1996 XJ 354,024 miles

Just hit the add line at my latest fill up yesterday. Loaded in 1 qt. Mobil1 5w30 High Mileage (btw, checkout price is lower at Walmart than what the shelf says). Just a shade under 2,000 miles since last oil change. IIRC, that is way less than industry standard.

 

So you are saying you burned a quart of oil in 2,000 miles?

 

Yes, looks that way. And last oil analysis was perfect too.

IIRC, industry standard is 1 qt/1,000 mi.

 

Really?
Sounds excessive to me.
Really can't go by me. But I change my oil every six months. Figure tops no more then 2,000 miles between oil changes.
I don't drive much. LOL.
Anyway every Monday I pop my hood and everything gets a once over. In the 6 years I have owned the Jeep I am always at the full line.
Not one time have I added oil.

 

I've gone from changing it every 3,500 miles when it was new and I was driving it about 3,500 miles per month, to after about 200,000 miles it was in a parking garage and hardly ever used when I fluctuated from every three months no matter what the mileage, to just annually. Had a spell a few years ago where I was losing oil out of the bad pressure sender and there was none on the dipstick, to every 6k.

Now I am on a serious fluids schedule. Checking under-hood fluids every fill up. Fresh coolant from a recent radiator replacement is getting drained and a week long Royal Flush flush this spring, then replace every even year. Getting a PH tester to periodically check that.

Will do an oil analysis at one year since last change, if it is OK will do another at 2 years and see what is happening. Changing it then anyway.

Kinda cheating on brake fluid. Started extracting it from the reservoir and replacing that with fresh. Replaced the high pressure line on power steering a year or two ago, so it got fresh fluid then. Am going to do the siphon and replace thing with it too.

 

354k miles and you only burned one quart? That sounds pretty good to me. I have 175k on my 96 XJ which doesn't burn any oil so I'll be real happy if I get 350k without any internal engine work.

 

Does it smoke when running?

 

No and no detected leaks either. I have UV dye in the oil since August and haven't gotten any glow when I check around with a UV light, nor fresh drips around where I park it.

 

When I had 175k I was having my oil changed at Walmart and they never reported it low, but I was changing pretty often then too. This time I changed it myself, 6 qt. and it was well above the add line. It took until yesterday to make it down to the top of the add line.

 

get someone to drive behind while you give it WOT under load, see if it blows smoke

does it leak zero ?

plugs get fouled when things are really bad, how do they look ?

worn rings, guides, valve seals not unexpected at that age, compression test could be done, maybe leakdown

monitor useage

I had a motor that would use 1 liter every 500 miles, and foul plugs, changed it out, havent stripped it down to see why yet, except it was old & original (not a Jeep)

 

Then again, as long as the CAT is even partly working, you don't get smoke.

 

Have you tried changing the valve seals ? and with that many miles you can try a 10w-40 oil or maybe 15w-40

 

Nope. Not a single bolt has been off the valve cover or oil pan since it was built.

And no, ever since the 2nd or 3rd oil change, it has been strictly Mobil1 5W30 or 0W30, now the high mileage variety. Oil drips stopped when I went to high mileage oil, and replaced the catastrophic failed oil sender.

 

Hmmm. Did not know that. Thanks for the info!

 

Never heard of burning 1 quart every 1,000 miles being industry standard, to me that is excessive oil consumption. My 4.0 is approaching 250,000 miles and I have never had to add oil between oil changes.