United Tire and Service News

There are many reasons why your car could lose oil. However, the most common reason for your vehicle losing oil is that there is some type of oil leak. You will typically see the oil lights on if your car is losing oil. These oil leaks can cause your car to lose oil fairly quickly.

 

But what if you're noticing a loss of oil but there isn't any visible leak? In the event that there is no oil leak, there are other reasons why your car might be losing oil. Here is what you should know about your car losing oil without a leak. Continue reading to learn more about how this can happen. 

 

One possible explanation for your car losing oil without a leak is that it is burning oil. Your car can burn oil when faulty engine components let the oil get into the car's combustion chamber. One sign that your car might be burning oil is if you see blue-tinted smoke emerging from your car's exhaust.

However, you might not be able to notice this smoke if your car's engine is only burning small amounts of oil. It is perfectly normal for some vehicles to burn a greater amount of oil than other vehicles. 

 

Despite this, it is not normal for your car to have low levels of oil on a consistent basis. If this happens, you should visit your local United Tire and get your vehicle serviced as quickly as possible. If your car loses too much oil, the vehicle can experience significant engine damage.

This damage can require you to pay for costly repairs. This damage can be even more severe if you have an older vehicle that has more than 100,000 miles on it. If your vehicle has fewer than 50,000 miles on it, it should only require a quart of extra oil between oil changes. 

 

There are a number of things that can cause your car to burn oil. One of these possible causes is a worn-out PCV valve. Your car's PCV system is critical because it gets rid of harmful gasses that are created during engine combustion. The PCV system accomplishes this by redirecting excess gasses back into the combustion chamber. These gasses are then burned again before they exit the vehicle with the exhaust. 

 

If the PCV system becomes clogged, it can lead to serious oil blowback. With a clogged PCV system, the oil goes into the engine via the air intake. The simplest way to resolve this issue is to replace your PCV valve. 

 

If your vehicle has worn-out cylinder walls or piston rings, this can also make it burn oil. Piston rings create a seal against the vehicle's cylinder walls to ensure combustion gasses don't escape and sustain engine compression. If the cylinder wall is deteriorating or the piston rings are worn out, the seal might not work correctly. This can allow oil to go into the combustion chamber, burn, and you will have less oil than you had at the start. 

 

A worn-out valve seal can make your engine burn oil. Valve stem seals are intended to regulate valve lubrication and oil consumption. A faulty valve has the opposite effect. A damaged or worn-out valve seal can leak oil into the vehicle's engine cylinders. This oil may even reach the combustion chamber. 

 

As you have seen, quite a few things can cause your engine to burn oil. If there is no leak, the oil loss causes are typically a damaged or worn-out engine component. Regardless, if you notice your engine burning oil, contact your local United Tire location or schedule an appointment online as soon as possible.