Oil consumption on these Festiva's..

[muleskinner]

I have a Festiva that is consuming oil & so does my friend, with a Festiva. On mine, I have done 5 different MMO & Sea Foam treatments on it with no results except for 2 weeks it does not consume oil then the oil turns black and it consumes 1-2 quarts every 150 to 200 miles with no signs of oil burning smoke or leaking. I have good compression, but I will have to double check again.
I am assuming it is bad rings instead of them sticking, but could it be something else? I have little knowledge on these engines. Please help.

My friends is doing the same thing. He has not checked the compression even though the engine seems to have good compression.

I have posted this problem on another thread with a totally different title, but I thought I would start this again with just this subject matter.

Thanks in advance.

[joeboomer999]

Im assuming you checked for blown head gasket? Depending where it blows you won't see signs on the exterior of the motor but will see brownish gum in your rad for example

[Fordverde]

if your oil is turning black too quickly, then it could be that the engine is running too rich... the oil is getting diluted with gas.

[muleskinner]

Im assuming you checked for blown head gasket? Depending where it blows you won't see signs on the exterior of the motor but will see brownish gum in your rad for example

Head gasket is fine.

[muleskinner]

if your oil is turning black too quickly, then it could be that the engine is running too rich... the oil is getting diluted with gas.

How do I adjust that?

[Eaglefreek]

Bad rings will also allow combustion gases into the oil causing black oil. Sucks the oil up on the intake stroke and blows intake gases down past the piston on the compression stroke.

[stonemaster]

they make a ring treatment, its really thick like honey , that and going up to 10w40 helped mine alot

[Fordverde]

How do I adjust that?

Is it carb or EFI? Also, Eaglefreek is right, that could be another failure.
Have you checked the PCV? Do you have oil in the intake? Are you 100% sure that you don't have smoke of any kind? i once had some valve steam seals gone bad and the car only smoked a little at start up, that could be also....

[Movin]

Unhook your little 90 deg hose from the air filter side on top of the valve cover. Temporarily tape off or cap the nipple on the air filter to keep dirt and air out. Leave the hose over the top of the valve cover open. Drive the car a bit then look and see if any oil is on top of the valve cover.

This helps to pin whether the oil is coming down the intake or is a problem of rings or valves.

[muleskinner]

Bad rings will also allow combustion gases into the oil causing black oil. Sucks the oil up on the intake stroke and blows intake gases down past the piston on the compression stroke.

That is my thinking, someone else had told me that.

Is it carb or EFI? Also, Eaglefreek is right, that could be another failure.
Have you checked the PCV? Do you have oil in the intake? Are you 100% sure that you don't have smoke of any kind? i once had some valve steam seals gone bad and the car only smoked a little at start up, that could be also....

EFI.

Unhook your little 90 deg hose from the air filter side on top of the valve cover. Temporarily tape off or cap the nipple on the air filter to keep dirt and air out. Leave the hose over the top of the valve cover open. Drive the car a bit then look and see if any oil is on top of the valve cover.

This helps to pin whether the oil is coming down the intake or is a problem of rings or valves.

There is oil in the intake. It drips out a little at the lowest point of the intake hose. Does that mean bad rings?

[Movin]

That is my thinking, someone else had told me that.



EFI.



There is oil in the intake. It drips out a little at the lowest point of the intake hose. Does that mean bad rings?

It could mean rings are worn, bore is worn, or piston worn, or all of it worn. But because this is a indirect symptom the valve cover would have to be pulled and the oil baffles under the tin plate inside the valve cover cleaned. If oil puddles in there then a good engine will push oil into the intake. Also the pcv may be sucking but the hose should be pulled and the nipple cleaned with a small round brush and carb cleaner from a spray can. You have compression good enough for the car to start and idle smoothly. You have cleaned the rings with cleaner extra good. Make sure the baffles and the pcv vacuum hose and port is clean too.

If you pull the 90 hose clear off the valve cover and start the car it is normal to have a lot of puffing going on. If you snap the throttle and a stream of oil misty air shoots up and deflects off the bottom of the hood, that is bad ring seal.

[Fordverde]

Say no more, rebuild or swap time!!! You may try urban legends additives, but in the long run they wont cure the sickness.. I think there has been some people here that had done budget rebuilds; give them a search...

[muleskinner]

It could mean rings are worn, bore is worn, or piston worn, or all of it worn. But because this is a indirect symptom the valve cover would have to be pulled and the oil baffles under the tin plate inside the valve cover cleaned. If oil puddles in there then a good engine will push oil into the intake. Also the pcv may be sucking but the hose should be pulled and the nipple cleaned with a small round brush and carb cleaner from a spray can. You have compression good enough for the car to start and idle smoothly. You have cleaned the rings with cleaner extra good. Make sure the baffles and the pcv vacuum hose and port is clean too.

If you pull the 90 hose clear off the valve cover and start the car it is normal to have a lot of puffing going on. If you snap the throttle and a stream of oil misty air shoots up and deflects off the bottom of the hood, that is bad ring seal.

I think I'm going to remove the valve cover, clean everything underneath & clean everything else you said. My feeling is bad rings though.

Say no more, rebuild or swap time!!! You may try urban legends additives, but in the long run they wont cure the sickness.. I think there has been some people here that had done budget rebuilds; give them a search...

My long term plan is when I have a B6 put in Silver Streak, the engine I get out of that I will put on my engine stand, overhaul it & put it in the Festy that's consuming oil (Blue), take that engine and overhaul it & maybe put it in my DD Festy (shadow) or maybe get another Festy to put it in.

[muleskinner]

Update on the Blue Festy:
Well, I took it to my mechanic last week. G-dine's son drives the Festy back and forth to college and she was able to get a service agency to fix the Festy for up to $1000.
Anyway, He says the pistons have 3 rings. the lowest rings are the oil rings which we're all stuck and on one of the pistons the 2nd ring was stuck. He told me there was no way I was going to un-stick the oil rings with the treatment, they we're corroded bad. He also said the bearings are worn.
He is replacing the rings, bearings, & will hone out the piston holes.
The engine will run like new when it's done in a week. I'm glad because it ran great even with the problems it had.
Thanks everyone for your advices.

[Movin]

Wow, yes treatment will not free corrosion, only petroleum gunk and carbon. Biofuel blend or do you get humidity ?