Hi everyone

i recently purchased a 2006 Fiat Stilo Abarth 2.4, second hand with 108 000kms on her. Amazing car but I'm worried about the oil consumption, I am using synthetic oils and still almost every petrol fill-up, I have to to add a pint of oil. There are no leak under the car and i don't drive her at he max, I've been sticking to +- 120kmh.

Any advice please?
Mbangoza:idea:

mbangoza said:

Hi everyone

i recently purchased a 2006 Fiat Stilo Abarth 2.4, second hand with 108 000kms on her. Amazing car but I'm worried about the oil consumption, I am using synthetic oils and still almost every petrol fill-up, I have to to add a pint of oil. There are no leak under the car and i don't drive her at he max, I've been sticking to +- 120kmh.

Any advice please?
Mbangoza:idea:

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Sadly these engines do drink oil, and not keeping it topped up will very quickly destroy the bottom end of the engine, (con-rod big ends, crankshaft)

Surely though half a litre of oil ever fill up (300miles?) is pretty excessive?

StiloBoy said:

Surely though half a litre of oil ever fill up (300miles?) is pretty excessive?

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Yup.... sure is.... but its not leaking. How much might he want to spend on the car reducing oil consumption when it may be a lost cause?

Yup and if its not leaking it, it must be burning it. Worth returning to the garage he bought it from, because burning so much oil won't just impact on the engine, but the CAT too and consequently his emissions when it comes to MOT time.

Maybe he could look into the viscosity of the oil he's using, definately the correct grade... or moving to a high milage oil? That old technique works a treat on my old mini.

StiloBoy said:

... or moving to a high milage oil? That old technique works a treat on my old mini.

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Good idea in theory...but I would be wary on the 5-cyl engine. Remember, it's got both hydraulic tappetts and the variator which rely on oil.

Yellow Peril said:

Good idea in theory...but I would be wary on the 5-cyl engine. Remember, it's got both hydraulic tappetts and the variator which rely on oil.

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:yeahthat: Precisely why I didnt suggest a thicker oil. If its under a guarantee its worth a try, but might be a hard case to press home to a successful conclusion...

Thanks guys, a lot of useful info there. My Abarth is getting around 450miles (700kms) on a full tank. It does around 230kms a day to and from work. i just found it curious that it uses that amount. It's due for a service in a couple of months time so I think untill then I'll keep an eye. There is an oil in South Africa called Caltex magnatron. Thats apparently the equivelant of Selenia.

Is there anything I should be concerned about with the motor?

mbangoza said:

Thanks guys, a lot of useful info there. My Abarth is getting around 450miles (700kms) on a full tank. It does around 230kms a day to and from work. i just found it curious that it uses that amount. It's due for a service in a couple of months time so I think untill then I'll keep an eye. There is an oil in South Africa called Caltex magnatron. Thats apparently the equivelant of Selenia.

Is there anything I should be concerned about with the motor?

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Usual Stilo things, a Search in the Forum here will reveal all, but the engine in particular can be frail if not loved and cosseted. What gearbox do you have?

before you eat your hat.. get the plastic cover off and check for gunge around the cam cover.. these are really hard to seal properly (out of 3 times i do it - i'm lucky to seal it completely once) if that leaks, it would do so on the lower part (near the exhaust) where it evaporates.. so you get no drops/leaks but oil goes down quickly (and if it's been opened i.e. for a timing belt change before it was sold - it's a really good possibility it is leaking.. also check for leaks from the exhaust cam seal) don't try anything over 15W40 (although even that could be a problem on that engine) it could also leak at or near the oil filter (very common) and you could lose quite an amount without any drops on the driveway.. as it spreads on the engine (as liquids tend to do ) or pools in/on the drip tray and evaporates.. after that the solution (and the possible problem) become more severe.. pressure test it if you feel like it (but i would let it go.. unless you are willing to foot an extensive rebuild bill) good luck

---edit
1 more thing.. after the dealer opened it up i’ve had about half a litre drip into the spark plug recesses (so check for oil there too)

I know on the classic mini you go from 15/40 (which is a bad spec for the car anyway), to 20/50. I wasn't suggesting you got to 15/40 on your Stilo, can't remember what the Stilo runs say 10/30? So going up 1 grade might suffice!

But i'd only be doing this on a really high milage car, and i'd be checking with the garage first. Don't go taking my word for it lol.

Moving to a more viscous oil from say a 40 to a 50 (or even 60) will indeed reduce oil consumption but it's likely to lead to increased engine wear too and that's when the vicious circle starts with no going back

It might well be expensive but maintaining the use of a top quality low viscosity oil should see maximum life from the engine - although really you're closing the barn door after the horse has gone - as top grade oil should've been used when the engine was new

Thanks for the post, I put some Castrol racing oil in and the car seems fine oil consumption wise. It actually feels a whole lot better now with the new oil in. Fortunetly I took out a two year unlimited mileage policy on the car so if anything happens it covers all replacemnts etc.

All good!:slayer:

I had a huge problem with oil consumtion on my abarh aftter about 3 months then after a lot of searching with no luck and one day me and my dad lookes at the vacuum pipe we found oil on the rim of the pipe and it was sucking really hard and created a vacuum in the engine and after 5 min we took of the pcv valve and found that it didnt seal well and that was creating the vacuum in the engine and sucking out all the oil just put and o ring under it to close the gap havemt had an oil problem ever since:slayer: and water check your filler cap after a while driving listen to the cap to see if you can hear a blow noise and thats that :worship:

Any chance you could post a picture of the location of the PCV valve and the vacuum pipe you're talking about?

Best oil for your stilo abarth os the castrol edge sport 10w/60 full synthetic

I topped up with a litre of semi magnetic, following day after a good run had starting problems and run a bit crappy. Had a full service at weekend with 20k and its like a different car.

For 30 quid id pay for the 20k stuff, if your unsure of history its worth dropping it all for the cost

you only need 10w/60 if your giving it some on a track or live in a hot country. Fiat suggested 20k not racing for mine in England