Burning oil, a lot suddenly. Car started smoking and needed a quart of oil when the oil had been changed two weeks previously, and had not been low on oil. My daughter was driving when it started smoking quite a lot. It came through into the interior of the car. She stopped and looked at the engine and said that she could see oil spurting out. My husband couldn't see that. he added the quart of oil and drove it home and it was ok.

Your car shouldn't have just suddenly started burning oil. Its possible it's leaking in the engine compartment and the leak is dripping onto the hot exhaust manifold and the. The smoke is blowing out the back as you drive. I would think it's unlikely that the engine has been damaged since the check-engine light should have come on if the oil level was low enough to cause damage.

If hii find that bluish smoke is coming from the exhaust pipes, then the next thing to check is whether it smokes on acceleration or deceleration. If the latter, it may be just a valve issue. If it smokes a lot on startup, then it may be rings.

Get a compression check at a modern shop.

2 quarts in a week is a lot. Check your positive crankcase ventilation PCV pipe (and valve if you have one). If the pipe is clogged or the valve is stuck shut then this could cause pressure to build in the crankcase and force oil vapor past the piston rings to be burnt. The amount is so fine per stroke you would hardly see it in the exhaust plume, this is not like worn valve guides where drips of oil cause great clouds of blue smoke. If the PCV is OK you need to have your engine dry and wet pressure tested to determine if you have worn rings

Hello white smoke is usually engine antifreeze,Blue smoke oil burning,Black smoke car running to rich on gas,gas is not burning properly.

possibly the pcv but check if your cars exhaust smoke is blueish or white in color if it does and your car doesnt have an oil leak then sure its burning engine oil along with fuel, the piston rings is defective, since you replaced engine oil the additive that the owner has put with the oil to prevent blowby is gone thats why it starts burning oil.....

I assume you have no leaks as you say. Your van does hold 5 quarts of 10w30 oil with filter change. The level was 1/4" above the add mark, which is less than 1 quart low. You drove the van 1,300 miles so it is very possible that it could burn that much oil in that many miles without you seeing much smoke. Top it off and have someone else drive it. Have them get up to around 60 mph, then let off the accelerator and let it coast down to 30 mph, then accelerate fully while you follow in another vehicle. If your van is burning oil you will see a big puff of blue smoke when they accelerate after coasting. If you do not I would suspect you were cheated out of about 1/2 quart of oil. You would not be the first person this has happened to. Top it off and check as I described and then check the level after driving another 1,300 miles. If it is still full find another place to change your oil as the place you went are crooks.

Nowdays 1 Qt. in 3000 miles, really isn't that bad, even some new vehicles claim that's normal. I know with my current vehicles, both at approx. 150,000-160,000 miles, they won't use any for first while after an oil change, but then after mileage starts adding up again, they start to use a little, approx.I Qt, every 1000 miles or so, until it's changed again. I've switched to the high mileage oil, just for piece of mind, as they say it revives seals, and has added protection for the higher mileage engines.This time around I'm thinking of adding "Lucas" & see how it works, as I've heard some pretty good reports on it, just to see if it will prolong that oil breakdown, at mid change.

This problem sounds like ablown head gasket, this would make the oil mix in with the gas and would result in discolored smoke out of the exhaust pipe.

stop burning up your engines. cars shouldn't use any oil, it is either being burnt, which is not good, or leaking onto the ground, which means you'll have no problem finding the problem, it is right above the puddle in your driveway

Hi again,

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In any case to finish the 2nd suggestion. You may want to discuss this issue (smoke and oil consumption) with your dealer. Cite a Lexus Technical Service Bulletin specifically addressing this issue "Excessive oil consumption caused by sludge buildup on the cylinder heads. Company is extending warranty. (1997-2001)".

You may want to reference this USA Today article or the discussion in this page.

Hope this be of initial help/idea. Pls post back how things turned up or should you need additional information.

Good luck and kind regards.

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