Right then, a thread not about my ropey old SAAB. It's the ropey old Mazda this time.
I've noticed over the last 2 years that it does use a bit of oil, and I've been thinking maybe it's excessive. So I did an oil change in mid-August, filled it to just over the max mark (whoops, never mind, I know it burns a bit) and noted the mileage (81177), and have been watching the dipstick ever since. Today, with the odometer on 82450, it just dropped below the MIN mark, so I have topped up, with half a litre of oil, and it's just below MAX again. So I reckon about 3/4 litre at most over 1300 miles and 6 weeks.
The engine is the 2.0 petrol variant, 147PS/BHPs/Wotevs.
Does this sound like acceptable consumption, or shall I get Mr Trusted Indie Mechanic to look for leaks at MOT time next month?
Last edited by: Alanović on Tue 6 Oct 15 at 16:29
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sorry forget that
Last edited by: Focusless on Tue 6 Oct 15 at 16:36
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Unless the rate of consumption has changed, then I wouldn't worry about it.
p.s. Do NOT put "Mazda 6 Excessive Oil Consumption" into Google. You will are be depress and disappoint.
p.p.s. Keep the Saab, flog the Mazda, buy a Volvo. There's a good one for sale near you, only one fault - in the ventilation system.
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>> Does this sound like acceptable consumption, or shall I get Mr Trusted Indie Mechanic to
>> look for leaks at MOT time next month?
If you have a 3/4 litre over two months oil leak, you don't need mr trusted indie to find it, you will see it, around the engine or on your drive
It's being burned, and there is nothing mr trusted indie can do economically to fix it ( tho check all the breather pipes are not blocked , pressure could be blowing it past seals)
It's being burned, a litre every 1.5 to 2 k miles is not excessive, some engines are just oil burners. If it doesn't get worse, live with it - its no big issue
Last edited by: Zero on Tue 6 Oct 15 at 20:27
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Cheers, chaps. I'll get Mr Trusted Indie to check the breather pipes.
It hasn't been getting worse so far as I can tell. I can't see any oil around the engine, and I wouldn't see any on the drive due to the undertray, which seems to be made of a spongey absorbent material on the inside.
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I did 9,000 miles in a 2007 Mazda6 auto with the same 2.0 petrol 16v 147bhps lump. It has Mazda's version of VTEC, which meant no torque low down and a tendency for the autobox to kickdown from 5th to 4th to 3rd on the slightest motorway incline to maintain 70mph.
It did use oil; I can't remember how much but I do recall being surprised by it. That was nothing compared to its appetite for fuel though; it had to go as it was only doing 270 miles on a tankful.
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Same driving experience as me, Dave. Far too much kicking down on motorway inclines. I uses the manual shifter thing to lock in gear sometimes when I don't need extra acceleration.
Although I tend to get 350 miles out of a tank. I have seen 400, and as little as 325.
Just about acceptable as a daily driver. I'd rather be in my SAAB in fuel terms, over 500 miles out of a tank in that. But I'm reluctant to spend £800 on the gearbox to save a bit in fuel over the next year (will be replacing it next summer latest - maybe you saw the thread? ;-) )
Last edited by: Alanović on Tue 13 Oct 15 at 13:42
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Just to finish this one up, the car went for its MOT last Friday (passed with one advisory - surface corrosion on inner rear sills) and I had them look out for any leaks/blocked breather pipes. No leaks or other problems found, just burning a bit of oil evidently as suspected.
Thanks for the replies and comments.
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Has anyone mentioned replacing the PCV valve?
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Nope. What's that and why?
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"what's that .......?"
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crankcase_ventilation_system
There are lots of references to it if you google for 'pcv valve'.
Some 4 years ago, my wife's Focus 1.6 petrol (~80k miles) started using lots of oil - the thirst seemed to build up over 12 months or so. I reported this at the car's annual MoT/service, and the blokes replaced the pcv valve ....... some say it almost warrants being a standard service item.
After that was done, the oil consumption improved dramatically - I would estimate to about 20% of what it had been using.
