2003 Base, p0301, oil burn

[PapaVanTwee]

I just bought this car (stats below). I knew it was throwing a p0301 code when I bought it, but I figured it would be something simple, like plugs, a coil, or a fuel injector.

It runs fine, just a tiny bit rough on idle. I noticed a bit of smoke come out the back when I floored it at highway speed, and other times at high RPM, probably when the VVT kicks over. I am burning about a quart every 400 miles. My first tank of gas got 28.9 mpg, second was 36.8 mpg. I have put 800 miles on it. I also have had rotten egg smell coming from the cat occasionally.

I checked out the #1 cylinder's spark plug, and it is still properly spaced, with some white deposits. It is a copper plug, however, so I have laser iridium plugs on order and they should arrive tomorrow.

So, besides plugs, an oil change is in the works for this weekend. Any other suggestions on what this could be?

[Rayven01]

Seriously, copper plugs?! As they say, there's your problem right there! Or at least A problem. Burn characteristics between copper/platinum/iridium are very different at the tight specs they design these engines for. Putting the right plugs in should definitely help, although running the coppers may have exacerbated the other issues. Sending that much burnt oil (a quart every 400 is a LOT) through the cat has probably toasted it.

[Salsa Guy]

With the P0301 it could be the coil. That oil usage is excessive. If it's blow by the engine is toast.

Goodluck

[triz]

Copper Plugs should not be a problem apart from the fact you have to change them more often. Some guys say they get a performance increase off the copper plugs. What type of gas are you using in your vehicle? Use quality tier gas like Shell/Mobil/Exxon. Seems like it is running very rich and most likely due to the P0301 code. Once you figure that out your smell will probably go away.

Did you try switching the coil pack around and see if the code moves around? If it does then its likely the coil pack.

Christ a quart every 400 miles? Was the engine rebuilt or something? 03 engines did not suffer much from piston ring issues like earlier 1zz engines though depending on date of manufacture it can be. That would worry me. A few people have had success using BG 109 for oil consumption if you want to give that a shot. I would try and correct the P0301 code first, monitor your oil situation and use the BG 109. A misfire can cause all type of havoc so that is where I would start.

[circuitsmith]

If the previous owners cheaped out on the plugs they probably neglected oil filters and changes too.
Blowing smoke when accelerating on the highway, especially after decel, is a sign of worn or stuck rings.
A compression test is in order.

[triz]

Agreed. Don't know how that slipped my mind. Compression test will tell you a lot.

[PapaVanTwee]

I have the new plugs in, and it seems to idle smoother. I also rotated the coils, moving the right most coil (the #1 cylinder?) to the left most (#4?) and shifted the rest to the right. My plan is to do a pressure test this weekend. I am also going to do an oil change, and may do a Seafoam flush of the oil before the change if the pressure test is okay.

No rotten egg smell today, but the MPG went down below 28 after a promising 37 last fillup, and 29 the first measurable one. There was more city driving, however.

Found two good articles on diagnosing and fixing this problem. Thanks to all for your current help, and I hope tomorrow and this weekend will give us some better clues as to what this could be.

http://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/toyota ... re-codes-1
http://www.justanswer.com/pontiac/3pntu ... -time.html

[Salsa Guy]

Seafoam could make matters worse. DO the compression test first, seafoam could be waste of money.

[triz]

I have the new plugs in, and it seems to idle smoother. I also rotated the coils, moving the right most coil (the #1 cylinder?) to the left most (#4?) and shifted the rest to the right. My plan is to do a pressure test this weekend. I am also going to do an oil change, and may do a Seafoam flush of the oil before the change if the pressure test is okay.

No rotten egg smell today, but the MPG went down below 28 after a promising 37 last fillup, and 29 the first measurable one. There was more city driving, however.

Found two good articles on diagnosing and fixing this problem. Thanks to all for your current help, and I hope tomorrow and this weekend will give us some better clues as to what this could be.

http://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/toyota ... re-codes-1
http://www.justanswer.com/pontiac/3pntu ... -time.html

I'll assume you have a code reader so you can recheck if the P0301 has turned into P0304.

I would go with this instead of the Seafoam. A few guys on Spyderchat that have the 00-01 1zz's that are known for oil consumption have used it and came back with positive results. I do not sell it and have never used it but thought I would pass this along from a group of knowledgeable people at another forum who have had a similar issue.

http://www.infinitipartsusa.com/BG-109- ... /bg109.htm

[PapaVanTwee]

I am done with the first round of testing. Cylinder one (next to the timing belt) had a 120psi, the rest were at 150psi. If using the 15% formula is right, no cylinder should be below 127psi, so we've found why #1 is misfiring. Now I need to do a wet test (putting a dab of oil in the cylinder) to see if the pressure goes up. If it does, it's rings, if not, it's valves. It was coffee time, and you don't mess with your Dutch wife's 10am coffee time.

