Burning oil in 1990 Legacy

[zyewdall]

I've got a 1990 Legacy wagon that's burning alot of oil -- more than a quart a week (less than 250 miles). The funny thing is that is doesn't smoke noticeably, starts great, still lots of power, decent oil pressure. Only 140k miles on the engine. If it were a 70's american V-8, I'd expect the cylinder bores to be worn out, but all the old EA-82's I've owned have shown no sign of bore wear after more than 200k miles, and still only use a quart every 1000 miles or so. Could the rings or bores be worn with out losing power, or do the EJ engines not last as long as the EA? Maybe some other seal that's leaking internally (I don't see any leaks onto the ground)? Any suggestions would be welcome. Or if anyone has ideas on where to get a used engine for cheap.

 

Zeke

[RallyKeith]

No leaks? Oil spots on the ground where you park the car? Also, have you looked for oil in the intake tube or on the air filter? You could have a bad PCV valve that is letting oil back into the intake. I agree on the cylinder bore. I just pulled apart a 2.5 with 182k on it and you can still see the factory cross hatching on the cylinder walls. To trouble shoot that option though you should do a compression test on each cylinder. You will have low compression if the rings aren't sealing against the cylinder walls anymore.

 

Keith

[tcspeer]

If you are at the point of wanting another engine, I would first try some Gold Eagle stop leak. It worked wonders on stopping my rear seal leak. I was thinking it may be leaking at the valve stem seals if you are not losing power. But I dont know if the Boxer engine would leak their with the way it is placed.