Pete

It's not the parts that are overpriced. It's the labor that kills you. Car parts are cheap if you get them from a yard or on the internet. The only time you'll really pay out the ass for them is if you get them from the dealer.

v8guy

Okey Dokey. Let me know the results. One other thing I was thinking of, when was the last time your PCV valve was changed? Its kind of a long shot, but I suppose if it were stuck open with gunk it could allow oil to get sucked into the engine and burned. If that were the case though, I would think the engine wouldn't be running so well either.

PCV = Positive Crankcase Ventilation. Any mechanic will know what this is.

redcivicforever

I haven't chagned it since I have owned the car (5 yrs) I was gonna recently but the idiots at my locals parts store gave me the wrong one, so now I need to exchange it.
I have talked to the local shops about getting the rings done and yet again I will be getting royally screwed by them for over $1,000 dollars so I'll probably just opt for another engine since its cheaper (maybe not in the long run but for now anyway) and I can't afford more than what they want for a engine & install locally. I think it costs more in Colorado for some reason I hate this state!

Magik

$1000!?! For a ring job!! Geezuz...that's insane! There has to be a "backyard" mechanic in your town that would do it for less than half that (with parts)!

I noticed something in your first post...that you are using 10W30...isn't the recommended oil for our car's "5"W30?? It is for mine anyway, a 91 might be different but I don't think so...

Don't we have any members in Colorado that could do the job for her for a couple of bones? Come on guys...lend a lady a hand.

Jason

Pete

well, if u buy my plane ticket from CA and pay for parts and labor it would cost about the same as the overpriced mechanic. h:

v8guy

Well, replace the PCV valve ASAP. I'm not much of one for those "snake oil" engine treatments, but one of my friends had success with Rislone. He added it at oil change and it stopped his Volvo from burning oil. Car has over 300k on it. Might be worth a shot. I'd replace that PCV valve pronto, see if that helps. Good luck.

augy

Yeah, a backyard mechanic can do that for ya much cheaper. However, realize that just about everybody posting on this thread can probably atomize their car and not break a sweat, so to us paying $1000 for something that'll cost us a saturday and a few cans of beer is just offensive. Fact is, replacing the piston rings is a labor intensive job, and you're gonna pay for it one way or another. Try to find a backyard mechanic, if you can't, I'm going to suggest that if the leak down test doesn't point to some other problem, buy a lightly used engine (but do a leak-down on the new engine first!).
good luck

v8guy

You have to watch it with those "backyard mechanics" some of them will screw your car up beyond belief.

redcivicforever

I really do love you Jason, I think that post was just so nice, and intuitive, and intelligent, and did I mention that I love you?

now about the oil weight...this is what I mean when I say the mechanics I know are idiots, cause I asked several mechanics what weight to use when I bought the car, and all but one mechanic (yes only one) out of about 10 different mechanics told me 10w30 was right. Then one told me 5w30-about a year or more after I got the car. I didn't know who to believe (I know I should've got a manual a blind fold & changed it myself, I couldn't have done much worse than the moron who stripped my pan! but I didn't think about it at the time-hindsight is 20/20). So, again I was led astray...maybe this is why my car needs an engine at 165,000 miles! What problems do you think this is causing for my car (is this why my engine is bad now?) and should I change to 5w30 now or just wait until I get my engine swapped (or whatever I get done with it: rings or engine)? Thanks again Jason for the help!
Christine

v8guy

5w30 or 10w30 it really doesn't matter. As an engine wears and internal tolerances increase, you may wish to switch to a heavier oil, like 20w50. That is what I run in pretty much anything with over 100k miles. I have heard that 15w40 Heavy-Duty Diesel oil is the shiznit for cutting down on oil burning. To get that stuff you have to go to a dealer, local parts place won't have it. I know my local Ford and GMC dealers do. I have heard wonder stories about it, but I used it once and it didn't seem to be any better than the 20w50 I had always used.