i have a 1991 ford ranger 4x4 4 cylinder..the problem is ..im using up to 2 quarts of oil a day..it does not smoke ..just a little when started..there are no leakes..i just had a new oil pan gasket put on..but its not leaking anywhere else..someone told me it might need rings....but for now untill i can afford it..is there anything to add to the oil to slow down the burning of the oil???????????

 

Nothing's going to stop that much oil. I am surprised it's still running without fouling the plugs.

 

Take your valve cover off.Look at drain holes.See if they have bits of valve stem seals in oil valley.Lot of times theres a lot of oil inside top-end not draining back into crankcase.Then its more prone to be sucked down into cylinder and burned pretty clean.Also if your engine is running to cool the topend gets all kinds of funky and clogged up drain holes too.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 24-Nov-01 AT 03:06 AM (EST)]You realize that the catalytic converter will hide alot of the oil smoke?
And once you have the engine repaired right, you are probably gonna need a catalytic converter real soon too.
If you are using 2 quarts of oil in a day, you are dumping a whole lot of oil in the exhaust. IF it isn't leaking it.
You're gonna need to determine if it is seals or rings or both.

 

Here's something to try..... I had the same thing, once, with a 4 cyl. Mazda. It wasn't leaking oil, but was going through it in a hurry (at 120K). I couldn't see the car smoking at all. One night I was on the interstate and in the passing lane and had another tailgater fairly close behind me as I was trying to pass a semi. In stepping into it, I happened to glance into the rear view mirror, and I could easily see my smoke fog in the other guy's headlights. The next time you're on the road at night, and someone is following you, put a little strain on your motor (step down on it in a higher gear, or downshift and step on it) and watch for smoke in their headlights. The newer (later '80's and up) vehicles have very efficient ignition systems..... mine was burning the oil, but it wasn't fouling the plugs even slightly, nor did it seem to affect power, at all. It turns out that my oil rings were bad (compression checked out fine). This is not the best way to solve the problem, but it worked for me when I was on a tight budget : I left the engine in the car, but pulled the head (and sent it off for a valve job @ $150.00) I also dropped the oil pan. Leaving the crank in place, I removed each rod cap and pulled each piston and rod assembly up through the top, cleaning each and replacing the rings w/ standard (stock) sized ones. I then wrapped the crank with rags to protect it, and ran a cylinder hone quickly in and out of each bore to break the glaze. Following this, I took off one main (crank) cap at a time and rotated out the bearing and swapped it for a new main (standard size). I then reinstalled each piston and rod assembly, with new rod bearings used, along with the freshened up head and a new oil pump. The whole works cost me around $280.00 (with my labor on the lower end of the engine). I didn't clearance or machine anything, but torqued everything to spec, was VERY careful, used engine assembly lube as needed, and kept everything clean. This solved my problem, and the engine ran like new for the next 40K until I got rid of the car.

 

Thanks for the replys..but im no machanic.what so ever..plus in this 4 cylinder truck..i have never seen a engine like it..it has 8 spark plugs and 2 distibutors..it has so much stuff on top of the engine..im sure i can take it apart..but im sure it would never get put back the same..lol..well i guess the only simple way of getting it fixed..is i work at a college and they have a auto class..but to change a clutch for me it took 5 weeks..i would probably be looking at a couple months to fix it..it just aggravates me that i just bought the thing in sept..the guy could have said it had a problem..but i guess there are people that really don't care..thanks for the replys

 

You could try a cheap radical quick fix,that sometimes works.Add a quart of diesel fuel with oil on next oil change.This will free up rings...and maybe the will seal better.I work on locomotives for a living and seen diesel fuel inside pletty of crankcases with no damage to internal engine parts. Just run it easy...don't get on it...It could also clean up top end...also see if your engine is running to cool.Also take a look at the vacum hoses....look and see if the pcv valve vacum hose is oily inside it,Something could be not right with the system.look for oil in all vacum lines,check it out and get back.

