1) You definitely should be checking your oil more often than every 2,400 miles. It is a very good idea to check every time you fill up the gas tank.
2) Check the area aroung your oil filter. There is an O ring on the filter housing that often fails and looks like a minor drip that is really hard to locate.
3) Oil consumption of almost 1000miles per quart is really not bad and probably not a reason for major repairs such as a ring job or replacement of valve guides.
4) The blow by explanation sounds very dubious to me especially if there is no evidence of blue smoke. Have a friend follow you for a bit to watch your exhaust. If you get blue smoke at shift points or after idling that suggests leaking valve guides which you might not see in your mirror.
For Mallard: Blow by is the passage of combustion gases past the compression rings into the block. In USA cars since 1962 these gases along with oil that vaporizes from heat and oxidation then gets sucked into the combustion chamber by the positive crankcase ventilation system and burned. |