Well if you can actually feel the difference then I guess it’s worth it!

 

Have you considered using a Borescope down the TB to have a peek at the runner and valves ?

I would think a catch can system would prevent most of the coking..

 

I also did the treatment last week and for me the noticeable difference is that there is hardly any noticeable black smoke upon cold start or after a hard acceleration. I used to see the smoke in my rear view mirror but not any more. This was my second application at 95K miles after the first one at 30K.

 

What was the treatment you had done last week?

 

CRC GDI Intake and Turbo Clean

 

Yeah, the CRC GDI cleaner applied directly into the throttle body with the spray can held upside down.

 

2016 Kia Sorento LX 2.4l I4

Bought this car with 92k miles. Saw that it was burning/consuming oil. Researched, but after reading everywhere online, saw that this was about normal for a Kia, so I just kept adding. I think about 1 quart every 1000 miles, but I never measured accurately. I did notice the spark plugs were getting nasty.

At 109k, it burnt a valve. Replaced the burnt valve. Since 99% of online posts say the piston rings cause the oil consumption in these engines, I did a bottom end rebuild (piston rings/rod bearings/etc). When I got back on the road, I measured the oil consumption, again was burning 1 qt about every 600-700 miles (no change at all!)

At 118k, another burnt valve. At this point, I thought: oil can only get into the cylinder from piston rings, valve seals, or the pcv. I thought, maybe I have bad valve seals, even though I don't have smoke. Pulled the head and did a top end rebuild (all new valves, seals, etc).

Before driving it, I thought that I would install an oil catch can to monitor any oil there. Previously I had read about oil catch cans, but had also seen many against it, saying that it was not necessary, maybe voided warranties, etc. At this point, their opinions did not matter anymore. I saw enough oil inside the intake to justify it. I bought a cheap $30 OCC online, and installed it between the pcv valve and intake.

Started driving, immediately saw that I had caught 1/2 qt of oil with the OCC in only 300 miles! I replaced the PCV valve, no difference. The valve itself is not the problem.

Removed the hose between the OCC and the intake, replaced with a simple breather. Driven about 400 miles, no oil getting in the OCC! Oil level in the crankcase is stable! The oil still looks and smells good! It seems that the issue is solved. Unfortunately I don't get paid for this research (but I hope that it helps someone)

Questions to consider:

1) The oil consumption issue seems to be very common in these cars. Is it possible, that most ALL cases of oil consumption is from a bad pcv system? I think it is easy for all forum members to respond with "the piston rings are wore", but how many rebuilds prove this? I cannot find 1 post/thread out there, where the piston rings were replaced and the oil consumption disappeared. And I figure Kia would not advise anyone to vent the pcv, that would basically be illegal since its emissions related. And if the pcv system cannot be fixed/redesigned, is this why they avoid dealing with it? It is ridiculous to read that 1 qt consumed in 1000 miles is acceptable to Kia. This sounds like their 'escape' from the issue.

2) What causes the PCV system to dump oil? A car with low miles seems to not have the issue, and one with higher miles seems to develop it. It is not the PCV valve, I replaced it 3 times with OEM, and no difference. The valve cover was cleaned/inspected, but the inside of the baffle is not really accessible. Oil does splatter inside the crankcase, and could be altered with wear etc. There is a 'intake oil control valve filter screen' in the block that I found AFTER the 2nd build, so I did not get to inspect it (why would they put a filter in the block!). But, it is not spewing oil with the breather. I would say for some reason, the intake is 'sucking' too hard, since no oil is being 'pushed' out the breather. How/why is the intake sucking too hard? I replaced air filter and cleaned throttle body on the intake side. Vacuum would be higher in the intake when the throttle body is closed, but the OCC was also filling up with oil while driving on the interstate.

Below is image of the OCC installed between the pcv valve and the intake (note: the pcv valve has not yet been drilled out)
View attachment 123734

Below is images of the OCC installed between on pcv valve and vented (note: the pcv valve has been drilled out, and the breather hose on the rear of the valve cover is also removed)
View attachment 123735

View attachment 123736

I have read these details 3 times. My 2009 Kia Sportage 4 CYL 2.0 has the exact symptoms. It started to burn 1/2 quart every 200 miles at 90,000 miles. i replaced the pcv valve twice and no improvement. i change the oil and filter with fully synthetic oil every 5,000 miles. There is no external oil leak and no oil burning out the exhaust. The oil disappears somewhere and similar symptoms to this case dandugi has described. The sportage has 163,000 miles. I do not mind adding the 1/2 quart every 200 miles. My concern is the sticking valves blown etc. Should i try this DIY air breathing solution or just keep adding the oil?

