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A car is said to be burning oil when it uses more oil than usual, or as expected. This can be caused by pretty different reasons, such as worn out or broken parts and components. For example, when the piston rings or valves are in bad shape, the car is surely going to burn oil. But is it bad to drive a car that burns oil?
No, it’s not bad to drive a car that burns oil, your car is most likely going to drive normally, and every other thing would still be functioning well. But you must be monitoring your oil level and top it up when it gets extremely low.
That said, if you find out your car uses more oil than usual, it is a clear sign that you should have your engine bay checked. Oil leaks can turn out to become a serious issue if not fixed immediately.
Is It Bad To Drive a Car That Burns Oil?
Basically, you can drive a car that burns oil, but this is not advisable because oil would leak into different parts of the engine and probably damage the components installed there.
When oil leaks and gets to the timing belt or serpentine belt, it can cause the belts to slip or break, and this can cause serious engine damages. The serpentine belt holds quite many pulleys that make the engine work; hence, its failure can lead to a fatal engine breakdown.
Again, a car that burns oils would cost you a lot of money as you’d need to refill oil almost every day, or weekly, depending on the amount of oil being burnt as you drive.
Well, a car may be burning oil, and yet there won’t be signs of oil leaks. In such a case, it means that there are lapses in the engine’s internal components.
Furthermore, it is important to note that oil burning can cause the failure of the catalytic converter because excessive oil would be sent to the exhaust tailpipe. There are pretty many things that could go wrong due to excessive oil burning; hence, if your car burns oil, you need to fix it as soon as possible.
What To Do If Your Car Burns Oil
All you need to do is to check every part of the engine; you could use a troubleshooting tool; discover what’s causing the oil burn. The common causes of oil burn in modern cars include the following:
- Using the wrong oil for your engine
- Broken or blown parts such as head gasket, seal, valves
- Clogged/broken oil filter
- Bad engine blocks
When you’ve identified the cause of the oil burn, then you should proceed to fix or replace the component. Once this is done, your car should stop consuming more oil than usual.
Summary
Most drivers and even mechanics see oil burns as a “norm,” but it is not. If you notice your car quickly drains down oils before your oil change intervals, it is an issue to be tackled as early as possible.
While it is bad to drive a car that burns oil, neglecting the oil burn can lead to more expensive repairs no sooner than expected.