 

Hey im willing to try anything at this point..seeing i really can't afford to fix now..but are you sure i can put diesel fuel in there without hurting any..if so..ill give that a try..but can't i just add it to what oil i have instead of changing the oil..im adding new oil daily as it is..would appreciate a answer???..thanks again

 

Don't use diesel, use something that is made for it and advertises that it will work. If you dump diesel in your engine and it meses things up, you are on your own, if you put something in your oil that says it can be used in oil, then you stand a good chance of not screwing things up.
Marvel Mystery oil comes to mind. All diesel does is dilute oil.
There are no detergents in it and no beneficial reason to put diesel in the oil.
While ATF and Marvel Mystery oil have detergents in them.

 

I tried the Marvel Mystery Oil already..To me its seams like it just watered down the oil and uses more oil..any other ways of trying to slow down the oil cumsumption????

 

Well, fixing the problem sounds like a good idea.
Truthfully, if Marvel doesn't help, then diesel ain't gonna help.
And all the additives in the world aren't going to help.
There are times that you either live with the problem or you fix it.
How much in oil are you going to spend, before the cost of the repair has been exceeded?

Quick fixes and miracle cures aren't gonna do it. If you are using 2 quarts of oil, there is a problem and it ain't gonna get better. Do yourself a favor and either dump the vehicle for another, have it repaired, repair it yourself or don't drive it too much more.
Not alot of options, the way I see it.

As for the seller not telling you about it, well....
You're surprised by that? When ever anyone buys a vehicle, it should be checked out. If they aren't that familiar with vehicles, then they should have someone who is check it out.

 

well this is not a smart remark..but r u telling if a machanic looked at it ..he would say don't buy this truck ..its burning oil..realisticly..like i said it was not smoking and the plugs looked fine..i think even if a machanic looked at it from the outside he could have made the same mistake..also..when i bought the truck..the title said it had 70,000 miles when he bought the truck..i have recently looked at the owners manual..and it says in 1995 it had 92,000 miles..when i registered it..the guy wrote it had 83,000 miles..but anyways..i don't have the money to fix it right..as of now..and as far as the guy who sold it too me..well he lives in the same town as me..ill see him one day and let him know..ill thank him

 

No, I am saying that there are some checks that could have been made.
A leakdown check, compression check and IF you are burning that much oil, it may not look like it to you, but it WOULD show on the plugs.
Even an emissions check with an exhaust gas analyzer would have detected a problem. Pulling the O2 sensor to see how it looked should have shown some signs of oil on the sensor.
Am I saying that a mechanic would have caught it?
Yes, if he had a clue and had some time with the vehicle.
A person is going to invest money into a vehicle, yet they don't want to spend any money on having it checked out, then are upset when the seller didn't say anything. Not to sound crass or anything, but any used vehicle should be checked out, especiaaly if a person is spending any kind of money on it.

I'm not telling you that a mechanic would have told you not to buy the truck, just that you would have made an informed decision.
Compression check, leakdown check and exhaust gas check, these are and always have been common practice for inspecting used vehicles.
These checks will go along way to help determine the condition of the engine.

Ok, all of that said, there is one more thing that might (and this is an extreme long shot) work, provided it is stuck rings and not worn out rings or valve seals. You can try some GM Top Engine cleaner, follow the directions to the letter. It cleans the valves and pistons of carbon. I seriously doubt it will help though.

Now, if it has been determined that it is valve seals, you can replace the valve seals with the head on. Pull the plugs, slide some cotton rope into the cylinder, leaving a couple inches hanging out to pull it back out again, then turn the engine by hand until the rope comes up against the valve and piston (not too tight).
Then pull the valve cover, pull the rockers (see a quality service manual) and then using a valve spring compressor that is designed for not pulling the head, compress the valve spring, pop the keeper and remove the vavle spring. If there is a valve seal left, remove it. Then install the new valve seal. Put everything back together. Change oil and filter.
Upper gasket set with valve seals is around $40.
Good luck.

 

Has anyone ever seen Gunk engine flush??Guess what that stuff really is???diesel fuEL!!!!!!!! gO TO AUTOZONE AND BUY SOME CHEAP OIL AND put a quart of diesel fuel along with the oil and run engine for awhile......free up your oil scraper rings.....watch the new oil turn black.....Did you look at your vacum lines????Then drain it out and fill with fresh oil

 

I got a question for you.When you did the oil pan gasket was there a hose conected to intake from oil pan????A lot of japanese engines have a setup like this.