 

Looks like dandugi was onto something, but I’m still not fully sure understanding what he did…

Can somebody with more knowledge understanding of these things explain some more? Also, would it work for my V6 engine?

 

Hello. I am not a Kia or a Hyundai owner yet. Plan on getting a Sportage next year. But for now I’m here because I was researching a similar problem from another manufacturer, and I don’t see an answer to yours question. I can hopefully help with that. I’m working on the same issue. GDI, oil consumption, PCV related.

Backing up for a minute. PCV, positive crank case ventilation was added to federal emissions standards years ago. Rather than simply venting blowby gases into the atmosphere, the gasses are drawn out of the engine using the same vacuum created when you step on the gas and throttle body opens, sucking air through the air intake. The PCV valve was added to regulate the amount of vacuum. Too much vacuum, oil could be prevented from returning to the sump and be consumed. Too little vacuum, the PCV valve may not open, creating a lot of pressure inside the engine, which could damage seals like the rear main.

When you installed the catch can, you noticed the oil consumption that likely already existed. When you disconnected the return hose removing PCV vacuum, the oil consumption slowed. One thing to mention is reconnect that hose before you go for an inspection. if they look under the hood and see that open venting, you will fail. Anyways, one of the reasons why you didn’t see any oil in the can was because there was no vacuum to properly open the PCV valve. Blow by is likely building pressure and pushing back out the easiest way, which is the clean air side. If you start seeing liquid or oil on the clean air side, that will confirm.

Based on your findings, I suspect Kia has not chosen the correct PCV valve for the vacuum created by this engine. So when vacuum occurs, the PCV valve is opening too easily sucking oil. I would be looking for some type of TSB for a different PCV valve. Also..If you have a history with this vehicle, and it never consumed oil until you installed the catch can with larger hoses, that’s a clue also. The new catch with big hoses allows for more vacuum. Which can suck more oil.

 

I have a better answer today. It’s the baffle in the valve cover. The baffle is what prevents vacuum from sucking oil out of the PCV valve. Looking at pictures of the baffle in that area, it looks like oil can get behind it and get sucked out. Hope this helps and I hope it’s still OK.

 

You got any pictures of this baffle?

 

The goal is for pressure and vacuum to be close to the same. Intake vacuum is going to draw the PCV valve open and relieve pressure. The same volume of fresh air needs to replace it. The PCV valve is located close to the end of a baffle near the oil filler cap. Too much pressure, oil may get consumed. Too much vacuum, splashing oil could be sucked out past the baffle. That could happen if the clean air intake port is plugged or blocked.

 

My oil consumption is no longer noticeable but not sure if it’s perhaps just due to not driving as much or perhaps by adding oil for high mileage vehicles.

I will soon replace get an oil change and start monitoring closely again.

Hopefully my problem is minor and not the kind that’ll lead to engine failures… fingers crossed!

 

It has been awhile since you posted this stuff. How is you Sorento doing now? Is this fix still working. I have to do something with my son's car!!! I intend to do all of what you did.

 

We leased a new Jeep because it can do 25 electric miles to save on gas and it could also tow 6000 lbs… an upgrade over Sorento!

anyways, it’s just that I’ve noticed my Sorento’s not consuming oil as much after pouring in a qt of high mileage oil. Even after an oil change from the dealer, I’m still noticing improvements. The most consumption I’ve observed before was 1qt/1000 miles, but ever since I poured in a qt of high mileage oil, I have not had to pour my 2nd bottle yet. After the regular oil change, it’s been 1000miles already, and I’m still about 2/3 of level between low and high on the dipstick.
Main driving style change is that we no longer drive it locally. Short errands are now the job of the new Jeep 4xe. So Sorento is now used mostly on hwys. That probably helped too?

Anyway, was just surprised how effective the high mileage oil can be. I bought 2 bottles of them before we leased our new Jeep and my 2nd bottle is still sitting in the trunk… if trend continues, doesn’t look like I’ll be needing it any time soon! Maybe Sorento is just behaving well because it doesn’t want me to abandon it?

 

... but ever since I poured in a qt of high mileage oil, I have not had to pour my 2nd bottle yet. After the regular oil change, it’s been 1000miles already, and I’m still about 2/3 of level between low and high on the dipstick.
Main driving style change is that we no longer drive it locally. Short errands are now the job of the new Jeep 4xe. So Sorento is now used mostly on hwys. That probably helped too?

Anyway, was just surprised how effective the high mileage oil can be...

Sounds like you changed oil mix and driving habits at the same time. One too many variables to be sure what is causing the change.

