"A quart every 1500 miles isn't horrible for a car with 143K miles on it. You should get compression and leakdown tests run on it to determine if it is your valve seals or the rings causing your oil consumption.
we are talking about a honda. specifically the d15b7. but you are right, those tests should be done."

Obviously, not burning any oil is preferred. My 95 Integra GSR burns with 165K burns about a qt every 1500 miles. I'm not happy about it, but it still passes CA smog. My point is that it is not the end of the world and this is not a sign of eminent engine failure as long as the oil level is maintained. Her car could easily run another 100K without major issues. If it were my car, I would do nothing but check the oil every other fillup and only if the oil consumption got worse would I start spending $ on it.

If the oil is at the correct level and you have no noticeable leaks, blow-by, or oil mixing with coolant, I'd say you're in the clear.

As far as the oil on the spark plug a while back, it may be that something wasn't sealed properly at the time, but has since swelled enough to prevent the leak.

Compression tests are, by far, one of the simplest method of determining engine condition. Most kits run between $10-$20. No reason not to have one if you do your own maintenance.

Hope that helps,
Matt

Park it on some cardboard regularly to find leaks. Does it smoke when it's first started? Do Bill's drive behind check for puffs of smoke during acceleration:
As for the oil in the plug well; that could be a red herring if it hasn't recurred. It could've been a spill (oil gets added often, no?).

BTW, when an engine is consuming oil regularly, the oil level should be checked atleast at every fuel-up. The reason being that if you see a sudden increase in the consumption rate, the engine may not be far from catastrophic failure (especially if the oil level gets very low at that point).

You guys are smarter than me, so you can confirm or deny this:
Smoke on acceleration = ring problems
Smoke on deceleration (high manifold vacuum) = valve stem seal problems

I know I've seen that and it makes sense. I also think that I've seen cars with leaky valve seals/guides smoke mostly at startup because of the drip while shut off.

" Originally Posted by Silveredwings View Post
Do Bill's drive behind check for puffs of smoke during acceleration:
You guys are smarter than me, so you can confirm or deny this:
Smoke on acceleration = ring problems
Smoke on deceleration (high manifold vacuum) = valve stem seal problems"


There might be some truth to this, but you really need a leak down test to determine ring or valve seal problems.

the gsr is prone to a little oil burning after 100k miles. the d series really doesnt have that tendency unless it has been abused. by abused i mean modified or floored a lot while cold. when i pulled the d15b8 from my cx it still wasnt burning oil at 210k miles.

I'm having a similar experience with my d15b7. I've got 210k on mine and it isn't using anything noticeable between oil changes. Very stout engines to say the least.

-- Scott