Hello again, it's been almost half a year since the last time I posted. And unfortunately, the fixes and maintenance I have performed myself, didn't manage to help at all at stemming the problem. Oil consumption plateaued around 1 quart every 100 miles.
Since the last time I posted in late October, I have...
1. Replaced timing chain tensioner (O-ring failed, causing leaks over the headers)
2. Replaced O2 (upstream) Air-Fuel Ratio sensor (it fouled out and failed, in fact it fouled out AGAIN in four months, causing me to remove and manually clean the new replacement one)
3. Installed a spark plug defouler ("spacer") over my (downstream) O2 sensor, because the oil consumption killed my catalytic converter
4. Replaced the PCV valve
5. Replaced my spark plugs for the SECOND TIME in two years, after noticing that the car is misfiring because of these nasty-looking ashy deposits that formed over the electrodes
6. Replaced the valve cover gasket (along with the aforementioned timing tensioner at the same time)
This photo above basically shows the mechanic's professional diagnosis of my engine. The bottom section of the photo is me, post-setting up the piston soak after carefully reading a guide for using Marvel Mystery Oil on the Saturn forums (http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80118). It's been sitting there, as of right now, almost eight hours.
Basically the way they described it, is simply this:
1. Remove plastic decorative cover
2. Unplug coil packs
3. Remove coil packs
4. Remove spark plugs
5. Pour between 1 to 3 fluid ounces of Marvel Mystery Oil into each cylinder through the exposed spark plug holes
6. Open the oil filler cap and pour rest of the container into it
7. Stuff shop rags into the exposed spark plug holes
8. Wait between 8 hours to a entire day
Right now it's nearly midnight, and it doesn't hurt to let the stuff sit in there a little longer. Tomorrow morning...
9. Go back and crank the engine to manually pump all of the MMO stuff out (to prevent hydro-locking)
10. Reinstall spark plugs, coil packs, reconnect firing wires
11. Start the engine (it will smoke a lot)
12. Just wait til it warms up or stops smoking
13. Perform a oil and filter change (I'm guessing the oil will be heavily carbonized, probably would look like tar)
Anyways, from what I have read, there are mixed opinions on the piston soak's effectiveness, much less a SINGLE piston soak. For most posters in other forums, it seems that it requires multiple treatments before the piston rings assuredly "unstick" themselves. Three to five of these "cycles" from what I have seen.
So I am planning to perform the piston-soaking again and again at every 3,000 mile oil change interval until I feel satisfied. What do you think?
Since the last time I posted in late October, I have...
1. Replaced timing chain tensioner (O-ring failed, causing leaks over the headers)
2. Replaced O2 (upstream) Air-Fuel Ratio sensor (it fouled out and failed, in fact it fouled out AGAIN in four months, causing me to remove and manually clean the new replacement one)
3. Installed a spark plug defouler ("spacer") over my (downstream) O2 sensor, because the oil consumption killed my catalytic converter
4. Replaced the PCV valve
5. Replaced my spark plugs for the SECOND TIME in two years, after noticing that the car is misfiring because of these nasty-looking ashy deposits that formed over the electrodes
6. Replaced the valve cover gasket (along with the aforementioned timing tensioner at the same time)
This photo above basically shows the mechanic's professional diagnosis of my engine. The bottom section of the photo is me, post-setting up the piston soak after carefully reading a guide for using Marvel Mystery Oil on the Saturn forums (http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80118). It's been sitting there, as of right now, almost eight hours.
Basically the way they described it, is simply this:
1. Remove plastic decorative cover
2. Unplug coil packs
3. Remove coil packs
4. Remove spark plugs
5. Pour between 1 to 3 fluid ounces of Marvel Mystery Oil into each cylinder through the exposed spark plug holes
6. Open the oil filler cap and pour rest of the container into it
7. Stuff shop rags into the exposed spark plug holes
8. Wait between 8 hours to a entire day
Right now it's nearly midnight, and it doesn't hurt to let the stuff sit in there a little longer. Tomorrow morning...
9. Go back and crank the engine to manually pump all of the MMO stuff out (to prevent hydro-locking)
10. Reinstall spark plugs, coil packs, reconnect firing wires
11. Start the engine (it will smoke a lot)
12. Just wait til it warms up or stops smoking
13. Perform a oil and filter change (I'm guessing the oil will be heavily carbonized, probably would look like tar)
Anyways, from what I have read, there are mixed opinions on the piston soak's effectiveness, much less a SINGLE piston soak. For most posters in other forums, it seems that it requires multiple treatments before the piston rings assuredly "unstick" themselves. Three to five of these "cycles" from what I have seen.
So I am planning to perform the piston-soaking again and again at every 3,000 mile oil change interval until I feel satisfied. What do you think?
