So many of the regulars here have probably at least heard of the issues I have been having over the last 7 months.

2005 MT, 63,500 miles, owned since 8,600 miles. Late 2005 build.

Cat failure in December, during the diagnosis, replaced my entire ignition system, final realize it's the cat, replaced cat under warranty.

Never returned to normal after that. Running richer and richer over time, start losing more and more power, especially down low, as it would just bog like it was getting flooded with fuel.

Compression test in April at one incompetent dealer and got 4.8s and 5.0s, told no engine replacement needed. Got a 2nd opinion at another dealer the next day and came back with 7.0s and 7.1s across the board, normalized for low starter speed.

Told to come back in a few months for a new engine

Replaced starter, returned to the dealer middle of June for another compression test. Same dealer, same tech, same machine, got 8.0-8.1 on the rear rotor, 8.4s, 8.5 on the front rotor, plenty of crank speed.

Power loss issues continue, 6th gear is hard to maintain speed when at or under any highway speed limit, increasing speed so revs are over 4.5k and cruise is easily maintained without issue (or dropping a gear to 5th). Getting more and more bogging, most severe under low rpm, low load, "cool" engine conditions (ambient here has been 90+ for several weeks, so never really "cold"). Over 4.5k was like having a turbo spool in, a sudden surge of power almost back to where it used to be.

Once before at night I had a ghost of smoke behind me, in another car's lights, but couldn't really say I was generating it, and if it was even smoke, or if it was dust.

Over the weekend at a friend's house, former member here, he said that riding behind me reaked of oil, as if I was premixing a quarter per tank and didn't have a cat on.

Yesterday leave my driveway, bogs down slightly to the end of my street (like 200ft), turn left to the next road, bogs like crazy, then picks back up suddenly with a surge as I pass 4.5rpm, I glance in my mirror and see a massive cloud of blue smoke filling the street back to my corner. Sit at a stop sign a few hundred feet farther and have blue smoke curling around me from my tailpipes.

Pull out onto the next road, a main one with higher speed, and the smoke stops almost immediately (burn off done?)


So only 2 reasons I can think of for sudden burning of a large amount of oil: Oil overflow into the intake and oil control ring failure/failing.


I got back home 10 minutes later, pulled apart my intake and while there was a faint residue of oil, no recent accumulation.

So oil control ring failure is what I am guessing at, and it fits all my symptoms. Including higher oil consumption than normal (by roughly double I think)


The question is, how do I prove it, if I am not pumping blue smoke out of my tail pipes consistently? Just wait until I am?

My dealer is good, honest and knowledgeable. 90 minutes away from me, passing like 5 other dealers because taking my 8 there is worth it. I'll call them later today, but figured I would get some thoughts from the experts here for pointers in anything else to check, any other ways to get proof of this.

 

So a simple equation should be excessive oil out the tailpipe should equal more oil being added to the engine than is normal for most folks without a problem. I've got an '03 build 6spd 04 with a reman engine - car has 100k on the clock and replacement motor has 45k of that 100k. I go through about a quart every 1,000 miles or so depending on use of the accelerator. I think this is pretty normal for others I've seen posts from over the years.

Does this map in any way to what your seeing?

 

I bought the car at 8,600 miles, and it is currently at 63,500. up until about 55,000 miles, I was right with you on consumption. About a quart every 1,000 to 1,500 miles.

I am currently up to about a quart every 700 miles. It takes just a few days for my rear bumper to accumulate noticeable oil dust.


High oil consumption isn't a usable method to prove oil control ring failure to a dealer however, as I would need them to drive the car 700+ miles for them to see it. And that isn't going to happen.

Once it fails enough that I am continuing to emit oil smoke, the dealer can recognize it quickly, but I am not at that point. It has only been twice now, and seems like colder ambient/engine temps is when has happened (engine 'cooled down', ambient mid 60s), so perhaps the expansion of the engine components is sealing better and avoiding a large dump of oil into the engine when warmed up, and ambient of 80+ (which is where the day has been, night is still in the 70s).

 

No expert on this.

But if you can confirm it emits blue smoke on cold engine and some guru here confirms its to do with the actual engine.

You could always tow the car to the dealer, and perform the diagnostic there without waiting for engine to cool down if time is of an issue!

Regards

 

As soon as it's consistent enough to reproduce under conditions I can control, then certainly, that's what I will do.

But at 74 ambient yesterday morning, 89 after work, and 77 this morning. Slight bogging when the engine is cool, but no smoke.



And by bogging I mean noticeable hesitation and stuttering. General flat power loss at low rpm is present even when warm. And yes, I know how much I SHOULD have at low RPM, and I know it's not alot. Hitting 4.5k or so used to still be smooth power from 2k or so all the way to redline. Hitting 4.5k now feels like a kick in the pants compared to before, but only up to where it used to be.


My SevenStock trip is in 7 weeks (7,500 miles), and I don't want to get stranded on that trip waiting for it to fail far enough for a dealer to see it easily, or have it fail a week or so before the trip and then have my 8 sitting at a dealer for Sevenstock and make me have to cancel the trip, hence my hunting for a way to prove it soon.

 

I experienced that bogging effect when my interceptor x was installed (later removed)

Anything to do with tune? injectors?

 

No, completely stock 8.


Well. Clear corners....IT MUST BE MY CLEAR CORNERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

sorry to revive such an old thread
but did you end up getting the engine replaced
my car stutters at 7500 rpm and has cloud of blue smoke and intake gets filled, but the oil level was near the 3/4 mark so was not overfilled

 

Yes, 32,500 miles later at 95,935 miles. I believe my cat failure damaged the engine, most likely the coolant seals.