I recently bought a 1984 300D and in the last 1,000 milesit has used 3 quarts of oil. The person I bought it from who ia a mechanic says that it what I can expect. The car has 135k miles. Is this true?? <edited><editID>sukie</editID><editDate>38032.3537037037</editDate></edited>

 

Most likely you have a 300D Turbo Diesel engine. There are 300D non-turbo engines(1980 and before) and 300D turbo diesels (1981 and above). Turbo diesels are known for starting to burn some oil from 100,000 miles onward. 3 quarts per 1,000 miles is excessive and you need some repairs. The repairs to cure/reduce this consumption amount may be more expensive than what you can/want to invest. 3 quarts per 1,000 miles may be a good trade off for you at this time.

 

I have a 300TD, 1987, 124 wagon, this is a six cylinder and it does not use any oil during the oil changes, it has about 265,000 miles. My previous 240 D, did not use any oil either after 275,000 miles. I would check for oil leaks. A need for new rings would indicate that improper maint. has caused this if it is indeed using oil. If you can stand adding this much oil between changes, I would do it for awhile and see if this continues.