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Author	Topic: 97 Saturn SL1 excessive oil consumption	Topic is locked Back to Topics

mikey9999 Rookie Author Toronto Posts:19 Points:800 Joined:Mar 2005	Message Posted: Jun 8, 2005 4:42:08 AM Ignore mikey9999 Report Abuse My daughter purchased a 97 SL1 a year ago from her Aunt. It only had 96, K on it , so it had not gone very far very often, and it was mostly city driving. To the Aunts knowledge she never consumed any oil. It appeared as soon as we got it it consumed oil to the tune of 1 litre to 700 - 1,200 K. My daughter drives it a lot more than the Aunt did and also more highway driving. It does not leak oil and does not appear to burn blue smoke. It is a standard transmission. Does anyone have any suggestions, I really don't want to rebuild the engine or get one from the wreckers, this one only has 122,000 K on it. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

mikey9999

Rookie Author
Toronto

Posts:19
Points:800
Joined:Mar 2005

Message Posted: Jun 8, 2005 4:42:08 AM

Ignore mikey9999 Report Abuse

My daughter purchased a 97 SL1 a year ago from her Aunt. It only had 96, K on it , so it had not gone very far very often, and it was mostly city driving. To the Aunts knowledge she never consumed any oil. It appeared as soon as we got it it consumed oil to the tune of 1 litre to 700 - 1,200 K. My daughter drives it a lot more than the Aunt did and also more highway driving. It does not leak oil and does not appear to burn blue smoke. It is a standard transmission.
Does anyone have any suggestions, I really don't want to rebuild the engine or get one from the wreckers, this one only has 122,000 K on it.
Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

REPLIES (newest first)

