95 Monte oil usage

[Carpainter29]

Hi all. I just inherited my moms old car, its a 95 Monte Z34. She bought this car new, and it only has 61000 miles on it. Ive been driving it back and forth to work for about three months now, and it runs absolutely perfect. The only problem that im having is its using a quart of oil every 1000 miles. I know all the service history on the car, timing belt, intake gaskets etc. Is there anything that is common on these that would make them burn oil?? i know it doesnt leak, my driveway is clean as can be. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[85_Olds_Ciera]

using a quart of oil every 1000 miles.

1. Valve Stem seals

Have someone look at the tailpipe when you start it up in the morning (after it has sat for 8 hours).....any smoke?

2. Oil Control Rings

You most likely will not see the smoke coming out...but an emission test could find it.

Note - If any of the rings have stuck...this too...might change oil...run it 1,000 miles, and then change it again...fat chance...

[Carpainter29]

I highly doubt rings due to the low mileage and service history of the car, unless rings were a COMMON problem on the 3.4 . And no it doesnt smoke at startup.

[85_Olds_Ciera]

I ...doubt rings

2007 - 1995 = 12 Years
61,000 / 12 years = 5083.3 miles/year

Was the oil changed every three months? How long did it sit with "sludge" in it? Rings can stick to the piston...and cause this...but

>been driving it back and forth to work

How far is work from your home...does the engine get up to full temperature?

All engines will burn some oil...all...but if you do a lot of Start/Stop in short duration...then rings will not be fully expanded, and you can use more oil.

Btw, I've got a 82 Impalla with 200,000+ on it, and it uses a quart in 2,000 miles...but my shortest Start/Stop is like 5 miles...normally 13+.

[GremlinZ34]

My 1992 Lumina Z34 with 131,000 miles on it uses just as much oil in the same amount of time.

My vote is Valve Guides. I had recently done the upper and lower intake manifold gaskets and noticed build-up on my valves.

It is common with these engines to go through the valve guides rather quickly.

Now its pricing the fix thats the hard part.

[85_Olds_Ciera]

My vote is Valve Guides. I had recently done the upper and lower intake manifold gaskets and noticed build-up on my valves.

Yes...but 12 year old vehicle...Valve Stem Seals become defective...so on intake stroke, it sucks oil through.

I put together a 3.8 motor from two different motors...with some 100,000+ miles on each...I installed good intake valve-stem seals...passed Denver Emission Testing five years later, and with some 60,000 miles later. [About 160,000 miles on heads without R&R).

Yes, one may have to clean up valves/etc when doing head work...but having good intake valve-stem seals is a must, as one company says:

Enginetech umbrella valve stem seals are so unique...they're patented

You can virtually eliminate valve stem seal-related oil consumption comebacks with the Rebuilder's Valve Stem Seal, from Enginetech. It makes all other seals obsolete!
...
...
Positive Seals
Enginetech's positive seals solve the problems common to most other guide-mounted seals which starve the guide of oil at first, leading to premature wear. That, in turn, causes oil to flood through the guides.

Enginetech uses a spring-loaded state-of-the art Viton lip to meter oil precisely from the first day. This fluoroelastomer material is extremely resistant to heat, oil additives and abrasion.

[85_Olds_Ciera]

The only problem that im having is its using a quart of oil every 1000 miles.

What's the Verdict?

[Carpainter29]

well im not gonna tear it apart, it was a free car. No point in me taking it apart, that would be just silly. Ill wait till something rears its ugly head. To me oil is pretty cheap.

[85_Olds_Ciera]

Ill wait till something rears its ugly head. To me oil is pretty cheap.

Maybe several quick oil change/filters every 1,000 miles might be tried.

Engines need to come up to temperature....if your thermostat is running cold, this too could be related...know anyone with a scan tool?

If just short trips are the norm, this may be the reason why higher usage.

[Carpainter29]

Nah, i put 50 miles on it a day. Ill hook it to the scanner and see what the actual operating temp is. Otherwise i think im gonna drive it and see what happens

[pontiacdohc@gmail.com]

nobody hear thinks its the Dis O-Ring ???

[Carpainter29]

Already changed that..............

[85_Olds_Ciera]

nobody hear thinks its the Dis O-Ring ???

From what he describes, no oil leaks...then the motor is burning it...which way, I don't know.

[85_Olds_Ciera]

Hi all. I just inherited my moms old car, its a 95 Monte Z34

Here you go...get the full details: THE 3.4 DOHC 24 VALVE

One more area to inspect often is the oil pump drive. This is located on the
rear (LH) of the motor, under the throttlebody. While almost impossible to
see from up top, if it starts leaking oil it will leak oil VERY FAST!!! The oil
pump drive is a leftover from the 2.8/3.1 design. It is where the Distributor
used to go. With the advent of DIS, the dist is gone, but the gears and oil
pump remain. This is sealed with an O-ring alone. On the other side, is a
pressurized gallery. When (not if) the O-ring breaks, engine oil will leak
under whatever oil pressure is available. In extreme cases, a quart every
100 miles is possible. More bad news: to replace the .29 O-ring, the upper
half of the motor must come off. Replacement requires cylinder head removal.
Only good part is if this happens, you can replace a bunch of other parts with
virtually no labor...it's already apart.

[95Grand-Am]

Change the PCV valve that sometime helps.