but after changing some "joint" it did not burn a drop for 3000K... now i have 2K since the last change, but didn't check the level yet...

[wallyx5]

Mine drinks a quart every 750-1200 depending on driving habits. If I am driving it hard it will be closer to 750. I like giving the X a little oil every now and then.

[Ldiggs910]

Originally Posted by vivanov1

after you changed the oil seperator valve, did the mustard dissapear? how much was it to change the valve?

I dont remember the replacement cost... Maybe $250? I dont know... Not very expensive though. But the mustard is very much still there.

[m5james]

Originally Posted by bgsquad

I change oil every 3000-4000 miles, but my running conditions involve a lot of idling in traffic jams... I live in a city with occasional highways or mountains climbing, and i average a speed of 25-30km/h (15-20mph), and 6km/l (14mpg)... so basically, my engine burns fuel 1.5 times more than a car with 20-21mpg, so the 3-4 kmiles in my condition corresponds to 5-6K in "normal conditions"...

About burning, it burnt once 1qt after 4Kmile, but after changing some "joint" it did not burn a drop for 3000K... now i have 2K since the last change, but didn't check the level yet...

The OBC suggests oil change intervals based on your driving habits, so you're changing it more than what's really needed. BMW uses large oil pans just for this reason...longer oil change intervals. I'm not saying don't do it, but it's not necessary either.

[m5james]

Originally Posted by vivanov1

after you changed the oil seperator valve, did the mustard dissapear? how much was it to change the valve?

I6's have a funny flat area under the oil cap, so looking at the oil where it just sits and puddles there ins't a good gauge to see if the engine has sludge, mustard looking deposits, etc. If you wanna clean your engine, throw some ATF or an can of internal engine cleaner in before your next oil change. It'll clean all the guts of the engine, and the only downside I've seen is that it might clear the sludge from a slow leaking gasket and make it leak more...but then again you should be fixing any engine leaks regardless.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by vivanov1

after you changed the oil seperator valve, did the mustard dissapear? how much was it to change the valve?

The oil separator (OSV), also known as the crankcase ventilation valve (CCV) does not cause the condensate, or mustard. Fixing the OSV will not prevent the condensate. The only connection is that once you have the condensate, caused by too many short trips and not warming up the engine enough to burn the condensation off, then the condensate (paste) can collect in the OSV, and if that happens, and it is very cold out, it can freeze. You need to separate cause and effect.

If you have the condensate (paste), then getting the engine good and hot (like a long drive) will not generally get rid of it. You need to do one or more hot oil changes to clean it out. If you do a lot of short trips, then a regular drive that is longer will help prevent the condensate forming. If it does form, then cleaning out the OSV every now and then will lower the risk of it freezing, which is what causes the valve cover gasket failures and other oil leaks.