Hey All,

My 2003 Cooper S (72k) has been burning oil like a champ—about a liter every 1,000 miles. Puff of smoke on startup indicates leaky valve stem seals. Also lots of oil in the intercooler indicates oil suckage. Burns much more oil when it's hot and when I redline it.

Any advice on next steps to identify any other problems and help prevent oil burning? Leak-down test? Heavier oil? Install a catch can? Complete teardown and rebuild of the engine?

BTW, I recently had a compression test done, it's at about 152 psi across all cylinders. Also it pulls strong, runs smooth.

Thanks!

 

Leak down test would be the next step, but if you're using that much oil chances are you're in for head work and/or rings. Catch cans don't stop oil consumption, they only catch oil particulate traveling through the PCV system.

 

Thanks! Can an engine have good compression while still burning oil? Would that indicate leaky valves more than rings?

 

Yes, you can still burn oil with good compression.

You need to do a leak down test, only then will you know what your biggest concern is.

Chances are the valve guide seals are dry and hard anyway, so a head refresh wouldn't hurt, but you have to diagnose the problem first.

 

Thanks, I'll get it done!