 

Yeah. It was only a single quart, and drained away 1000miles ago with fresh oil. Oil consumption is noticeably much much less. I’m happy of course, but just scratching my head about that. Maybe the effect was mostly due to driving habit change. No city driving and no towing yet! I can’t imagine a single quart poured in 4months ago and already drained away 1k miles ago is still helping…

 

Discovered this article a few mins ago. Without going in to major details, we have 2017 SX gdi turbo that started going through oil, around 80k or so, at 97k now and with the service, Kia consumption testing and seeing posts of worse issues having engines replaced because the issue continues, we need to cut through the chase and reach out to NHTSA and EPA.
I’ve skimmed articles going back years with the Kia engines, all with the same issues, and continues to be worse with the newer models out, I see online for 2023, 2024.
Perhaps we escalate this issue without any further recalls causing more damaging issues and down time for the consumers.
no one has this kinda of time, nor should we have to find the time for a band aid that doesn’t fit….

 

Has anyone ran this vented PCV fix for an extended period? I've gone ahead and done it, but I have concerns about the lack of vacuum sucking out vapours.

I'll also add that I originally set it up like OP, but having it venting under the hood was creating fumes inside the cabin so I ran the vent line down near the front tire.

 

I'm also wondering if this issue is similar to what's happening in our engines. If there's a plugged drain in our baffle that would explain why they work fine for a long time then all of a sudden start sucking oil.

Inside of the valve cover it looks like the three red holes are the drains. If I recall from when I changed my valve cover gasket those are just little rubber plugs, that I assume drop down when they have enough weight on them. If they get sticky over time they would not drop and drain the oil from the baffle.

If these get plugged it would also explain why some people only notice oil consumption when driving for long periods. Over a long drives the baffles will fill up, on shorter drives a small amount would build up and drain slowly after the vehicle is shut off.

I'm tempted to buy a new valve cover, but also wondering if I should to try removing these plugs and leaving a hole for the oil to drain. A new valve cover will most likely exhibit the same issue over time.

Another thing to consider is the oil used. Maybe some people are using better quality oil that doesn't gum up as much over time so they don't see this issue.

 

I'll tell you the best thing you can do with these Flippin' Kias is drive them off in a Lake and take the insurance money!!! Let it accidently catch on fire or something. Where the hell is Ralph Nader when we need him!!! IMHO the worst POS cars ever perpetrated on the US consumer in the history of the auto business!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! People are absolute FOOLS to buy these cars! You only know that once you know!!!!

 

I Totally Disagree!!!. Back in 2009 I bought a 6 month old Sportage with 3,00 miles on it for $14,000 otd and have put 87000 miles on it. In the 15 years I`ve had it with only TWO repairs. One was a valve cover gasket and the other was the A/C Compressor all total under $900. The 2.0 engine has never burned any oil at all and is pretty quick off the line at 7 seconds 0 to 60!!. Sport shift works great and I`ve kept up on all maintenance required. So don`t let anybody tell you they are junk as they are just full of it!!!.

 

KIA ranked #2 cheapest brand to repair according to this shop!

caveat was that lots of engine issues are covered by extended warranty. If not, customers would junk it. That’s why the low average repair bills!

My personal experience with my Sorento has been great too. Just hope my oil consumption issue won’t lead to any failures…

 

Our 2.4 Sorento has been down parked at a dealership since around the first of September. Massive oil consumption, then it burnt a valve causing a misfire on #2 and that's why it's parked. Now trying to get the extended warranty people we bought at the time we bought the car to pay for a replacement long block. Now 3 months in and they keep making excuses and stalling the process. INSANE is what it is!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Just to clarify ecanderson, my reply was directed at the second image posted, with the heading "Below is images of the OCC installed between on pcv valve and vented (note: the pcv valve has been drilled out, and the breather hose on the rear of the valve cover is also removed)".
Venting is fine, as long as you keep in mind the possible repercussions. As a professional auto mechanic, I could face an EPA $50,000 fine for modifying the system as you describe for street use and would never even consider drilling/removing the PCV valve. The explosion in the intake manifold during a backfire will go where ever it can and defeating the valve would provide a path into the crankcase. For those of you that think the EPA wouldn't bother, check with the diesel guys about how that works.

 

The new Kia Parts long block is now installed by the Kia dealer and we've been driving in now for 5 days. So far so good. Long Story!

 

Glad its working for you.

 

When the engine gets higher miles the oil return slows because the o rings under the valve covers swell some. And the oil cannot return fast enough. Some have replaced them and some have removed the o rings and left them out then the oil can return to the pan instead of getting sucked into the engine air intake and burnt by the piston causing carbon and loss of oil in the pan

 

where are these o-rings located exactly?