losing oil? between changes

[UtahVXer]

Shortly after I got my VX a friend with one told me to keep an eye on the motor oil level. He bought his new and has maintained it meticulously with synthetics etc. But says it is normal for our engines to lose a little between changes. I have been checking mine almost every fill-up but have yet to lose a single drop. I am just curious to know how many others need to top of the oil between changes and if so how much.

[AnalogVX]

I have noticed that sometimes I use about a quart between changes. And sometimes, like between this change, I haven't used hardly any. Go figure.
Either way, I have heard enough about it to keep a real close eye on it.

[Moncha]

I always check my oil, on an extreme regular basis. You know me. Even though I don't have that many miles, 30k but, not easy miles . I have not had any problems with consumption. There are several posts regarding changing out the PCV valve on a regular basis and that helps with oil usage.

[t2p]

Just a guess ........
.
There *appears* to be an issue with the 3.5 V6 ........
.
not sure if this issue is limited to the early 3.5's .......
.
faulty oil control ring(s) .......... ring material ? ........... tolerances (tight or loose (fit) ...... or the placement (on the piston - too high or low) ? ........
.
or high crankcase pressure ......... if that is the correct term .....
?
.
PCV valve ? ......... I don't believe the PCV valve is the problem, but rather a symptom of another issue ....... regardless, PCV replacement on the 3.5 is common .......
.
one of the above ....... or a combination of the above ......... can/may affect the operation of the PCV valve, etc ...........
.
again, a combination of the above appears to lead to oil consumption - signficant oil consumption at times ...........
.
again, a guess - I am semi familiar with the operation of the internal combustion engine, but certainly not a mechanical engineer .....

[PDOGG23]

According to the Isuzu Dealer that drove my VX through the shop door, it is definitely a common problem with our motor. I am about a quart low EVERY oil change. Of course they try and talk you into a PCV Valve Flush everytime, my rule of thumb is every 15,000, or 3 changes I'll get the flush.

Apparently Isuzu feels it's 'Normal' to lose up to 3 quarts per 3,000 miles before they deem the motor to have a problem! Can you believe that! Once you get talking to these mechanics, you can find out some real bogus sh*t! ;eekg;

[mrtew]

Can't you just change your PCV valve for about a dollar? I haven't done it yet but I thought that's what I read here. And that's it's really important. Maybe I should do it.

[Cyrk]

All this talk about the PCV, just went to PepBoys and picked one up for 3.99. Can't hurt.
-Dave

[joe-yamma]

When I got the 30k service, they changed my PCV and my VX is still using oil. I quit using Amsoil because it was getting too expensive to top off all the time and I switched to Mobil 1.

I have been keping track of the oil consumption and it looks like almost 1 qt/ 1000 miles.

Is there anything in writing from Isuzu that states what they feel is "acceptable?"

Don't get me wrong, I love my VX... I just wish it wasn't using so much oil

[Cyrk]

Just finished changing the PVC, the old one made no noise nothing... good thing I checked... new one went in no problem will see if it helps the little fluctuation I have at start up. I also have been using abut a quart between oil changes.

I used the Purolator #PV1061, it is a little bigger than the factory one hope that it is all ok.

Will be keeping an eye on this, and will continue to change every once in a while. Since mine VX has only 35K and the valve was shot.

Thanks guys for you input.

-Dave

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

I wound up changing mine at 33,000 miles even though it still "rattled" when you shook it...I will be changing mine from here on out probably every 2 or 3 oil changes which equates to
6,000 to 9,000 mile intervals...as so many have said it is a small price to pay for some piece of mind...approx $3.99 and 5 minutes or less of your time.

[tomcat837]

I want to flush my system and move to syntetic oil, any thoughts or advice on this?

[Dallas4u]

*Edit... don't know why, but I had transmission in my head, not oil. You don't need a "flush". As stated below, just drain the old oil and refill with synth.

I'd personally go with Mobil 1... easy to find and highly rated.

There ya go!

[tomcat837]

How do I make sure they do it right?
I have used some fluid in oil changes before that sort of washes the inside of the engine. You warm up the engine, pour it in and run it for about 5 minutes, then drain the oil.

Like I said, I have used this before on other vehicles, but I didnt care about those vehicle like I care about my VX.

The main reason I want to do something like this is because when we started discussing about the PCV valve, I jumped from my seat and went to Auto Zone. When I removed the old one, it still had some play in it, but it was surrounded by gunk, even that little grommet that holds it in place was covered by it and I removed it by hand.

So that got me thinking, if the gunk is way up there, I can imagine what the inside must look like... Well I don't really want to know, I just wanted GONE.

What do you guys think?

[SGT.BATGUANO]

Just change over to syn. Skip the flush. The syn will clean the insides. I believe Tone posted using engine flush every other change. Search it out.

[Andrey]

Originally posted by AnalogVX
I have noticed that sometimes I use about a quart between changes. And sometimes, like between this change, I haven't used hardly any. Go figure

same here.... once in a while it takes oil and then no oil consumption at all..... nobody can really figure out this stuff...