What is considered "normal" oil consumption for a CUT diesel?

[JDgreen227]

Does anybody know what kind of oil consumption would be considered "normal" for a diesel CUT with no obvious oil leakage? Half a quart per 100 operating hours? A quart per 50 operating hours? I have to add about a third of a quart to my deere 4210 between oil changes which are at 100 hour intervals, the oil capacity is 4 quarts with the filter, and I don't know if this kind of consumption is considered excessive or not. Thanks for your input.

[oldmech]

HI! One quart or less is normal for 50 or 100 hrs. But we must check and add oil more often on some engine each is different one can take one quart and other same model can take half . All engines burnt some oil on cylinder in rings etc. That is normal. But if more one quart by day, May be ? I seen a New tractor takes two quarts oil by day. The farmer returns the tractor at the dealer. Good luck! Oldmech

[RoyJackson]

I've never had to add oil between my annual oil changes...but if you're only using a third of a quart every hundred hours, you don't have a problem.

[repowell]

I've never had to add oil between my annual oil changes.

I don't have to add any either. I don't allow any oil leaks on my vehicles or tractors. I hear people say all diesels leak oil, that is not so. If it leaks, there is a problem. I go 10,000 miles between oil changes on my 2 pickups, 100 hours on the tractors, no usage or leaks. They all are parked on concrete so I would know immediately if there was a problem.

[MHarryE]

For diesels the general rule is to base the oil usage limit as a percentage of fuel burned because hours have little bearing on oil usage while fuel consumption is a measure of power produced. Makers have had to improve oil control in order to meet emissions standards. If I remover correctly when I retired a few years back our limit when a customer complained of excessive oil consumption was 0.25% of fuel usage or one quart per 100 gallons. Remember that is the top end, not the average. 25 years ago when I worked for Deutz their limit was 1%. Took customers by surprise because they equated Deutz with good fuel economy. When you tell them that 3 quarts a day because they ran through 100 gallons of fuel was perfectly normal, you had to prepare for some heat.

[JDgreen227]

For diesels the general rule is to base the oil usage limit as a percentage of fuel burned because hours have little bearing on oil usage while fuel consumption is a measure of power produced. Makers have had to improve oil control in order to meet emissions standards. If I remover correctly when I retired a few years back our limit when a customer complained of excessive oil consumption was 0.25% of fuel usage or one quart per 100 gallons. Remember that is the top end, not the average. 25 years ago when I worked for Deutz their limit was 1%. Took customers by surprise because they equated Deutz with good fuel economy. When you tell them that 3 quarts a day because they ran through 100 gallons of fuel was perfectly normal, you had to prepare for some heat.

Thank you for that information...I burn thru about 75 gallons of diesel per year so 1/3 of a quart between 100 hour change intervals appears to be quite reasonable. What made me start this thread is I remembered when I was truck shopping back about 1978, I had a GM product that I thought used too much oil, and the dealership that sold me the car told me it that it was not considered excessive oil consumption to have to add one quart per 1,000 miles.

[patrick_g]

I've never had to add oil between my annual oil changes...but if you're only using a third of a quart every hundred hours, you don't have a problem.

Me too, I never even get close to adding oil between changes on my 40 HP Kubota with over 1000 hours on it. Of course your mileage may vary.

Pat

[RoyJackson]

What made me start this thread is I remembered when I was truck shopping back about 1978, I had a GM product that I thought used too much oil, and the dealership that sold me the car told me it that it was not considered excessive oil consumption to have to add one quart per 1,000 miles.

For the old aircooled Porsche 911s, a quart every thousand miles was pretty typical. Of course, with an oil cooler and a dry sump engine, they held about 17 quarts of oil!

[varmint]

Even "perfect" engines will consume some oil- my brother's jet turbine airplanes, with super precise, carefully maintained engines require a quart of turbine oil every now and then- you check it before every operation, of course. On the other hand, my old Kubota, which only sees maybe 20 or 30 hours of use in a typical year, still gets its oil changed every fall, and I don't think I ever have to add any oil. It's interesting how dealers will B-S customers whose autos are burning a quart every 500 miles, saying it's within the "normal" range.

[JDgreen227]

I read an editorial in a car magazine some years back and the author had detailed his experience with his year-old Buick. He had been telling the dealership his car had excessive oil consumption, and as the story went, the dealership offered to change the oil and filter for him at no cost, so they could monitor the oil consumption, and when he picked his car up, it had been one quart overfilled....he had some rather choice words with the service manager but I can't remember much more about his experience.