[PapaVanTwee]

Did the wet test, it came up 150psi, so it's rings. I'm looking into BG 109, although I work at a parts warehouse, so I'll check there, too.

Went ahead and did the oil change. If I need to do a flush of any sort, I'll just cut this oil short to do so. I do 1000 miles in a week, so it wouldn't be more than a month or so anyway. I used MAG 1 5w30 Dexos Full Synthetic ($30 for 6 quarts on Amazon) and a MANN filter. Started up and ran smooth at first, but after a trip to return the compression tester, the miss is definitely back. The oil was pretty dirty, so it needed the change badly. Maybe running it on clean oil will help down the line.

Something I neglected to mention earlier, I did a fuel injector test to see which cylinder was "dead" at idle. When disconnecting the 2-4 injectors, the engine missed more. Disconnecting #1 did practically nothing. Last fill up was 32mpg. I can't see how I could be getting such good gas mileage (29, 37, 27 and 32 for an average of 32) with the miss, although I don't notice a lack of power, and it does run smooth when not idling.

[PapaVanTwee]

Update: Used BG 109 as directed, it failed to curtail the oil burning. I'm filling with 20W-50 oil at the moment, and don't think even that is slowing down the burning. Thinking of doing a piston soak as the last resort before opening the engine. Getting 30-31 mpg on average. I'm considering taking off the head and working on fixing the rings myself. Problem with that it is the most I've ever done is change a valve gasket on my last car due to oil in the plug wells. I've never done a project this deep into the engine. Is that wise, or should I seek professional help, and thus a lot more money?

[triz]

Checking the thread. He says it takes 2 applications to see a change.

http://www.spyderchat.com/forums/showth ... lems/page2

[Salsa Guy]

Any type of chemical treatment won't last. Running that thick of oil will cause other issues in the long run. If you are getting good MPGs I wouldn't bother with doing anything until it dies. Re-building the engine with out the knowledge or tools would be a mess.
2 Options
1) Buy a used engine for $700-$900 and have it installed for another $700-$900
2) Have yours rebuild for $1400 to $1800

[Nasmfell]

Any type of chemical treatment won't last. Running that thick of oil will cause other issues in the long run. If you are getting good MPGs I wouldn't bother with doing anything until it dies. Re-building the engine with out the knowledge or tools would be a mess.
3 Options
1) Buy a used engine for $700-$900 and have it installed for another $700-$900
2) Have yours rebuild for $1400 to $1800

3) Sell and get something else

[PapaVanTwee]

I have thought on option 3. But I would be selling without telling the buyer the complete problem and glossing over it. I'm leaning toward a rebuild, however. I deliver parts to several shops, and I'm going to ask around. The issue here, like with many Saturns I have owned, is that the holes for draining oil near the rings are probably plugged. There are also probably only two. If I get a rebuild, I want them to drill a few more holes so this won't be a problem.

I would do it myself, but I found this thread over at Toyota Nation. Looks pretty involved, and I need most of the tools mentioned. I could probably do it if I had someone like my dad helping, as he used to be a mechanic. But alone, I am not sure I'd want to do it.

I'll be doing some more rounds of soak/flush with MMO and/or BG 109. Some people have luck with them. I did notice some improvement in smoothness on idle. I'll be up for a change next week, so I will let you know how it goes.

[PapaVanTwee]

Did a full day (instead of a few minutes) of flush last Friday, drained the oil when done and soaked the pistons while it was still warm. Finished oil change on Sunday morning. Doesn't seem to have made a big difference.

I'm getting the feeling I'm going to have to fix or sell it.

[Nasmfell]

Did a full day (instead of a few minutes) of flush last Friday, drained the oil when done and soaked the pistons while it was still warm. Finished oil change on Sunday morning. Doesn't seem to have made a big difference.

I'm getting the feeling I'm going to have to fix or sell it.

You're leaning on selling aren't you?

[circuitsmith]

Low compression means the top rings are not doing their job.
It's not just crud in the oil rings.
Soaking and flushes won't help worn compression rings or cylinder bores.

[lannvouivre]

Did a full day (instead of a few minutes) of flush last Friday, drained the oil when done and soaked the pistons while it was still warm. Finished oil change on Sunday morning. Doesn't seem to have made a big difference.

I'm getting the feeling I'm going to have to fix or sell it.

Can your dad come help at all?

Keep in mind that if you had it rebuilt, it would be pretty much like a new engine. I definitely understand your feelings about selling it and having to be dishonest, plus you may not get enough out of it to get something equivalent or better.

[PapaVanTwee]

Did a full day (instead of a few minutes) of flush last Friday, drained the oil when done and soaked the pistons while it was still warm. Finished oil change on Sunday morning. Doesn't seem to have made a big difference.

I'm getting the feeling I'm going to have to fix or sell it.

You're leaning on selling aren't you?

I go between that and fixing it. Depends on how much I feel about keeping it. Because it's still a blast to drive.