Oil Help

[b18cfreak]

Hey guys, i got a 98 b18c engine swapped into my car recently, anyway when i first got the thing it was burning through a bit of oil so i decided to get the engine rebuilt, finally got the car back about 2 - 3 weeks ago... I've been checking oil every morning before i drive it.. anyway the first week it didn't move on the stick.. the week after it slowly went down and then sorta sat at the half way point till the yesterday when i checked it it was just under half and then this morning i went out, moved the car from the front lawn to the back garage.. (had it on for 5 seconds) checked the oil and the dip stick was clean as though it hadn't seen a drop of oil in its life???? Just wondering how teh F*** i'm losing oil after just getting a complete engine rebuild???? Now the only possibilities i have come up with are the following..

1. There's no coolant in the radiator atm because we are running some stop leak type stuff to make sure we don't get any problems with gaskets and too make sure my cooling system isn't just leaking or something silly.. anyway i thought maybe the engine is running hotter than normal so as when i hit vtec it might be burning off oil coz it gets to hot.. but the temp guage never moves or anything so i don't think thats the problem really..

2. I don't know what kinda oil the guy put in it, i know its synthetic but that's all.. possibly the oil isn't good enough to handle the high rpms and heat?

That's all i can think of?? Any help would be so great, the car is going back to the guy tomorow to get the water changed so i'll have coolant in it properly and the oil done etc.. Like he's gonna have to fix it coz he was paid to give me a non oil burning car, but i wanna know for myself whats up with it so i don't get screwed around type of thing.. :(

[aaronng]

Are there any drips on your driveway? Is your exhaust tip black? Also, when you start your car, the oil gets pumped to the head, so you will have less oil in the sump. You're meant to leave the engine off for 30 minutes before you pull the dipstick to check the oil level. This is so that the oil in the head drains back down into the sump.

[VT3C]

hmm.. well if you've just had your engine RE-BUILT, you shouldnt be VTEC'n it..

is best to slowly and softly run in your fresh motor for 2-4000KMS usually flushing the oil every 1000kms and using a thicker mineral-based oil. once run-in, flush the old oil and use the appropriate synthetic or HONDA FEO etc.

but as the other member asked: blowing smoke ? oil leak on ground ? etc.. need more info bro.

[aaronng]

After reading VT3C's post, i only then realised you were running synthetic. That is a NONO for rebuilt engines in the first 5000km. Put mineral in as VT3C advised.. Otherwise you'll be looking at another rebuild.

[b18cfreak]

I just rang my mechanic then and he said he's running a thick mineral based oil still, but is changing it tomorow to some good stuff.. he said it's expected due to the oil i am running and not to worry about it.. there's no oil puddles under my car its not blowing smoke either, the engine has been run in properly already, it's done nearly 5000 km already, we ran in for first 1000 without seeing above 5K rpms, loading it up and backing off etc keeping the revs all over the place to bed in the rings.. then for the next 1000K's after that it was sorta easy driving mostly but taking it into vtec once or twice a week to get it used to that, then after that i've been just driving it normally, my normal driving is mostly cruisy like keeping bellow 3K rpms and every now and then taking out 2nd gear or something just to keep the urge to go nuts down :D

I thought when he changed the oil at the 2000K change he put synthetic but when i rang him he said its still using a thicker oil.. so meh. There's no other reason for it going other than the fact that its still the wrong oil you think?

[aaronng]

I wonder why he is using a thicker oil. If it is rebuilt and the clearances are spot on, I'd be putting in mineral 10w-30 oil instead. And then switching to semisynthetic at 5000km and then finally synthetic at 10,000km.

[b18cfreak]

lol i have no idea.. i do have faith in him tho, he has his own civic with a h22a swapped into it that he's building up for the strip.. :p He speciallizes in honda so i'm confident that he knows what he's doing.. :cool:

[aaronng]

Well, I hope all goes well. An LS with a B18C, that would be a ripper!