SaturnLover2 Rookie Author Ontario Posts:1 Points:120 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Sep 12, 2008 5:10:21 PM Ignore SaturnLover2 Report Abuse I purchased a used 1999 Saturn SL2 after my 1997 SL2 got totalled. The newer Saturn had only 92,000 miles on it when I purchased it. The old 97 had 170,000, ran like a new car and used very little oil. I had the oil changed and a tune up immediately after purchasing. I kept checking the oil and it kept using oil like crazy. Seriously every 200 miles in town I was adding nearly a quart. It did o.k. on trips but used some oil. I got really disappointed because I had a better car, the one with 75,000 more miles on it. The car was not leaking oil and didn't appear to be burning either, just eatting it like Candy. Someone advised me to have the oil changed again and put a full quart of Lucass Oil Stabilizer in place of one quart of oil. I took their advise as I have used and trust Lucas Oil Stabilizer. Much to my Surprise..... Immediately the car stopped using oil. I have put about 700 miles on this oil change and have not needed to add any yet. Now I was adding a quart per week, no matter what sometimes more. It was explained to me that the rings sometimes stick and the Lucas will loosen them up. I couldn't believe how fast the problem was fixed. I have always liked and trusted Lucas Oil Stabilizer since I was introduced to it 3 years ago. Also, my teen Daughter ran her 97 Saturn SOHC 3 yes THREE quarts low of oil. Lucky for her I had Lucas in it at the time. I sometimes use Synthetic Oil and that was what I had put in my 99 Saturn when I really felt I had bought a piece of Crap. Thanks Lucasss Oil.... you saved me money and a car.
wlbw01 Rookie Author Illinois Posts:63 Points:146,575 Joined:Jul 2007	Message Posted: Jan 3, 2008 7:33:07 AM Ignore wlbw01 Report Abuse My 2002 SL2 started using lots of oil @ about 80K. I was alarmed since I was using Mobil 1 5W-30 & 10W-30 since first oil change. Switched to Mobil 1 20W-50 (which has a higher Zinc additive package) & my oil consumption has normalized @ 110K. Also switched to the Auto Zone PCV valve 30 days prior to reading this blog. So I will monotor for that.
Eto Rookie Author Georgia Posts:59 Points:20,140 Joined:Sep 2006	Message Posted: Sep 6, 2006 10:16:47 AM Ignore Eto Report Abuse Just some additional information about this. I have a 2000 SL1, and I had the oil changed at a quickie lube place, and they recommended changing the PCV valve. The replace was cheap, so I consented, but over the next 3000 miles, the engine consumed a large amount of oil. When I found this, I learned what was posted before that some part available at autoparts stores use a lower pressure spring, which allows more oil to be sucked from the valve train into the combustion chamber through the PCV system. I purchased the factory part from my local dealer and haven't had a problem since. This isn't going to be the case with all Saturns with oil consumption issues, because it seemed to be fairly widespread, but if you have replaced your PCV valve yourself or let a quick change place do it, keep an eye on your oil level.
SCSOMike Rookie Author Memphis Posts:44 Points:5,650 Joined:Apr 2006	Message Posted: Apr 8, 2006 4:45:16 PM Ignore SCSOMike Report Abuse try changing the pcv valve with a SATURN part. this has been known to be a large cause of excess oil consumption. everyone says to get the part at saturn instead of places like autozone etc... a good place to get help with saturn stuff and just chat with other owners is www.saturnfans.com/forums
my03jetta Rookie Author Chicago Posts:89 Points:3,180 Joined:Oct 2005	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2006 11:30:14 AM Ignore my03jetta Report Abuse Saturns are known to do that. Its not a big deal just a pain in the arse
gespurr Rookie Author Twin Cities Posts:9 Points:1,310 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Mar 4, 2006 5:39:07 PM Ignore gespurr Report Abuse My 2001 SL1 does it too :(
my03jetta Rookie Author Chicago Posts:89 Points:3,180 Joined:Oct 2005	Message Posted: Oct 31, 2005 6:44:34 AM Ignore my03jetta Report Abuse don't worry if the car burns oil. It's very common for Saturn's to do that. Its very common and just make sure everytime you put gas in to check the oil too.
niteowl All-Star Author Toronto Posts:566 Points:539,200 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Oct 22, 2005 5:22:36 AM Ignore niteowl Report Abuse My 95 SL1, 1.9L SOHC, 230,000KM has the same problem. I was using 1 litre of oil 2000 KM, After I had my engine head replaced ( Crack, casing defect ) the oil consumption was a bit less.
sunrider Champion Author Kansas City Posts:3,364 Points:668,450 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Oct 20, 2005 6:26:10 AM Ignore sunrider Report Abuse To echo everyone else, I'm told this is normal for my Saturn, too - 1995 SL2, 168,000 miles. Shop where I get it changed told me to use 20W50 in the summer months and 10W40 in colder months and it should slow consumption. It doesn't. During July - Sep I've put nothing but 20W50 in it, and road trips to visit family (St Louis or Springfield from KC) it burns about 3 quarts in 200-250 miles. Yes, I said 3 quarts in 200-250 miles. No it doesn't leak. There is never a puddle of oil under the car and I routinely have it checked. It's actually burning that much. STP oil treatment DOES help reduce the amount it burns.
GaryY Sophomore Author Virginia Posts:126 Points:40,380 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Sep 20, 2005 5:07:54 PM Ignore GaryY Report Abuse I had the same problem with my 92. The Dealer said that this is normal with the Older Saturn's From 92-99. After 99 apparently they figured it out. I went to a second Saturn Dealer and asked about this and was told the same thing that it is normal and that there is nothing to worry about. Just keep adding Oil When it needs it and You will be Fine. We had ours for over 168,000. Good Luck
MotorinMama Champion Author Rochester Posts:10,994 Points:1,061,785 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Sep 8, 2005 11:10:50 AM Ignore MotorinMama Report Abuse We change our cars' oil every 3,000 - 4,000 miles and have found that even with that our 1996 SL2 uses a quart every 1,200-1,500 miles. A friend with the same car also uses about the same. Mechanics we've talked to say it's normal... we are not so sure. But we'll try the Castrol High Mileage Oil and see what happens. Thanks for the tip.
oldland Champion Author Indianapolis Posts:2,580 Points:575,445 Joined:Jan 2005	Message Posted: Sep 7, 2005 12:03:26 PM Ignore oldland Report Abuse I have a 2000 SL and it burns a quart every 1500 miles. I noticed it getting worse when the oil change shop started using a synthetic blend oil in it. I now change the oil myself using Castrol High-Mileage and it seems to have slowed the oil consumption a little bit. I check the oil level every weekend and top it off.
gespurr Rookie Author Twin Cities Posts:9 Points:1,310 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2005 8:30:32 PM Ignore gespurr Report Abuse It's not just you. My 2001 SL1 is starting to do that too..
TFF Rookie Author Knoxville Posts:71 Points:33,770 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2005 12:12:40 PM Ignore TFF Report Abuse I have a 96 model with a 157,000 and is just now using about a 1qt every 3,000 miles just the norm with them getting older & with more miles being put on them.
BLACK THNDR Champion Author Chicago Posts:12,350 Points:1,112,690 Joined:Apr 2004	Message Posted: Jun 8, 2005 7:50:19 AM Ignore BLACK THNDR Report Abuse As your daughter's car gets older, & with more driving, it will consume more oil. Ford vehicles are notorious for burning 1 quart of oil every 1,000 miles even when they are new. If you're the person that just had new motor mounts put on your daughter's car, take it back to that mechanic or any reputable mechanic & ask their opinion.