Honda Insight Forum banner

Anybody burning oil?

1 reading
155K views 426 replies 73 participants last post by  Lawrence Lin  
#1 ·
Just wondering if the 2nd generation insights start to burn oil at higher mileage?
 
#26 ·
- Excessive heat makes oil evaporate (switch to thicker oil with lower volatility) and sludge on engine parts (ditto.... plus change to synthetic)
- Seals age and dry out (just change the oil more often to keep the seals well-lubricated)
 
#7 · (Edited)
there are several causes to why an engine will burn oil

1. pcv can be stuck open. when it is stuck open, oil may travel through the intake manifold, down to the runner, leak down to the valve and burn at the combustion chamber.

2. leaking valve stem seal

3. worn oil rings on the pistons

4. worn valve guides

is your insight having oil consumption problems?
 
#9 ·
Ultraboy, I think it's time for you to tell us something about the Insight you have. I think I read somewhere that it is a 2012. But that is all we know. (your location would help as well, warranty varies by state & country as does the MID operation)
Did you buy it new? What model? How many miles are on it now? Are you having oil consumption issues? Burning oil & PCV valves are just not Honda questions. (although if you are interested in old Insights, you could do some reading in the first generation section, those are getting long in the tooth and their owners know a lot about keeping them running)

If you want to do maintenance on an Insight (or any Honda really) start by not changing the oil until the MID tells you to. The interval will be between 8 & 10K depending on your driving. Do change the transmission fluid more often than the MID says. Always use either genuine Honda fluid or something specifically made for Hondas.
You CANNOT use just anything. Start saving up for the spark plugs. They don't need changing until over 100K (105K? 120K? the MID will just count how many oil changes)
There are 8 plugs (4 of two types) they are very specific and very expensive. There is no timing belt, it is a chain. One would eventually replace the coolant, but it is long life and using Honda long life to replace it is also a good idea. The brake fluid gets changed every 3 years regardless of miles (as it does in all modern cars with ABS & stability control)

MID=Multi Information Display
 
#10 ·
Ive been a modulator as long as Ive owned the car. Ive browsed this site even longer. I do not recall an article or post about any gen 2 that burns oil. I do believe Cheese had an issue with what looked like an oil leak, but it seems some models have that and its like a sealant used when the engine was put together.

The oil life is based on rpms and a few other factors. This means if you run your car hard or idle it alone it will still need a change in about the same amount of movement as the next guy.

Now the engine and filter holds like 3.4 qts of oil. Most dip sticks measure a qt from bottom to the full mark. So if it is on the very tip you are a qt low.

Having a car burn a qt an oil change is nothing unheard of these days and is perfect timing since you are going to change it anyway, why add it to justd up it?

Now Ive had people tell me when my car exits auto stop they see a puff of white smoke and Ive seen some smoke myself in the below freezing weather we have had in VA. Still my dip stick shows full.

Tell us more about your concerns. Maybe you are leaking it vs burining it? Have you done a wet and a dry compression test? That will tell you if its the rings, valve guides, etc.

Having said all of the above I sometimes think I see puddles near my car when I return to it, however none of the fluids are low. :confused:
 
#11 ·
Kinda like the Prius, the Insight engine is usually running at fairly low revs. I've not heard of a Prius or Insight burning oil. Not common. I would tend to guess there might be a maintenance issue if there really is oil being burned.

Would love to know how many miles on OP's Insight.
 
#17 ·
A wet compression test will rule out if its the rings vs valve seals. Could be the rings are warn or never seated. :?

I think honda has their pvc and breather done right to avoid burning oil on its own. Its not uncommon for those little 4 screamers to pump the sump of oil up in the valve cover and head before it can fall down to the sump again and get sucked into the intake.

Thats likely why the pcv is on the lower left side vs the valve cover like on most cars. :)
 
#20 ·
Your Fiesta's been around a while! My son bought the latest generation Fiesta almost 2 years ago. The 1.6L engine was the only one offered in the U.S. back then. Now we can order a 3 cyl 1.0L, but only as a stripper (low option content) version. Right down to steel wheels and hubcaps only.

I like Fiesta a lot, but didn't buy one because we don't get start/stop over here yet. The reason I opted to buy the Insight. After having a Prius, it's hard to own a car that sits an idles at stops.

MPG on the 1.6L Fiesta is pretty good. I drove it a bit and managed 42 miles per gallon with his manual transmission. Very nice road car as well. Fun and comfortable to drive.
 
#22 ·
They did a very nice job on the new Fiesta... now if they would just give us the start/stop option, and the ability to option the 1.0L model like you get to do over there across the Pond. I've been at ford.co.uk configurator a couple of times.

Ford's not playing fair.
 
#25 ·
although this is my first honda, i have long respected the brand, products, engineering, etc. ... with that being said, they seem to be teetering from gaffe to gaffe without any real consistent vision ... i'm waiting to see that fresh, innovative approach from them that led them to dominance in the late 80's thru the 90's but they seem hell bent on following their aging demographic into grocery getter oblivion ... i wouldnt hold my breath with them on anything soon .. they need a shakeup .. the surest way to fail in the market is to stand still ... honda needs an alan mullaly
 
#29 ·
Plus hopefully we'll get start/stop and a more generous options list... especially on the 1.0L Fiesta.

Start stop will really help mpg when driving in cities.
 
#33 ·
Or 4 each totally toasted rings!:(

Might want to try some of the "High Mileage" (many miles on the odo type, not MPG) oil to see if it cuts down the oil consumption.