My car is burning oil?

Question

I recently got an oil change about 1 month/1500 miles ago and I heard the dreaded ticking noise. I took it into the shop and the mechanic said my car was burning oil, and that I would need to take it to an engine shop. SO.... how much would this fix cost?

Answer 1

It depends on what kind of engine and where the oil is getting in to be burned.  It could be worn or broken piston rings (especially if blue smoke when lifting off the throttle).  Or it could be leaking intake or exhaust valve stems.

My brother's 72 Pinto had leaky valve stems.  Ford's solution at the time was to put little umbrellas on the valve stems so the oil would run off to the side instead of down the stem.

We had a 64 Econoline van that had a non-original engine (maybe from a Falcon).  No blue smoke, but it must have had leaky exhaust valve guides, because the back of the van was always covered in tiny specks of oil.  So basically we fed it drain oil from other vehicles.

Answer 2

No you're burning oil.