I checked my dipstick today and noticed that there was no oil reading on the dipstick at all. The car was on flat surface and I checked the oil both while the engine was warm and also when the engine was cool. I have already replaced the crankcase breather hose so it can't be that. The car has only been driven 1500 gentle miles since the last oil change (with full synthetic). Does anyone have any suggestions on what may be causing the oil consumption and how to troubleshoot it?
My engine bay is quite dirty so it may be hard to look for a leak.

I am thinking about just replacing the valve cover gasket for preventative measure since it's only $30 or so. Could it be something else?

 

piston rings. the VCG is a good idea if you see any oil around it but i've changed mine and it still consumes oil. everybody says it's the piston rings that are worn after 120k miles. i tried a bottle of engine seal conditioner but it doesn't help. my problem's not too bad, about 1 qt every 2500 miles or so.

 

Thanks for the tip. I don't see any oil around the valve cover gasket but for 45 minutes of my time and $30, it doesn't sound like too bad of an idea to replace it. My car has only 86K miles on it and was driven quite gently if that matters.

 

do a compression check and clean the engine. if you can't find any leaks after cleaning the engine, and you get lower than normal compression, its probly the rings. If you have good compression and cant find any leaks its probly the valve guides in the head

 

Pull the boost hoses and look for excessive oil in them. More likely than rings, oil consumption is caused by the turbo, but you'll often see smoke.

You likely have a leak somewhere, but are you sure the oil was at the correct level when it was last changed? Who changed it?

ANd if you're going to do the valve cover, save yourself a future headache and do the cam seals while you're at it.

My suggestion is to top up the oil and add leak detection dye. Clean the engine bay as best as you can and look for leaks after a coupe hundred miles.

 

Tweaked, I was about to start ordering the parts for the valve cover gasket and noticed your comment about the cam seal. From what I've read, the cam seal requires the removal of the timing belt, etc. Were you mistakenly referring to the cam chain tensioner or something else?

 

I think thats what he meant. If you do it know it saves you the headache of having to do it when they fail. Although ive got over 127k on my car and they looked fine when i did my timing belt a few weeks ago.

 

Make sure you are using oil weight 5W-20... I once tried 10W-30 and ended up burning oil like crazy... apparently turbo's don't agree with lighter weights...

 

This makes no sense. You are saying don't use a heavier weight, but then stating not to use a lighter weight. A lot of 1.8T guys run 5W-30 or 0W-40. 10W-30 is fine for warmer climates, but a thicker oil wont cause your car to burn oil faster... On a 1.8T, a lightweight full synth is recommended to prevent sludge issues... Can you re-phrase?



Anyway, I was referring to the cam adjuster seal. Yes, it does require more work than simply removing an re-installing the valve cover. I'm OCD about leaks, so I go all out and take care of common issues together.

Have you actually found a leak or are you still going to wing it?

 

I'm still going to wing it. I haven't driven the car enough to really see where it's leaking. I'll have some spare time so I thought I'd give it some TLC while learning and hope that my oil level stays the same in the future. I think I'll pass on replacing the cam seal though b/c it sounds like too much work but if the car is still leaking oil later, then I guess I have no other choice. Thanks for the advice!