Engine Rebuild?

Where, Oh, Where Has All My Oil Gone?

You can always tell when I'm overdue for an oil change.

I'll take a corner slightly faster than usual, and whatever oil remains in the sump pulls away from the sensor, causing the gauge on the dashboard to dip to zero oil pressure momentarily.   As soon as the truck is back on keel, pressure restores.

Still, that's a sign that I'm better than a quart low, and long experience with the truck has taught me to keep a couple of quarts under the seat for a quick remedy.

I wish I know where the oil was going.  Obviously, it's either leaking past the rings or past a seal somewhere.  For once in my life it's not dripping out of the oil pan.   I've got a pristine new concrete street to park on, and I've looked for any telltale splotches underneath and haven't seen any.

There's no thick cloud of smoke when I accelerate, though.  Obviously I'm not at the quart-a-day level that previous cars I've owned have reached, but I'm for sure losing 2 quarts every 3000 miles.

So, how long until I need a ring job?  A complete rebuild?  There's 180,000K on the engine.

Help me out, gearheads!