My pathfinder is using oil

[ncaadfinder]

My truck is using 3 quarts of oil in between oil changes. The truck runs great and does not leak oil, smoke on start up or while I'm accelerating. Any ideas why ?

[Towncivilian]

What kind of oil & filter do you use? Are you certain there are no leaks? What is the manufacturing date of your Pathfinder (found on the driver door jamb sticker)?

[ncaadfinder]

Man. Date 02/00. I use Valvoline premium conventional oil in 5w30 and the
Canadian Tire brand oil filter. I never noticed any leaks under the truck or on the ground.

[00pathyse]

Pcv valve?

[Chuck Tribolet]

How many miles between oil changes?
Is this the 2001 in your profile (00/02 manufacturing date seems early for a 2001)?
How many miles on your PF? (I know it says 140,000 in your profile, but that may be out of date).

Chuck

[ncaadfinder]

I hope not. Its under my upper plenum and that would be a lot of work.Is there any way to test a pcv on this truck without opening up the plenum?

[Towncivilian]

Not really. The PCV is actually below the lower intake manifold collector and is hell to access. I've changed mine just as preventative maintenance and it was not pleasant. But a malfunctioning PCV valve can certainly contribute to oil consumption.

[ncaadfinder]

Chuck,
I change the oil approx. every 4000 miles as I use it for in town short trips mainly. It shows the second month of 2000 as the man. date. It has 148,108 miles on it to be exact. Is it possible to seafoam the engine through the intake hose to clean the pvc valve or is this just a snake oil gimmick?

[Towncivilian]

4k miles is a reasonable interval for conventional oil. Maybe try a 5W-30 high-mileage oil; Valvoline MaxLife is worth a try. If oil consumption does not slow or even increases somewhat, just be patient - it may take a few oil changes to have any effect.

I don't believe the PCV hose is easily accessible without removal of the upper intake manifold, at the very least. Maybe my memory fails me. Nonetheless, a carbon-ed up or clogged PCV hose probably would not receive much benefit from just a single Seafoam / decarbonization...

Try 20oz bottles of Techron in two back-to-back tanks with lots of spirited driving to help clean out any carbon buildup.

How's the air filter look? Can you remove the air intake tube and take a picture or two of the throttle body? If it's crazy dirty then that would signify lots of blow-by through the PCV system.

[suzook]

A quart of oil every 1300 miles on a motor with 150k miles sounds about normal. Dont stress it. Just top it off..and drive.

[Towncivilian]

I wouldn't call that normal nowadays. My Pathfinder has 145.5k on it and burns maybe 4oz throughout a 6k mile oil change.

[ncaadfinder]

The air filter is good. I cleaned the throttle body about 2 months ago and it wasn't that bad as I try to clean it on a yearly basis. I think I will try some high mileage oil and the gas treatment. Is there some type of gas treatment similar in Canada that is like the Techron you mentioned Towncivilian? Is there a special chemical in it to make it the one you recommend ? I think 3 quarts used is a quite high and I want to stay on top of this so it doesn't become worse.

[Towncivilian]

Chevron Techron (fuel system cleaner - not the cheaper "injector cleaner"/ProGard), Gumout Regane, Redline SI-1, all contain PEA (polyether amines) which is a proven fuel system cleaner that cleans effectively without leaving behind its own deposits as solvent-based cleaners would. BMW, Kia/Hyundai and probably a few other makes sell and use re-branded Techron.

[ncaadfinder]

Ok,thx. I will source a brand you mentioned above. If I can't find it in Canada then I will find one that has PEA in it. I will keep you posted.

[Towncivilian]

CRC Guaranteed To Pass also contains PEA if you can't manage to find any of the products I mentioned. It is also the most expensive and doesn't have much, if any, benefit over the other three.

[ncaadfinder]

Ok thx.
I found one with PEA in it. Here is part of the spec.

It contains : Polyether Amine HMIRC Reg 7117
Approx. 10-30 % of content.

[Towncivilian]

That should be fine. Just make sure it can treat your typical fill up amount.

[ncaadfinder]

Ok. I will try it.

[ncaadfinder]

After using a fuel treatment containing P.E.A. in it for two tanks and using a high mileage conventional oil I only have used about 1 and a half quarts of oil in the past three month. It has used 50% less oil then before and runs a lot smoother due too the injector cleaner...