How to make a car burn more oil?

[savatage1973]

At only 70K it should not be drinking a quart of oil in the course of 800 miles--even if it is a "rough service" vehicle--like a cab or cop car. I had an old Dodge minivan that didn't use that much oil even when I finally got rid of it at 286K.

Another "sleazy" trick that you could pull (and I am not recommending committing fraud), but you could change the oil filter right before you take it in for evaluation--just the filter. I don't do this for testing purposes--I do it to maximize oil life--I change just the filter every 3K, and all I have to add is about a half quart to top it off--then at the next 3K interval, I change both the oil, oil filter, and air filter. I use very high quaility synthetic lubricants and filters, so the oil is still good up to 10K or so I am told, but changing the filter extends the life and cleanliness of the oil.

 

[petehall347]

if its the d4d engine it is way overdue a cam belt change . 60k on them ..i just did one . autodata got it wrong yet again saying 2.7 hours ..took me 2 afternoons so i lost money on my time .. seems everything on them rav fours is a p.i.t.a . have done a few jobs on this one like steering rack swap and brakes rebuild . both of them jobs not easy ..

 

[mkane]

If and when you get it rebuild don't baby the thing. If you do the rings won't seat. Throw a quart of gasoline in the crankcase when it a qt low. Gas in the oils a sure sign of blow by.

 

[zebra03]

Actually, the cold is probably not going to help due to the oil remaining "thicker" at the higher end of its viscosity range. You need higher heat to get the oil to "thin out" to get past the rings and any marginal valve seals. Probably, your best bet to "fail" the test is to run on the highway and get everything good and hot, and then park the vehicle in your driveway and let it idle for an hour or two or longer--keeps the engine good and hot and puts zero miles on the odometer. That should burn off enough oil without racking up the miles--just a thought. Even a good dose of in-town stop and go driving will get an engine good and hot--just don't make multiple short trips (it won't stay hot)--just do a couple of hours cruising the mall and going virtually nowhere (mileage-wise), but still having the vehicle running on the hot side.

Plus , leave a brick on the throttle .

 

[Tim64]

Try 0W-20 weight oil.

Go with what finnbow suggest and say nothing about the oil weight you are using.

 

[GearHead454]

Pour some sand in the valves.

 

[Ohighway]

They tape over the fill cap, I dont think they touched the dipstick cap.
Good idea

If the point is to " use" a lot of oil, just drain a little out of the drain plug. Why would they tape over the fill cap? They certainly wouldn't expect you to add more oil if you're trying to prove excessive consumption.

 

[gadget73]

Do a lot of engine braking. The high vacuum condition caused by coasting will suck oil past worn rings.

If they had half a bit of sense, the dipstick tube, the oil drain plug and the oil filter would all be marked or sealed somehow to indicate tampering. Too easy to pull the dipstick and just suck some oil out that way. Its the standard way of changing oil on a marine engine.

 

[Hyfi]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I am not going to do anything sinister. I did however realize that a long road trip burns more oil than just back and forth to work. I an driving to Stowe Vermont for vacation the first week of March. My plan is to have the test setup a few days before I go and if I didn't under estimate my mileage, I should be just under when I get back and hopefully will have burned the amount of oil needed to justify the repairs. If it doesn't oh well I just keep adding oil til I sell it in a year or so.

 

[Bob]

here's something out of left field. try several fuel injector cleaners - one per fill-up. then
add (add only one: MMO, seafoam, or kreen) to the oil. during your trip but probably not
during your dealer oil test.

I had a 200K+ mile car that threatened to fail California smog. did this for 3 months before
(and I tried everything in the gas that you could find in a bottle at kragens) and the
smog dropped to well below limits.

my guess was that it cleaned up everything in the path that directly or indirectly contributed
to the problem. the gas mileage, which you would think would be better, didn't change.

 

[Chip Chester]

A couple of things... First, when you change the oil and fill it up, then check the stick to see it says 'full', there's still new oil trickling down from the top of the engine at the oil fill. So there's a 'pad' in Toyota's favor. While this small overfill is no real problem operationally, it is when you're quibbling over a few ounces of oil. So either have them add an amount measured externally (by quart cans plus a measuring cup) or don't evaluate 'full' on the dipstick until it's been sitting an hour or so.

To increase consumption without computer evidence, I would arrange to slightly pressurize the crankcase. This could be by a T-fitting on the crankcase side of the pcv valve, or some other convenient place, introducing a small amount of air pressure. I don't believe engine computers have sensors for crankcase pressure. (You might read up on that, though.) You goal is not necessarily to defraud, but rather to ensure the 'official' measurement matches reality.

Chip

 

[WillVT]

A couple of things... First, when you change the oil and fill it up, then check the stick to see it says 'full', there's still new oil trickling down from the top of the engine at the oil fill. So there's a 'pad' in Toyota's favor. While this small overfill is no real problem operationally, it is when you're quibbling over a few ounces of oil. So either have them add an amount measured externally (by quart cans plus a measuring cup) or don't evaluate 'full' on the dipstick until it's been sitting an hour or so.

To increase consumption without computer evidence, I would arrange to slightly pressurize the crankcase. This could be by a T-fitting on the crankcase side of the pcv valve, or some other convenient place, introducing a small amount of air pressure. I don't believe engine computers have sensors for crankcase pressure. (You might read up on that, though.) You goal is not necessarily to defraud, but rather to ensure the 'official' measurement matches reality.

Chip

Yeah, I agree. Measuring at the dipstick is not a very accurate method, especially when it's down to a few ounces. Things like being on a level surface, and time waited after shutting off can definitely make a few ounce difference, both when filling, and checking to measure how much has been lost.

And have fun up here in VT!

 

[nj pheonix]

If you're borderline and find road trips cause more consumption. Keep it out of overdrive or top hear during trip. That should skew test in your favor, without really jeopardizing anything .
Throw in Gadget"s engine braking idea and you should be golden (assuming you're really that close to consuming that amount in the first place)

 

[sxty8goats]

I certainly don't want to do it fraudulently, but truly puzzled how one test can burn just under a quart and the next test shows it did not burn anything. I just want to make sure the dealer isn't defrauding me out of the repair.

Anything you do to effect the test apart from changing the way you drive the car would be fraudulent.

That said, the answer to the second part of your question "Why 1 qt in 800 miles vs very little loss in 1200" is driving conditions. Apart from a compromised lower end and leaks, most oil loss is due to blow by. High engine load will result in more oil being blown by the rings. So running along the highway at 80MPH is working the hell out of the motor. I drive a modified V8 LS1. When I drive for fun it normally involves coming into an exit at speed and downshifting like a mutha ****er. You can smell the oil when I come to a stop. The negative pressure from the downshift pulls a lot of oil through the rings. LS1s and most performance engines burn oil. It's part of the joy of ownership. I go through a quart in about 1500 miles. That's after melting a cam which resulted in a lot of metal running through the system. Pre-meltdown, she burned a quart every 3000.

So if you really want to burn oil honestly, drive it like you stole it. Anything other than that is fraud.