I understand, however, that not all engines have this type of system.
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Googlin' for Mazda 6 PCV articles brings up a lot of stuff about the 2.3, 3.0 (didn't know they had them, must have been a yeehaw Yankee a-gas-guzzlin' option) and 1.8 engines, but nothing about the 2.0. None the wiser yet.
I think the 2.0 in mine (2006, 147PS, 144bhp) is a Ford engine. Am I right or a meringue (deploy Glasgow accent)?
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"I think the 2.0 in mine (2006, 147PS, 144bhp) is a Ford engine"
Sorry, I can't help you with that - but I was under the impression that most engines have a pcv valve these days. It's worth having a listen to this loon youtu.be/1Z4yek9oTfE
You may have already come across him in your google search.
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Another 2000 miles, another 3/4 litre of oil.
Does anyone think it might be a good idea to use a thicker oil when I change it? It's on 5w-30 at the moment. Maybe I should go for 10w-40. The handbook says either are OK, depending on the temperature (weather), and there's no way I'll go below or above the temperatures suitable for either oil in the UK.
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It passed its MOT a few months ago I think? Then presumably it can't be burning an excessive amount of oil or the emissions test would surely have picked up on something?
If its not dripping it and no breathers are blocked, then I don't see what you can do economically. If it was burning that much in a bad way it'd be rings, valves or similar - and it'll be cheaper to pay for the oil.
I think its just a higher consumption engine.
I would have thought a thicker oil would be a bad idea. But then I don't really know how much thicker it actually is.
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>> I would have thought a thicker oil would be a bad idea.
Why's that, out of interest?
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I would have assumed, without knowing, that it would flow slower and less willingly into smaller places, particularly at lower temperatures.
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Well the manufacturer's manual states a thicker grade is fine, within certain climactic limits, which I can't possibly breach in the UK, so it shouldn't be a problem. Might be worth a try, anyway.
Your thinking is right to an extent I reckon though, as the thicker oil is OK for use in a higher temperature range than the thinner, although without looking at the manual (it's 25 miles away) min operating temp is about -20 for the thick, so surely not a problem in Berkcestershire / North Hampshestershire.
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Another uneducated question is to wonder whether or not it would impact the fuel consumption?
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Not too bothered about the fuel consumption, it's only a short trip weekend car. Don't put many miles on it.
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>> How about 5w-40?
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Yeah, that might be favourite. Might start using that when my current 5l of the usual runs out.
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Did you rule out issues with the pcv valve?
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When I had a trusted garage look it over, they didn't find a problem. Obviously they may be wrong. Doing a google doesn't find anything in relation to the particular engine even having one, or any known problems if it does.
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"When I had a trusted garage look it over, they didn't find a problem."
If it were a clogged pcv valve, you wouldn't know until you took it out. My garage ruled out everything else, then changed the valve - and it did the trick. It's like an enlarged prostate - it happens to most blokes over a certain age, but nobody talks about it.
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But wouldn't you expect a dodgy PCV firstly to have first made a noticeable change and then get increasingly worse until it was very noticeably smoking and burning oil?
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"But wouldn't you expect a dodgy PCV firstly to have first made a noticeable change and then get increasingly worse....?
It dawned on me that oil consumption had increased dramatically - and it was getting worse. There was no obvious smoke....... if fact, no symptoms (to me) other than oil disappearance.
I don't profess to be an expert on the matter - it's just that the Focus had started to use a lot of oil - and this proved to be the answer. I'd never heard of the wretched pcv valve before but, when I looked for information, some seemed to feel that it should be changed as a routine service item.
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Ah. Well, my consumption is pretty stable. It isn't getting worse.
I think it's just a burner. Might well try the thicker oil still, if it makes a difference all well and good. If not, no big deal.
I seem to remember back in the 70s/80s my Dad telling me that you used thicker oil in older engines.
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Whip the plugs out and see if there's any sign of oil burning onnam. Post pic on 'ere may bee.
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Mazda Mazda 6 - 06 2.0 Oil consumption - Focusless
